My Blog on Lincoln Memorial,

It was long week end; my son took me and my beloved wife  to Washington D. C.  On 30th May 2016, we were at Lincoln Memorial, one of the most beloved American monuments: Seated proudly at the west end of Washington, D.C.’s National Mall. 

The Lincoln Memorial suits its surroundings, to visitors like us the memorable seems to have always been there, around the green grassy area between the Capitol Building and the Potomac River, distinguished and serene. Absolutely clean & neatly maintained. Behind the memorial to the east we see the Washington Monument & Capitol Hill.
Also there on the way from Washington Monuments to Lincoln Memorial very amazing & beautifully conceived  World War memorial. 

World War Memorial

We do not know our own history; we visit historic places and monuments as visitors, tourist on vacations. I was having free time and not posted blog for long, so thought to share few things about The Lincoln Memorial.

From Lincoln Memorial one gets view covering Washington Monument and Capitol Hill in a straight line & also awesome mirror image.

Washington Monument is iconic structure standing tallest of its own since Oct 19, 1888, towering tribute to first President George Washington.

Reflection from Lincoln Memorial

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the United States through its Civil War-its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis.

Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slaves in the United states.  

Emancipation Proclamation is one of his greatest achievements, and the passage of a constitutional amendment, Amendment 13th, abolishing slavery, eventually passed after his death in 1865.

Lincoln Memorial:

Efforts to create a fitting tribute to Abraham Lincoln began immediately after the leader’s assassination in 1865.

Lincoln Memorial bill was signed on February 11, 1911, created the Lincoln Memorial Commission the final cost accounted for  was $3 million. 

Most of the memorial’s “architectural elements” were completed in April 1917; construction was slowed by World War I, and the memorial wouldn't open until 1922.

When the Lincoln Memorial project was revived in the early 20th century, there were still opponents of its construction—mainly, Speaker of the House Joe Cannon. 

Such oppositions are common in democratic set up, but in India everything is mixed with politics and politicians have  their own agenda above national interest.

Architecture of Memorial:

The Lincoln Memorial was brought to life through the collaboration of many designers and artisans.

Lincoln Memorial

Architect Henry Bacon modeled the memorial in the style of a Greek temple. The classic design features 36 Doric columns outside, symbolizing the states in the Union at Lincoln's death.

The building measures 204 feet long, 134 feet wide and 99 feet tall, with 44-foot columns. It blends stone from various states viz.white Colorado marble for the exterior, Indiana limestone for the interior walls, pink Tennessee marble for the floor, and Alabama marble for the ceiling.

The Statue of Abraham Lincoln

Daniel Chester French, the leading American sculptor of the day, created the famous statue of Lincoln which dominates the interior. The finished statue is 19 feet tall, carved of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble. French later had special lighting installed to enhance the figure. Visitors sometimes ask if the hands have special significance (such as forming the letter "A" in sign language), but there is no indication French intended it.

Inscriptions:

Statue of Abraham Lincoln

The interior of the Lincoln Memorial possesses a three-chamber design. The central chamber contains the statue of Lincoln, directly behind the statue one reads the words of American art historian Royal Cortissoz carved into the wall: "IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR. WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.

The chamber north of the statue contains Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, topped by a mural by Jules Guerin called "Reunion."

Guerin also painted the "Emancipation" mural in the south chamber over the Bliss version of the Gettysburg Address.

 "Angel of Truth" flanked on either side by depicting recently freed slaves & the theme of reunification at the end of the Civil War.

May 30, 1922

On Memorial Day, May 30, 1922, the building was dedicated, 57 years after Lincoln died. About 50,000 people attended the ceremonies, including hundreds of Civil War veterans and Robert Todd Lincoln, the president's only surviving son.

30th of May, 1868 was observed as first Decoration Day. However in 1968 US Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May, to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars. The change went into effect in 1971.

Exactly after 90 years on 30th May 2016, I happen to visit the site. Easy to remember the day of visit at ‘The Lincoln Memorial’.

Ajeet Bhide