U.S. Department of State (1789 – present)
Founded in 1789, The US State Department currently supports more than 270 embassies, consulates, and other posts worldwide staffed by Locally Employed (LE) Staff and more than 13,500 Foreign Service officers. “The Department of State promotes and protects the interests of American citizens by:
■ Promoting peace and stability in regions of vital interest;
■ Creating jobs at home by opening markets abroa;
■ Helping developing nations establish investment and export opportunities; and
■ Bringing nations together and forging partnerships to address global problems such as terrorism, the spread of communicable diseases, cross-border pollution, humanitarian crises, nuclear smuggling, and narcotics trafficking
…The Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress have constitutional responsibilities for U.S. foreign policy. “Within the Executive Branch, the Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, and its head, the Secretary of State, is the President’s principal foreign policy advisor, though other officials or individuals may have more influence on their foreign policy decisions. “The Department advances U.S. objectives and interests in the world through its primary role in developing and implementing the President’s foreign policy.”
–From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daily DoS briefing
can be viewed on C-Span:
Free DoS podcasts can be viewed on Apple iTunes.
History:
The Constitution of the United States, drafted in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and ratified by the states the following year, gave the President responsibility for the conduct of the nation’s foreign relations. It soon became clear, however, that an executive branch was necessary to support President Washington in the conduct of the affairs of the new Federal Government.
The House and Senate approved legislation to establish a Department of Foreign Affairs on July 21, 1789, and President Washington signed it into law on July 27, making the Department of Foreign Affairs the first Federal agency to be created under the new Constitution. This legislation remains the basic law of the Department of State. In September 1789, additional legislation changed the name of the agency to the Department of State and assigned to it a variety of domestic duties.
President Washington appointed Thomas Jefferson in September 1789 to be the first Secretary of State. In February 1790, Jefferson reluctantly returned from Paris where he was serving as the American Minister to France. The new Department of State under Secretary Jefferson was set up briefly in New York until the capital was moved to Philadelphia. Under Jefferson and his immediate successors, the Department consisted of several clerks and a part-time translator. The Department of State and the rest of the new government finally moved to its permanent home in Washington D.C. in early 1800.
Programs:
The United States Department of State (DoS)
2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520
GSP Coordinates: 38.893822, -77.048385
The U.S. Department of State is headquartered in the Harry S. Truman Building located at 2201 C Street, NW, a few blocks west of the White House and across the street from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
One can walk the perimeter of the U.S. Department of State.
Available to the public are guided Diplomatic Reception Rooms Tours that require advance online reservations. These tours are held Monday through Friday at 9:30 am, 10:30 am and 2:45 pm only. Same day tours are not available. Tickets are not required for the tour but advance online reservations are a must. The Department of State is closed for tours on weekends and federal holidays.
To shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere.
~ The Mission of the U.S. Department of State, FY 2011 Agency Financial Report
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system.
~ The Mission of the U.S. Department of State, FY 2012 Agency Financial Report