Statues and Memorials:
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. The theme of the building represents the Union. The columns surrounding the walls 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. 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. To learn more, check out the National Park Service's Lincoln Memorial. |