Martin Luther King Monument Located in the West Potomac Park bordering the Tidal Basin, stands the first African American civil rights activist to be memorialized in Washington D.C., the Martin Luther King Jr Monument. This monument commemorates the four themes that Dr. King lived through in his life which include: democracy, justice, commitment, hope and love. The Martin Luther King Jr monument was supposed to be dedicated on August 28, 2011 to coincide with the 48th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech but was postponed to October 16th because of Hurricane Irene. The 30-foot tall statue was created and sculpted by a Chinese artist named Lei Yixin. His work was inspired by Dr. Kings’ “I Have a Dream” speech and included “A Stone …show more content…
King played a major part. The memorial is located in a straight line halfway between the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial, which is said to create a visual “line of leadership” with two other Americans who worked hard to secure freedom and liberty for citizens in our country. The intent of the creator was to reveal to all who visit the beauty that commitment and peace brings to a nation who follows their Constitution. Every year, the cherry blossoms peak around the time of the assassination of King, which is April 4th. The Cherry blossom trees were given to the United States by Japan as a sign of peace. The memorial was designed to be a sensory experience. The designers used several elements like rock, water and landscape design to create a visual, and even tactile experience that is functional during all the seasons. The tone surrounding the monument is informal, solemn and serious. It portrays King as a man of honor who was an intellectual that used his words wisely and was full of grace and dignity. The intention was for the memorial to demonstrate what they called King’s “spiritual presence,” because he was more than a civil rights leader, but also a preacher of the gospel of Jesus
For a long time and now America is still divided and not United. There is an emotional appeal or pathos this image sparks. George Floyd is pictured on the statue. George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota which kick-started the Black Lives Matter movement and also all the protests happening around the country. Robert E Lee in this photo also makes Americans think of their past history of slavery, injustice, and oppression.
During the Civil War slavery was still on going and a lot people will disagree with the statement that it was the reason for the Civil War. This Monument highlights the work of the cavalry, infantry and naval forces who fought in the Civil War. It also surrounded by statues of General Robert E. Lee, General Albert Johnson, General Stonewell Jackson and also Confederate President Jefferson Davis. One of the significant men in this monument is General Robert E. Lee they put him on a high pedestal even though he was a slave owner. According to Slavery in Arlington “Robert E. Lee—the executor of the estate—determined that the slave labor was necessary to improve Arlington's financial status.”
George Washington served as the commander of chief in the Continental Army, Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery, Thomas Jefferson fought for the right to be free and human rights, and Theodore Roosevelt was all about preserving the environment. These Presidents contributed something to the world that we will never be able to pay them back for. Mount Rushmore is just the simplest way to say thank you and honor these outstanding Presidents
The 8th grade class took a 4 day trip to Washington. We did many things to explore Washington D.C. including visiting monuments. Some people think differently of how a monument should be made. Good monuments to some people could be to make people remember about the person or thing being remembered or to just reflect the person’s life or importance. In “The Follower Problem” by David Brooks, David thinks a good monument should show power and authority.
If you go to Washington D.C. you can see all these different memorials that all stand for something different. You have the Lincoln memorial, Washington memorial, and so on. Then if you head to the west some you will find Mount Rushmore, which have the heads, of what people believed, the best presidents carved into the mountainside. When you look at all these great memorials that we have built to honor the people of the past you can’t help but feel some sense of awe. The thought that these great people once lived in the same country as you and that the past really did happen.
Monuments that are constructed in order to give commendation to people, places, or events are located all over the globe. It is very possible for someone to find a few in their very own town. Although there may be negative controversy on certain monuments, many throughout the world have changed individual’s lives tremendously in a beneficial way. One monument in particular has stood tall through it all and has had so much positive effect on millions of people from the beginning of time. One hundred and thirty years later this monument continues to impact people’s lives from all over the world.
Creating a monument for an person or event is an great idea if they have did something significant in the historic life that have changed us in some way. People that have been leaders or made an great impact on modern lives they should be notice because of what they did to help. Some people just want there name on something for little stuff thats not making history or changing people’s lives. That why i think people or an event that has already occurred should have an monument. Memorializing a person or event and creating a monument is an great idea because illustrates our past that some may not know that happen and that a person or event should be honored.
With a saunter around the National Mall, revere the neoclassical Lincoln Memorial, with a staggering (175 ton pound) statue of Abraham Lincoln swirled by his words of the Gettysburg Speech, the marvelous marble, granite and blue stone Washington Memorial, the Rome-esque memorial of Thomas Jefferson, and more… 2.) Arlington, VA’s cemetery Witness an official ceremony of Veteran’s Day at the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington, VA’s cemetery, where John F. Kennedy spoke eleven days before his assassination, and his body later returned to. Savor a moment reflecting on the tomb of the “Unknown Soldier” from World War I, and admire a sophisticated switching of the guard on the dot of every hour. 3.)
I chose this memorial because of the controversy surrounding Thomas Jefferson memorials throughout the country. Hundreds of statues, plaques, historical artifacts, and monuments have been dedicated to Thomas Jefferson across the country in memory to his presence as a founding father. Recently, there has been controversy surrounding these memorials due to Thomas Jefferson’s disreputable past with owning slaves and how he treated them. I thought looking at his statue and tombstone through a human rights lens would be interesting and internally thought provoking. The statue was given to the university by trustees of the Jefferson club.
The need to memorialize events or people is complex; in some cases, monuments honor moments of great achievement, while in other cases, monuments pay homage to deep sacrifice. A monument 's size, location, and materials are all considerations in planning and creating a memorial to the past. In any case, the need to honor or pay homage to a specific person or event is prevalent within society. A monument has to mean something to the society it is place in. The location of a monument is perhaps the most important aspect of creating a successful monument to honor and show respect to a person or event.
A Man Who Made America More Honorable There are many individuals who have shaped and impacted the history of America. Many decades of hardships have been endured to make America the way it is today. An individual who is recognized and still remembered today for helping shape America into a more honorable country is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
It was a unified impression connecting the past through myths. The Lincoln Memorial was symbolizing America in Lincolns time period because all the conflict between sectional region and race. The memorial shows Lincoln’s success in reuniting and preserving the Union and destroying
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an extremely impactful activist during the Civil Rights Movement that gave over 2,500 speeches in his lifetime. Of these speeches, his most popular is his famous I Have a Dream speech that he gave on August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C. during the March on Washington. Even famous speakers like Martin Luther King, Jr. use persuasive techniques to appeal to the different sides of their audiences. In order to appeal to his predominately African American audience, Martin Luther King, Jr. makes reference to Abraham Lincoln and his granting freedom to slaves by signing the Emancipation Proclamation.
“We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped and robbed of their dignity…”(King 263). The speech, “I have a dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was given on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to non-violent protesters for equal rights for African Americans. Counter to the speech, he also wrote the “Letter From Birmingham Jail” to respond to clergymen that had criticized him in the Newspaper.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important leaders of the civil rights movement. He graduated from a segregated high school at the age of fifteen and earned a bachelor degree at a segregated institution in Atlanta in 1948. King was known to be a strong civil rightist, and he was part of the committee known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On August 28, 1963, King presented his well-known speech, “I Have a Dream,” during The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom for Africans’ civil and economic rights. His “I Had a Dream” speech was known as the most influential speech that has tremendously impacted the United States forever by its powerful rhetorics and the emotional connection to the audience.