lincoln memorial facts
Lincoln Memorial Facts
The Lincoln Memorial is a Presidential memorial in honor of Abraham Lincoln. The memorial is an architectural delight designed by Henry Bacon, sculpted by Daniel Chester French, and painted by Ricky Lee.
- Lincoln Monument Association chose the site, which was then swampland, in 1902. On 12 February, 1911, the first stone was put into place to commemorate Lincoln's birthday. A combination of Indiana limestone and Yule and Georgian marble make the memorial truly unique.
- The dedication ceremony was headed by former President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft and Robert Todd Lincoln, Lincoln's only surviving child, on May 30, 1922.
- The chief architect Henry Bacon was awarded a Gold Medal by the American Institute of Architects, for its design, in 1923. While the statue of Abraham Lincoln was sculpted by Daniel Chester French in 1920.
- The memorial stands 99 feet tall with 36 enormous columns. Each of these measure 37 feet in height. The columns represent the 25 U.S. states and the 11 seceded States, after the death of Abraham Lincoln. The names of all the states of the US are inscribed in entablatures, above each column.
- Lincoln's expression is depicted as pensive. The sculpture gazes eastwards, towards the Reflecting Pool. He holds the Roman fasces, symbolizing the power of the Republic.
- Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Second inaugural address are enshrined in south and north walls. There is an angel inscribed into the north wall, to represent truth and on the south wall, the inscription is that of a slave being freed.
- Performance by African-American contralto Marian Anderson on the behest of Eleanor Roosevelt, to a live and radio audience, in 1939.
- March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Rally, headed by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, which resulted in the I Have a Dream speech.
- Impromptu meeting with protesters against the Vietnam War headed by President Richard Nixon, in 1970.
- 20th Anniversary Mobilization for Jobs, Peace and Freedom, for African-American civil rights, in 1983.
- Inauguration celebration to honor President George W. Bush, in 2001.