Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

4 more images

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most, if not the most, beloved President in US history. Maybe even the most beloved person. He is associated with strength in standing up for the rights of man, winning the Civil War, and most of all for ending slavery in the US. He's been played in hundreds of movies and TV shows, most recently of which the Spielberg epic Lincoln, where Daniel Day Lewis's spellbinding performance won him the Best Actor Oscar.

The memorial attracts millions of visitors a year, and occasionally great events will be held here, with speakers wishing to channel some of Lincoln's greatness for themselves, or, like Martin Luther King, to use Lincoln's achievements to cast into stark contrast the failures of the present. When Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech on the steps of the memorial it was a hundred years since Lincoln's proclamation of emancipation. Nearly a quarter of a million people gathered at the steps to hear him.

Outside the Memorial is a simple, square neoclassical design, which sits elegantly above the Reflecting Pool. Inside, behind the colonnade, an imposing sculpture of Lincoln himself sits, looking in the direction of the Senate, like a watchful father. Depending on what angle you look at him, he can seem stern, stoic, sad, or contemplative. A statue as complex as the man himself.

Night or day, the Lincoln Memorial is amazingly impressive and inspirational. I went to his birthplace for the centennial of his birth, and spent four days in the area. While I loved the celebratory spirit in Kentucky, all of this combined was not as inspirational as just a few minutes gazing up at his statue from the top of the steps and then turning for a brief look out across Washington, the Reflecting Pool, the Monument, the Capitol, et al.
Take a penny with you when you go.
The Lincoln Memorial is very probably the second most popular memorial in the District of Columbia, second only to the Washington Monument. On 28 August 1963, approximately 200,000 people peacefully gathered near the Lincoln Memorial, many accidentally (???) spilling into the Reflecting Pool, with the Washington Monument surreally towering in the background, to protest racial segregation and to demand voting rights for African Americans. The day's final speaker, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., offered one of the most memorable speeches in American history, ending with these resounding words: "...When we allow freedom to ring, ... we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we're free at last.'"

1 more image

Facing Capitol building, at the other end of the national mall, a large but austhere monument celebrates Abraham Lincoln's memory. To a foreigner it is just a common big and modern monument, but it's easy to understand what it means to American people.

Reproducing a Greek temple, with Doric colomns, it was built in 1922 by Henry Bacon,with a statue conceived by Daniel Chester French.

The Memorial is a moving tribute to a great American President and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War, (the country's bloodiest conflict ever.)

It seems that not only "We the people of the United States of America..." revere this president, but people from many other countries seem to have a high regard for the man and he seems to have inspired them too.

The Memorial was actually planned as early as 1867, 2 years after Lincoln’s untimely death, but it was not until 1922 when it was dedicated! Inscribed just above the Lincoln Statue: 'In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union,
the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.

2 more images

One of the most instantly recognizable of the monuments and memorials in Washington is the one honoring our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln was President during the Civil War (1861-65) a man of enormous importance in our history.

The view from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial is one of the classic pictures of Washington, especially when you see the Reflecting Pools filled. (now in restoration) It is also magnificent in the autumn when the leaves are changing colors.

Few places are identified as closely with the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. It was here that Dr Martin Luther King delivered the historic " I have a Dream" speech on August 23, 1963 before at least 250,000 people. 100 years earlier President Lincoln had delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves.

Inside there is a small visitor center with a presentation about the Civil Rights movement.

4 more images

Recently once again I found myself back in Washington DC and decided that I would make a return trip to the Lincoln Memorial and spend the day in that area of the National Mall..I took the Metro to Foggy Bottom Station and then walked down to the Memorial..as it was a particularly nice day I decided that with so much to see in this marvelous part of the city that I would visit many sites..
This is a wonderful Memorial and is voted one of the American peoples favourites..This monument looks wonderful when lit up at night when its image is seen in the reflecting pool. The location is set out wonderfully looking up the National Mall and over the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument and WW II Memorial...really impressive.This monument is also administered by the National Park Service..

INFO: C/- WIKIPEDIA. Construction began on this monument in February 1914 after a grant of $300.000 from Congress to honour Abraham Lincoln the 16th president of the United States and was finally opened by President Harding on May 30th 1922.

The construction is in the Greek" Doric" form of architecture and contains a large sculptured Abraham Lincoln seated along with two inscriptions of his most famous speeches "The Gettysburg Address" and the" Second Inaugural Address" which can be found on opposite walls on the inside of the monument

1 more image

In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever. Beneath these words, the 16th President of the United States — the Great Emancipator and preserver of the nation during the Civil War — sits immortalized in marble. As an enduring symbol of Freedom, the Lincoln Memorial attracts anyone who seeks inspiration and hope.

1 more image

My favorite of the National Mall monuments - you've seen this one your entire life, from Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, to Forrest Gump (Jenny running through the reflecting pool to reach Forrest), to Wedding Crashers (Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson drinking from a champagne bottle as morning dawns). As with other icons, seeing it in person is something else entirely.

Go at night, when it is at it's most dramatic. The monument is open 24-hours, but the National Park rangers are only there until 10pm. As you stand at the foot of the 19-foot-tall statue of President Lincoln, to your left is the text of the Gettysburg Address, and to the right is the Second Inaugural Address. It is beautiful, thought provoking, and awe-inspiring. DEFINITELY one of those places you must visit once in your lifetime...

4 more images

The Lincoln Memorial, built to honour Abraham Lincoln, is located on the National Mall.

The architect of the memorial was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue Daniel Chester French and the painter of the interior murals Jules Guerin. Built in the form of a Greek Doric temple, it houses a large, seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln as well as inscriptions of two well-known Lincoln speeches, The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address.

The memorial is also the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.

The Lincoln Memorial is one of the must see attractions in Washington D.C. Reminiscent of a Greek Temple, the Lincoln Memorial has beautiful views of the city, including a clear view of the National Mall that extends all the way to the Capitol Building.