Lincoln Memorial

Hello everyone,

I’ve never been to any English speaking country, but I would like to travel to the USA. One of the first places that I would like to visit is the Lincoln Memorial, not only because it is visually spectacular but because of its symbolic importance.

The Lincoln Memorial is the monument honoring Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the USA. It is located at the West end of the National Mall in Washington D.C.

One of the facts that made Lincoln one of the most important presidents in the history of America was the abolition of slavery during the American Civil War between the States of the Union and the Confederate States. Six days after the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by a Confederate spy who had attended a speech in which Lincoln promoted voting rights for blacks.

Two years later the Congress created the Lincoln Monument Association, whose main purpose was to build a memorial honoring one of the most extraordinary presidents of their short history. In 1914, the architect Henry Bacon began the construction of a monument based on a Greek temple with 36 Doric columns representing the 36 states of the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. Right above, inscribed on the frieze, we can still see the names of the 50 American States. In two of the internal walls of the memorial we can find two of Lincoln’s most famous speeches, while in the center we can appreciate the majestic statue of Lincoln. Above Lincoln’s head
stands the epitaph:

IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER

Due to the essential legacy of Abraham Lincoln, his memorial has become a symbol, especially for the American Civil Rights Movement. In fact, in one of the steps that lead to the image of the president we can still see the place from which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech “I have a dream”.