Though not completed in time for the memorial's dedication in 1922, the reflecting pool has become one of the most recognizable and filmed sites in Washington, DC. The reflecting pool and the long promenade of Elm Trees on either side are key features of the Lincoln Memorial landscape.
All states in the Union are represented on the upper level of the Lincoln Memorial, however Alaska and Hawaii entered the union after the memorial was completed. To recognize these states, this plaque was added to the Lincoln Memorial plaza.InscriptionsTHE FEDERAL UNION OF THE STATES AT THE HEART OF LINCOLN'S PURPOSE IS SYMBOLIZED IN HIS MEMORIAL BY 36 COLUMNS BENEATH THE NAMES OF THE 36 STATES COMPOSING THE UNION IN HIS LIFETIMEWHEN THE MEMORIAL WAS DESIGNED THE UNION INCLUD
Speaking at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg, the final resting place of thousands of Americans who died on that field, Abraham Lincoln offered this brief but consequential speech. The speech was a turning point in his war strategy in that, for the first time, he began to openly speak of the abolition of slavery as a desired outcome of the war, a "new birth of freedom." The mural above depicts an allegory of emancipation in the center.InscriptionsFour score and se
On this location in 1963, Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. In the speech, he evoked the memory of Abraham Lincoln, the emancipation of the slaves, and the "shameful condition" of segregation in America 100 years after the American Civil War. The march was a watershed moment for the Civil Rights movement, helping pressure lawmakers to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.InscriptionsI HAVE A DREAMMARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.THE MAR
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) is depicted by renowned American sculptor Daniel Chester French. Lincoln is seated with the American flag draped behind him, and of bundles of rods under each arm representing the union of the states. This Georgia white marble statue is 19 feet tall and is made of 28 blocks of stone.<br />Inscriptions<br />IN THIS TEMPLE<br />AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE<br />FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION<br />THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN<br />IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.<br />
Inscribed into the north side of the Lincoln Memorial chamber is President Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, delivered in 1865. In the speech, Lincoln explores the causes and meanings of the American Civil War, which was nearing its end. Above the insciption is a mural by painter Jules Guerin depicting the concept of unity. In the mural, the Angel of Truth joins the hands of two figures representing the north and south. Her protective wings cradle figures represent
