Lincoln Memorial

The first stone of the Lincoln Memorial was put into place on Lincoln's birthday, February 12, 1915 and the monument was dedicated on May 30, 1922.

The design of the memorial is modeled on that of a Greek temple; its 36 Doric columns represent the 36 states of the Union at the time of Lincoln's death. The focus of the memorial is Daniel Chester French's sculpture of Lincoln, seated.

The Gettysburg Address is inscribed on the south wall of the memorial, and Lincoln's second inaugural address is inscribed on the north wall. Murals by Jules Guerin[?] show an angel, representing truth, freeing a slave (on the north wall, above the Gettysburg Address), and the unity of the American North and South (above the Second Inaugural Address)

Like the other monuments on the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial is administered by the National Park Service. It is open to the public from 8 a.m. until midnight, except December 25.

In 1939, the singer Marian Anderson was refused permission to perform at Constitution Hall in Washington because of her skin color. Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for Anderson to perform from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, to a live audience of 70,000, and a nationwide radio audience.

The Lincoln Memorial is shown on the reverse of the United States penny.

External link

• NPS Lincoln Memorial homepage (http://www.nps.gov/linc/home.htm)