The United States Capitol Dome seen behind the Washington Monument with local people, visitors and visiting tourists under the US flags on their flagpoles. The Capitol features a dome situated above its rotunda. Designed by Thomas U. Walter, the fourth Architect of the Capitol, it was constructed between 1855 and 1866. Underneath is the central rotunda of the United States Capiton in Washington, D.C. The Statue of Freedom is a bronze statue that, since 1863, has crowned the dome of the U.S. Capitol. The Washington Monument is an obelisk, the tallest monumental column in the world, on the National Mall built to commemorate George Washington, a founding father of the the United States.  The American flags are flown at half mast honoring the victims of the tragedy in Allen, Texas and respect for the victims of violence. Washington DC, USA on May 2023 (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)