Transcript Slide 1
The Lincoln Memorial: America’s Gathering Place http://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm Abraham Lincoln • • • • • http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008680969/resource/ Life: 1809 - 1865 President: 1860 - 1865 Civil War Gettysburg Address Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln Memorial http://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/ncr/linc/interactive/deploy/index.htm#/panoramas Lincoln Penny Washington, D.C. http://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/upload/NACCmap1.pdf • Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the Lincoln Memorial honors Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. • Lincoln was President during the Civil War (1861-65). • The memorial, which was built between 1914 and 1922, symbolizes his belief that all people should be free. http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/lincoln.html • The theme of the building represents the Union or United States. • The columns stand for the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. • The names of the 48 states in the Union (when the memorial was completed in 1922) are carved on the walls along the outside of the memorial. • A plaque honoring Alaska and Hawaii is in the approach plaza. http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/lincoln.html • The chamber inside the memorial contains a statue of Lincoln seated, facing the Washington Monument and the Capitol. • The statue of Lincoln is 19 feet high and weighs 175 tons. • The chamber also houses two huge stone tables, one engraved with Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and the other with the Gettysburg Address. • Two murals represent the principles of freedom, justice, unity, brotherhood, and charity. • http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/symbols/lincoln.html First Amendment • Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/chart ers_downloads.html Racial Equality http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2010651298/ • Marian Anderson sings after not being allowed to perform at DAR Constitution Hall because she was a “singer of color” • April 1939 • Sings “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” or “America” Civil Rights http://www.loc.gov/search/?q=march+on+washington&fa=digitized%3Atrue&sp=1 “And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must be true.” Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” on August 28, 1963 Peace Marches • Vietnam War Protest • October 21, 1967 http://www.usmarshals.gov/history/civilian/1967b.htm Anti-war Demonstrations • Protesters against the war in Iraq • March 17, 2007 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-03/18/content_5862349.htm Reflection • The Lincoln Memorial honors one of the United States’ greatest presidents. • Lincoln believed in making life better and protecting the rights of the common man. • This awe-inspiring memorial allows us to reflect on what it means to be an American.