Introduction
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States of America, symbolizes his belief that America’s soul is the freedom and dignity of all people. He was known to preserve the Union and liberate the oppressed.
Find out the establishments that were named after and created in honor of Abraham Lincoln to honor his contributions that shaped the United States of America.
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.
The Lincoln Memorial is the first public memorial to an American President, Abraham Lincoln, in Washington, D.C. The shrine embodies the founding principles of the United States: “All men are created equal.”
The Congress created and passed many bills in creating a memorial for Lincoln in 1867. The groundbreaking for the said memorial happened in 1914. Henry Bacon designed the monument. The establishment was inspired by the Athenian temple in Parthenon to reflect his sacrifices to defend democracy and profound wisdom.
“Abraham Lincoln” was the colossal sculpture of President Abraham Lincoln sculpted by Daniel Chester French and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers.
The memorial was unveiled to the public by Lincoln Memorial Commission president, William Howard Taft, on Memorial Day in 1922.
The Lincoln Memorial was also the venue for another historical event in the history of the United States. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in August 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. Hundreds and thousands joined the march on Washington.
Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
The four faces of four American Presidents carved on a is the Mount Rushmore. It is a national monument in Black Hills, South Dakota. These four men were chosen because of their contribution to shaping the United States of America.
The first carved face from the left is George Washington. His role during the Revolutionary War and defended the independence of the Americans is recognized. The second is Thomas Jefferson. He was famous for writing the Declaration of Independence, where he believed people should govern themselves. On the other hand, Theodore Roosevelt was chosen for being an influential president and a world leader. Lastly, Abraham Lincoln for his stance that all men are created equal.
Gutzon Borglum carved Mount Rushmore. He died before finishing the work; that’s why his son, Lincoln Borglum, continued it. It took fourteen years to create the faces found in the Mount Rushmore.
Counties named after Abraham Lincoln
Aside from establishments and memorial parks, there are approximately sixteen counties and a parish named after Abraham Lincoln being the sixteenth president of the United States. During Reconstruction Era, Union sympathizers named their counties in honor of Abraham Lincoln. It can is in Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Louisiana.
Lincoln County in South Dakota was the newest addition to the list.
Abraham Lincoln: The Man
The statue is also known as the Standing Lincoln. It is a 12-foot bronze statue on Abraham Lincoln rising from a chair and about to give a speech. Several replicas are in different significant locations such as Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, Illinois, Parque Lincoln in New Mexico, and even in Parliament Square in London.
There are smaller replicas of the statue found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Yale University, Harvard Art Museums, and thirteen other establishments across the United States and even Cuba.
Lincoln Tomb, Springfield, Illinois
The final resting place of Abraham Lincoln, together with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and their three sons, Edward, William, and Thomas, is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois. It was operated and maintained by Illinois Preservation Agency.
Larkin Mead designed the tomb. The remains of Abraham Lincoln is in a concrete vault ten feet below the marble floor while the remains of Mary with their three sons are in the chamber’s south wall.
The construction of the tomb began in 1868, three years after his death. In 1874, President Ulysses Grant attended the dedication ceremony. The reconstruction of the monument occurred in the 1900s due to security issues. There are numerous attempts to steal Lincoln’s body in 1876.
Educational Institutions named after Abraham Lincoln
There are numerous educational institutions named after Abraham Lincoln. He was genuinely mindful of the importance of education, thus, emphasized how learning became his tool to go beyond manual labor. Reiterating his principles of being a lifelong learner, he acted on knowledge as a universal right rather than a privilege during his administration.
Considered as the pinnacle of his administration was the Morrill Act, which provided lands for building and supplementing public universities.
Conclusion
Indeed, Abraham Lincoln earned respect and honor he deserves after the sacrifices he had made to forge the United States and fight for the slaves. These monuments and statues are not only to honor Abraham Lincoln. It engraved his principle to the hearts and lives of Americans that all men are created equal.
US Presidents | ||