Lincoln Memorial (2126)

The Lincoln Memorial – мемориал Линкольна

the Gettysburg Address ['getisbə:g] – Геттисбергская речь

The Lincoln Memorial is a tribute to President Abraham Lincoln and the nation he fought to preserve during the Civil War (1861-1865). The Lincoln Memorial was built to resemble a Greek temple. It has 36 Doric columns, one for each state united into the Union at the time of Lincoln's death. The Memorial symbolizes Lincoln's firm belief that all the people must be free.

Inscribed on the south wall of the monument is the Gettysburg Address, the speech made by A. Lincoln in 1863 at the dedication of the National Cemetery on the battlefield of Gettysburg. Above it is a mural painted by Jules Guerin depicting the angel of truth freeing a slave. Guerin also painted the unity of North and South mural on the north wall. Etched into the north wall below the mural is Lincoln's second inaugural speech. The wall paintings represent allegorically the principles of freedom, justice, unity, fraternity and philanthropy.

But the dominant feature of the building is the magnificent, realistic figure of a seated Lincoln in the centre of the open temple. Nineteen feet tall and executed by the well-known American sculpture Daniel Chester French, it embodies the qualities that are forever associated with the great man – compassion, warmth, strength of character and an ineffable sadness. The memorial was dedicated in a ceremony of Memorial Day, May 30, 1922.

The Lincoln Memorial is one of the most profound symbols of American Democracy in the world. It is a memorial that celebrates the tremendous accomplishments which have united the nation for more than two hundred years. In addition, it is a place where citizens assemble to draw attention to those causes and issues which continue to divide the country.

From all walks of life, people come to be inspired with the spirit of President Lincoln's fierce determination to save the Union and extraordinary compassion towards those who had been denied their freedom. Perhaps the reason the Lincoln Memorial holds such a special place in the hearts of all Americans is because it serves as a place to celebrate things that unite Americans as a nation, as well as a place to focus on the things that still divide them.

Furthermore, it is entirely possible that people come by the millions to be inspired by the strength and compassion of President Lincoln's great vision, in the hope of overcoming these obstacles to become an even more united nation in the end. As a potent symbol of American democracy, the Lincoln Memorial continues to inspire the world with its simple and dignified message of Freedom.

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