Perhaps the most important place to visit memorials of the United States is the National Mall, located in the heart of Washington D.C. Following the assassination of President Lincoln, the United States government established a Lincoln Monument Association, who were in charge of making a memorial to commemorate the great President Lincoln. After his horrific death, many people were convinced that he was the great leader he was, but now killed for helping all Americans. His death almost immortalized him as one of the greatest leaders in American history, besides the fact he helped bring a nation in Civil War back to unity.
By March of 1867, the government already began to plan for the monument established. The memorial has 38 total columns, 36 of which signify the number of states that existed in the US at the time of Lincoln's assassination. There are two center columns that signify the main entrance to the monument as well. Above the columns are the names of the 36 states that were in the union along with the dates they entered. Inside the monument, the north and south chambers have the words to Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address, unquestionably his two most important speeches. The statue that dawns the center of the memorial was sculpted and chiseled by the Piccirilli brother and was supervised by Daniel Chester French. This main part of the memorial took four years to create, and it dawns a large stone chair made of Tennessee marble , which is 10 feet tall, and the statue itself was 19 feet tall.
The Lincoln Memorial is responsible for some of the most important gatherings in the history of the United States. The most important event that ever took place at the Lincoln Memorial was the March on Washington, led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which took place to protest segregation and Jim Crow laws in the South, which led to the eventual establishment of the final Civil Rights Act, protecting all Americans from racial discrimination in private and public settings.
Although it is not the tallest monument in the nation, the Lincoln Memorial is one of the most important monuments in America because of its significance and the historical events that have taken place on its very steps.
It is interesting to see the architectural significance and symbolism of the memorial that provides a great tribute to Lincoln's ideals and legacy. In addition, the main architect of the Lincoln Memorial was Henry Bacon, whom had studied in Greece and designed the memorial based on the Parthenon. The Parthenon was built in Athens, Greece, also known as the birthplace of modern democracy. It is obvious that the architects and builders spent every step of the process making sure that the memorial would reflect American ideals and Lincoln's mission in the Civil War. Today, the memorial continues to serve as a reminder of the democracy we value so much in America and reminds us of why we need to be politically active.
ReplyDeleteSource:
https://www.nps.gov/linc/learn/historyculture/lincoln-memorial-design-individuals.htm