Mount Rushmore Essay -- Presidents History Papers

Mount Rushmore In the Black Hills of South Dakota, there is a monument that is dedicated to four of the most influential figures in American history. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt are names that still to this day trigger thoughts of greatness and awe-inspiring men. All four of these men were presidents of the United States. They each had a signature style or brought a particular ideal the American forefront. George Washington was known as the "father of our country." Thomas Jefferson co-authored the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation. Theodore Roosevelt fought for the little man, was known for his brashness, and formed the Rough Riders, a cavalry unit during the Spanish-American War. These men were not only presidents, but more importantly they helped to shape this country and a mountain. This mountain was known as Mount Rushmore and it was located in South Dakota. Just as the se men made America what it is today, so is the story as to how a mountain was carved to tell a story about a nation and its independence. This then is more than just a story about the making of a mountain or the history of the Black Hills, but instead the making of a shrine of democracy. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is one of the most outstanding phenomena of American History. It is typically American: a massive sculptural project corresponding to the other manifestations of bigness in twentieth-century style. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum believed that art in America was not thoroughly American. It was not sufficiently large or meaningful enough to represent or typify the dreams, ambitions, and accomplishments of this yo... ...icon (13). Works Cited: 1. Fite, Gilbert C. Mount Rushmore, 1952. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. pg. 9. 2. Fite, pg. 11 3. Borglum, Lincoln. Mount Rushmore: The Story behind the Scenery, 1999. Econo-Clad Books, Topeka, Kansas. pg. 6 4. Carter, Robin Borglum. Gutzon Borglum: His Life and His, 1998. Eakin Press, Austin, Texas. pg. 51. 5. Carter, pgs. 54-57. 6. Fite, pgs. 64-65. 7. Borglum, pg. 21. 8. Fite, pgs. 79-80. 9. Milton, John. South Dakota: A Bicentennial History, 1977. W. W. Norton and Company, Inc, New York, New York, pgs. 139-140. 10. Milton, pgs. 23-24. 11. Milton, pg. 143. 12. Fite, pg. 236. 13. Meredith Corporation. "The Making of Mount Rushmore", American Park Network: Mount Rushmore History: The Making of Mount Rushmore; http://www.americanparknetwork.com/parkinfo/ru/history/carve.html (10 October 2000).