National Monuments of America: Lincoln Memorial - Essay Example

National Monuments of America: Lincoln Memorial Introduction There is a long list of the national monuments and memorials in the US today. They include but are not limited to the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial, the Iowa Jima Memorial, the Simon Bolivar Statue, the Cuban Friendship Urn, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, the First Division Monument, the General William T. Sherman Monument, the John Ericsson National Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Albert Einstein Memorial, the George Mason Memorial, the World War I Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Pentagon Memorial, the United States Air Force Memorial, and the National World War II Memorial (“Have Camera”). This paper discusses one of the most popular national monuments, the Lincoln Memorial, in detail. The ideology behind Lincoln Memorial Congress made the Lincoln Monument Association (LMA) two years after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The purpose of forming LMA was to construct a memorial that would be dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. “In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever” (Cortissoz cited in “Lincoln Memorial Design”). Design The construction of Lincoln Memorial commenced in 1914. It was designed by Henry Bacon, an architect from New York. Other designers involved in the making of the sculpture include Daniel Chester French, Jules Guerin, Ernest C. Bairstow, Evelyn Beatrice Longman, Piccirilli Brothers, and Royal Cortissoz (“Lincoln Memorial Design”). The design was inspired by a Greek temple consisting of 36 doric columns. The length of the building is 204 feet, with the height being 99 feet, and the width being 134 feet (“Abraham Lincoln Memorial”). The columns signified the Union states at the time of assassination of Lincoln. 12 more states had been added to the Union by the time the memorial reached its completion in May 1922. Names of all 48 states have been carved on the memorial walls’ exterior. A plaque carrying the names of Alaska and Hawaii was added later after the admission of these states. The dimensions of the tall marble temple from the inside are 99ft/30m. It is a grand sculpture that shows Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair. The originally planned dimensions of the sculpture were 10ft/3m according to Daniel Chester French’s design. However, after Henry Bacon realized that this was too small a size compared to the size of the building, it was decided to double the size of the sculpture to 19ft/5.8m. On the northern wall, there is an inscription of the second inaugural speech made by Abraham Lincoln whereas the Gettysburg address has been inscribed on the southern wall, which is considered to be among the most important speeches made throughout the history of America. A mural above the inscription depicts freeing of a slave by the angel of truth. An image of the Lincoln Memorial is provided in Fig. 1: Fig. 1: Lincoln Memorial (“Washington, D.C.”). Construction cost and materials Site for the memorial was chosen in 1901 and President Taft signed the Lincoln Memorial Bill in 1911, thus dedicating funds of $2 million for the construction of the memorial. However, construction of the Lincoln Memorial finally incurred a cost of $3 million (“Abraham Lincoln Memorial”). A blend of stones from different states of America has been used for the construction of Lincoln Memorial; pink marble from Tennessee has been used for the floor, interior walls have been made with limestone brought from Indiana, the exterior has been made with marble brought from Colorado, whereas the ceiling has been made with marble brought from Alabama. Location Before the completion of the plans to construct in the Potomac Flats, the commission considered a range of memorial ideas and locations including a huge pyramid and a highway. Eventually, one of the White House secretaries of Abraham Lincoln, John Hay, supported the Potomac location on the basis of the ideology that the structure should look serene and distinguished and stand along in the location. The location of Lincoln Memorial is the National Mall’s west end. In front of the Lincoln Memorial, the top of the stairs provide a majestic scene of the US Capitol and the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Memorial is perfectly suited to its location and surroundings. “The citys master designer, Pierre L Enfant, could hardly have imagined a better architectural anchor to the west end of the Mall, the grassy area he visualized between the Capitol Building and the Potomac River” (“Abraham Lincoln Memorial”). To the west behind the Lincoln Memorial is the Arlington National Cemetery as well as the Lee-Custis Mansion, and the Capitol Hill and the Washington Monument are located toward the easy. The face of Lincoln Memorial is toward a reflecting pool in the east. The atmosphere in the place is very soothing and peaceful. The Memorial Day 30 May 1922 is remembered as the Memorial Day in the history of America. It was the day when the building was dedicated to Abraham Lincoln 57 years after his death. The ceremonies were attended by over 50,000 people that included the only surviving son of the president called Robert Todd Lincoln and hundreds of veterans of the Civil War. Main speakers of the event were the former President William Howard Taft, President Warren Harding, and principal of the Tuskegee Institute Dr. Robert Moton (“Abraham Lincoln Memorial”). Symbolic significance The Lincoln Memorial has been a very important symbol of the civil rights movement of America. This is evident from the fact that “Marian Anderson, the famed African American contralto, with the support of first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, was granted permission by the Department of the Interior to perform at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 after being denied the right to sing at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution” (Bigler). One of the uses of Lincoln Memorial is a place for the gathering of political rallies and protests. Martin Luther King made very popular speech ‘I have a dream’ in 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. Works Cited: “Abraham Lincoln Memorial.” 2013. Web. 2 July 2014. . Bigler, Philip. “Lincoln Memorial.” 29 April 2014. Web. 2 July 2014. . “Have Camera.” N.d. Web. 2 July 2014. . “Lincoln Memorial Design Individuals.” National Park Service. 2014. Web. 2 July 2014. . “Washington, D.C. Memorials and Landmarks.” 2014. Web. 2 July 2014. . Read More