Mt Rushmore Research Paper

Another issue with the statues are the actual subjects monumentalized. Notable people that are commemorated with having models of themselves publicly displayed are usually figures that the people of America are proud of, like Abraham Lincoln or Harriet Tubman. Confederate statues, however, are the exception; for they are monuments that represent the institutionalization of racism. “Our public spaces should not glorify historical policies of hatred and racism,” argues Kevin Kamenetz, executive and president of the Maryland Association of Counties (Eversley 2017). That single phrase perfectly sums up what people across the country are attempting to convey, and expresses the main issue that many have with these statues. No person who fought for the right to keep humans as property is deserving of modern honor.

When designing the monument, it is believed that Herman A, MacNeil had the intention of showing how strong those in the confederacy were, and that they would protect the confederacy as a whole during any issues that could arise. When looking at the statue, the first thing noticed is the semi- unclothed man with a shield and sword at the very front, and I feel that the designer placed him in that position to show that the confederacy at the time of the Civil War was extremely powerful. There is also a lady standing behind the man, presumably the mans wife, and she was placed there to

This was not addressed when Mount Rushmore was constructed, and because of this the monument is tainted from its original purpose of honoring former United States presidents. “It is bad enough that white men drove the Sioux from hills they still hold sacred; did they have to carve faces all over them too?” Source C questions, enlightening the reader on the blemished past of Mount Rushmore, and how the placement of such a monument is wholly disrespectful (Source C). The planners of Mount Rushmore failed to recognize the faux pas of defacing the land of people who were disregarded by those to whom this monument is dedicated. Though a group may deem a historical figure or event as worthy for memorialization, when monuments are constructed paying no heed to placement, the original gesture can often be in

There are many monuments in the world and they are all built to honor someone or something that was done by that person. For example, after the Maine Lobsterman was built, the fake bronze statue returned to Maine and spent several decades being moved from city hall to museum to museum. No one seemed to want the man and his lobster. The issue at hand is if the monuments being built are memorializing the person or moment created accurately. Monuments capture legacy and preserve the individual's actions throughout history. Specifically, monuments should consider purpose, location, and size in their creation.

Memorializing is often the way to remember a very important, intelligent, or rich person who lives above the rest of us. When we memorialize it sets a way to remember someone long after they have passed from life. More often than not those we put in statues and remember are those who change the world for the better or discover something new like Christopher Columbus, and his statue in Riverside Park (Deegan, Jim, source B). Lincoln's memorial isn’t where or had any importance to Lincoln, but it succeeds his most infamous speech he ever had “The Gettysburg Address” (Savage, source A). H. Elroy Johnson a famous lobster trapper, had a statue made but never finished during his lifetime, not until after his death, was the real statue made to memorialize him (Roadside America, source f).

Source A (Savage) states that memorials are important to some people of our nation. For example, in Source A (Savage), the author states that "In this way the monumental core in Washington functions somewhat like a pilgrimage site, where communities of believers actually come together in the act of occupying a holy site, seeing a relic, reenacting a sacred event" (Kirk Savage). Some people go to the memorials in Washington D.C. to get a sense of how important that person was.

The Confederate Monuments are a life lesson to American people. The statues teach us about the past of our nation. People in our time think that the statues are supporting white supremacy. That is yet to be seen. Most of the Confederate monuments in the United States were

The Veterans Freedom Flag Memorial, near Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, is a memorial dedicated in 2007, to everyone who has fought, died and sacrificed for the safety and freedom of our country. War memorials are important things because they honor the lives and sacrifices of those who have protected freedom for hundreds of years. They serve as sentimental representations and/or reminders for some. Pathways into the emotional and physical pain that so many deal with everyday. In short they are important things to have in our society.

Monuments, are how we as people can relive the past and be able to put ourselves at that time period. For Americans the 9/11 memorial puts us in the gravity and it gives us the impact of what that disaster did but, it also shows a sense of beauty with how the water falls into the spot where once stood a tall and powerful building. Monuments, have the aura that has a sense of empathy and shows more emotion than words ever could, the Holocaust museum gives a solid reminder of what genocide really is. Monuments and memorials should be based on the size location and what it is actually standing for it should be for someone who has been influential or it should be something of war or tragedy. We as Americans don’t pay attention to local cemeteries but when they see the Arlington cemetery or Vietnam memorial or even the WWII memorial people understand what death is really like and are more appreciative of those people who fought for the United States. Monuments and Memorials are not to remember those who fought for slavery, who have committed genocide, or any acts of treason and terrorism there should be no reason to make a statue that symbolizes something that a culture and a nation does not stand for anymore. Therefore, a Monument should consider the location, size, and why the monument is built along with the emotional aura that goes along with it.

In 1861 there was a war that turned north against south family against family. After their war the created monuments that represent the brave leaders that fought for what the believe in. Now there is controversy over if the monuments should be destroyed. This has created a titanic fight between tow sides one side is for the monuments being destroyed and the other side dose not want it to be destroyed. I believe that the monuments should not be destroyed. I believe they should not be destroyed because we need to remember our history. Finally is that it will not stop the violence.

Frank Wedekind, a German playwright, once said, “Monuments are for the living, not the dead.” When a monument is built you are not honoring the person who died, but instead, are telling their story and how they lived their life. There are about 700 confederate monuments in America, each monument tells a story. Confederate statues began being built around 1900 to disenfranchise African-Americans and formally segregate society. The Confederate statues symbolize the civil war, which was based on slavery. These statues are a clever way to animate slavery and racism. Confederate monuments should be taken down and should no longer be honored.

Even so, forgetfulness is not the total issue. People are now taking our history out of context because it is not what they want to hear. Many of the memorials honor Confederate leaders and soldiers without any mention on slavery, yet people do not know the truth. Humans are blind because of their ignorance. “Confederate symbols were at once works of art, affirmation of the Lost Cause and tributes to white Southerners,” (“Monumental Battle” 8). Many generations of today do not know the truth of the statues and what they stand for. The statues can be used for educational purposes if they are allowed to speak but that is decided by the people.

Not all statues you see are all the similar size. Such as the Iwo Jima memorial, is a decent size statue, about the men placing the American flag. A person talking about a memorial and “taking a knife and cutting into the earth…” and write all the names of the people who fought in the Vietnam War makes something to remember the American history (Lin). Although her drawings included the Washington Monument, which points straight at it, she believed that placing in the middle between those monuments best-fit to include this Vietnam Memorial. What is meaningful about this memorial is the granite surface and its reflection looking at yourself, seeing yourself what the people see you versus the reality and

After the war, Americans wondered how they were going to remember the bloody war. “During the war, soldiers in countless remote arbors had gathered to mourn and bury their comrades, even while thousands remained unburied, their skeletons lying on the killing fields of Virginia, Tennessee, or Georgia…Americans carried flowers to graves or to makeshift monuments representing their dead, and so was both the ritual of “Decoration Day,” known eventually as Memorial Day” (David W. Blight, 31). The cemeteries symbolized markers of the past that haunted every community. Memorial Day is primarily beneficial because the memory of the Civil War is remembered by people of all different backgrounds. The establishment of Memorial Day created new opportunities for Americans to come together as one unified country and create a sense of fellowship between citizens.