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Adventures

FDR, MLK, and Lincoln Memorials

10/23/2020

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On Thursday we spent the day with Jennifer Epstein, an educational National Parks Ranger at the National Mall. Jen has been a ranger there since the late 1990s. She is a true historian. She knows so much about the memorials and monuments and she has beautiful, personal stories to tell. One of those stories was told yesterday.

FDR: As you may know, it takes a while for monuments to be built- from conception to completion. There are a lot of politics involved in this process. The 7 1/2 acres of the FDR memorial was not without conflict. There are 4 rooms that make up the FDR memorial- one for each term he served. When it came to the idea for one of his statues- there was some controversy. Would they create the statue of him standing or sitting in a wheelchair? During his presidential residency he made it very clear that he did not want photos taken of him in the wheelchair. It was reported that he thought that would show weakness. So when it came time for the statute to be built- his wishes were brought up again. Many folks voiced their opinions; including the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). It was suggested that the inclusion of the wheelchair would inspire those with mobility challenges. In the end, the statue was created with the wheelchair. 

On the day of the dedication, Jen was asked to be the greeter. A young lady got out of her car and asked Jen if her hair looked okay. (Jen says that since she wears a hat all day, her opinion probably wasn't valid but she politely said- you look great) The lady was thrilled and told Jen that she was meeting Al Gore that day because she was his invited guest. Her son was in a wheelchair and she was so happy that they chose to use the wheelchair in the statue. It helped her son SEE those who looked like him. It was a great story and added much to the FDR tour. 

MLK: I guess one of the most amazing things about the MLK Memorial is that his legs are not featured in the statue. For a man who spent much of his time walking- you would think we would see his legs. The idea of the missing legs is that his work was not finished. He was only 39 when he died and it's up to us to continue his work. How profound! He was also the first to receive a memorial on the National Mall that was not a president or military statue. 

LINCOLN: This memorial is majestic in beauty and scale. When it was being built, the sculptor was working on much of the design at his home in Massachusetts. His first statue was only about 10 feet tall when they brought it to DC. Considering the scale of the memorial, he had to scrap that plan and start again. It ended up being almost twice that tall at 19 feet.  Another interesting story about the Lincoln Memorial is that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on those very steps to speak some of the same  words that Abraham Lincoln  shared in the Gettysburg Address. 

Our Virtual Field Trips will talk about the accomplishments of each man and encourage each of you to be inspired to do good! 
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    Dacia and Steve

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  • Home
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    • Support Us
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    • Impact Stories
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    • Our Books >
      • Adventures of Marvin & Huck:
      • Lila & Toby: Into the Wild
      • Educational & Meaningful
      • Book Connections
    • Our Kits >
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        • Experience Pullman Blog
    • Great Lakes Odyssey >
      • Getting Started with GLO
      • Great Lakes Odyssey Travel Blog
      • Perry's Victory & International Peace Memorial
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      • Keweenaw National Historical Park
      • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
      • Voyageurs National Park
    • Math in Nature
    • Nature Pages
    • Preserve the Parks PBL >
      • Addressing Environmental Resilience in Puerto Rico
      • Protecting the Puerto Rican Harlequin Butterfly
      • Creating Sustainable Communities Inspired by Pullman
      • Combating the Green Crab Invasion in Acadia National Park
      • Enhancing Sustainable Trails at Big Cypress National Preserve​
      • Exploring the Green River's Impact on Water Purity and Cave Preservation
      • Protecting Crater Lake's Endemic Newts
      • Restoring Native Trees at the Lincoln Boyhood Home
      • Restoring the Elwha River
    • Backpack the Parks!
    • Park Pioneers
    • Ready to Go Lessons
  • National Parks Expedition Challenge
    • Expedition Challenge Full List
    • Acadia to Bryce >
      • Acadia National Park
      • Alcatraz Island
      • Amache National Historic Site
      • Amistad National Recreation Area
      • Arches National Park
      • Assateague Island National Seashore
      • Badlands National Park
      • ​Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
      • Big Bend National Park
      • Big Cypress National Preserve
      • Biscayne National Park
      • Black Canyon of the Gunnison
      • Bryce Canyon National Park
    • Cabrillo to Dry Tortugas >
      • Cabrillo National Monument
      • Cape Cod (ONE) National Seashore
      • Cape Cod (TWO) National Seashore
      • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
      • Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
      • César E. Chávez National Monument
      • Chaco Culture National Historical Park
      • Channel Islands National Park
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Cumberland Island National Seashore
      • Cuyahoga Valley National Park
      • Dayton Aviation National Heritage Historical Park
      • Death Valley National Park
      • Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
      • Denali National Park
      • Dry Tortugas National Park
    • Eleanor to Fort Pulaski >
      • El Malpais National Monument
      • El Morro National Monument
      • Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site
      • Everglades National Park
      • FDR Memorial
      • First State National Historical Park
      • Flight 93 Memorial Park
      • Ford's Theatre
      • Fort Laramie National Historic Site
      • Fort Monroe National Monument
      • Fort Pulaski National Monument
    • Gateway to Hot Springs >
      • Gateway Arch National Park
      • Gettysburg National Military Park
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Grand Teton National Park
      • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
      • Guilford Courthouse National Military Park
      • Haleakala National Park
      • Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
      • Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
      • Homestead National Historical Park
      • Home of Franklin Roosevelt National Historic Site
      • Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
      • Hot Springs National Park
    • Indiana to Lincoln Memorial >
      • Indiana Dunes National Park
      • Isle Royale National Park
      • Jewel Cave National Monument
      • Jimmy Carter National Historical Park
      • Joshua Tree National Park
      • Kenai Fjords and Alaska Coastal Parks
      • Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
      • Keweenaw National Historical Park
      • Lava Beds National Monument
      • Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
      • Lincoln Home National Historic Site
      • Lincoln Memorial
    • Maggie to Pullman >
      • Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
      • Mammoth Cave National Park
      • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
      • Mesa Verde National Park
      • Natchez Trace Parkway
      • New River Gorge and Preserve National Park
      • Niobrara National Scenic River
      • Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum
      • Olympic National Park
      • Palo Alto Battlefield
      • Pearl Harbor National Memorial
      • Petroglyph National Monument
      • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
      • Pinnacles National Park
      • Pipestone National Monument
      • Pullman National Monument
    • Redwood to Zion >
      • Redwood National and State Parks
      • Rocky Mountain National Park
      • Saguaro National Park
      • San Antonio Missions NHP
      • San Juan National Historic Site
      • Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
      • Shenadoah National Park
      • Tidal Basin-NAMA
      • Tumacácori National Historical Park
      • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historical Site
      • Vicksburg National Military Park
      • Voyageurs National Park
      • Waco Mammoth National Monument
      • Wright Brothers Memorial
      • Yosemite National Park
      • Zion National Park
  • STEAM in the PARK
  • Crossing America