For the first time in nearly two decades we got to see what it looks like when the United States government shuts down.
Since Congress couldn't strike a funding deal before the midnight deadline, the first government shutdown since 1995 began Tuesday. As a result, all national parks and monuments are closed and about 800,000 federal employees were sent home without pay.
See also: Google Doodle Honors Yosemite Park, But It's Closed in Government Shutdown
Negotiations came to a halt when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives insisted on defunding or delaying the Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare," as part of the spending bill. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats rejected any attempt to alter the new health care law.
Even in just one day, the shutdown has already produced a number of images that look like they belong in a Woody Guthrie song. Here's a sample of photos of the shutdown from California to the New York island.
Image: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
A U.S. Park Police officer stands guard at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Image: Flickr, NPCA Photos
The first of the nation's national parks did not escape the government shutdown.
Image: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Congress' inability to strike a deal captured all the morning headlines. Some were more creative than others.
Image: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
The shutdown closed the gates on Lady Liberty.
Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Flanked by residents who've benefited form the new health care law, President Barack Obama urged Congress to end the shutdown during a mid-day press conference in the White House Rose Garden.
Image: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
This rickshaw driver usually makes his money taxiing tourists between attractions in Washington, D.C.
Image: Twitter, M. Scott Mahaskey
Politico photo editor M. Scott Mahaskey tweeted this photo of the empty rotunda inside the U.S. Capitol.
Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Even in the shadow of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, the Fort Point National Historic Site could not hide from the shutdown.
Image: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Mount Rushmore will remain closed during the shutdown.
Image: Twitter, USA Today
Here's a creative emoji visualization of the shutdown by USA Today -- thumbs up for services unaffected by the shutdown, thumbs down for those that are closed.
Image: Twitter, Eric Cantor
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor provoked Senate leaders when he tweeted this photo of himself and his Republican colleagues waiting at the negotiating table.
Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
A U.S. Park Ranger barricades the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Image: Twitter, Leo Shane III
As Leo Shane III of Stars and Stripes showed us in a series of tweeted images, veterans managed to access the World War II Memorial, despite its closure.
Image: Flickr, NPCA Photos
Thomas Jefferson may have authored the Declaration of Independence, but that didn't spare his memorial from the shutdown.
Image: NASA.gov
A number of federal agencies, such as NASA as seen in this image, took their websites down during the shutdown. Even though a disagreement over Obamacare caused the shutdown, the law's online marketplaces opened today and remained operational, despite technical difficulties.
Image: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images