Taking in the Monuments... some of the Monuments

There are way too many monuments for the time we had available. You could make a very good argument that we didn't do justice to those that we actually did visit!

Thomas Jefferson Memorial
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial sits across the Tidal Basin to the south of the Mall and is a wonderful domed structure, open to the breezes. On the walls are four inscriptions taken from his letters and documents giving an insight into the thoughtful, passionate mind that helped set our nation on its way.

I particularly liked the following from a letter he wrote in 1816:

I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

The text of all four inscriptions can be found here.

Washington Monument
Our visit to the Washington Monument was in passing or from afar. Fortunately, it's probably one of the easiest monuments to see at any given moment and absolutely recognizable. In this photo, you can see it towering over the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin.

I remember going up in the monument one evening on my high school senior trip. I offered the opportunity to Linda but we figured that our time was limited so we'd pass on going to the top this time.

Factoid: The cornerstone of the monument was put in place in 1848. It officially opened forty (40!) years later. Hmmm... government project, eh?

Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial anchors the west end of the Mall, overlooking the reflecting pool, and generally being a very impressive building.

Along one wall is the Gettysburg Address, "Four score and seven years ago..." His second inaugural speech is on another.

As we were leaving the monument, we overheard a guide talking with his junior high class tour group. He'd asked them to count the steps leading up the monument. The correct number was eighty-seven, four score and seven; coincidence, I think not.

Factoid: While we were there, a man pointed out two oddities in the monument. One is a carving error. As I recall, the carver cut an E where he needed an F; if you look closely, you can see that the lower groove was filled in making it look like an F today.

The other oddity is that, on the day that Mr. Lincoln posed for the statue in the image, his right hand was quite swollen from shaking hands. Rather than capture that image for all time, sculptor Daniel Chester French used his own hand as the model.

Korean War Veterans Memorial
Located along the south side of the reflecting pool, near the Lincoln memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial takes the form of a triagle intersecting a circle. I'm not sure of the symbolism. Within the triangle stand a chilling collection of statues depicting a group of soldiers apparently on patrol. Each is bundled up against the elements and appears to be outfitted in a manner accurate to the time. Along the sides of the triangle are carvings further depicting those who were there as well as the statistics of war. The circle is a reflecting pool of water. Overall, it was a pretty somber reminder of where we've been, what we've done, and one price paid in the name of freedom.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has a history of controversy, much like the war that made it necessary. Out of that turbulent start, it certainly appears to have risen to a place of particular status on the Mall. We joined a pretty steady stream of people passing by, looking for names, or simply, silently paying their respects. Here and there all along the base of the wall, items are left to remember those listed on the wall.