EDITORIAL: Relevance of Lincoln Memorial prevails for 100 years

The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.
·2 min read
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May 30—In a city full of memorials, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., draws people like no other. In pre-COVID-19 years, the memorial saw about 7.8 million visitors annually, which is more than even the popular Washington Monument.

The attraction to the site is understandable. As the Lincoln Memorial turns 100 years old today, its relevance is more important than ever as our nation wrestles to keep the ideals that Abraham Lincoln espoused in the forefront of our nation's mission. As the president who preserved the Union, abolished slavery and restarted a war-torn economy, his importance to this country is undisputed.

The National Park Service describes the humanity captured in the Lincoln marble statue: "One of the president's hands is clenched, representing his strength and determination to see the war through to a successful conclusion. The other hand is a more open, slightly more relaxed hand representing his compassionate, warm nature."

Whether you've visited the Lincoln Memorial in person or not, the image of Lincoln seated alone inside a Neoclassical-style temple is familiar and has been the backdrop for many of U.S history's key moments.

On April 9, 1939, the memorial became the stage for a protest against racism after singer Marian Anderson had been denied a chance to sing at nearby Constitution Hall because she was Black. Anderson instead performed at the Lincoln Memorial.

On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the memorial.

Since then, hundreds of gatherings have occurred with protesters using the site on the national mall as a place to gather, including 1970s anti-Vietnam War protests, a 2009 Tea Party march and protest, the 2017 Women's March, and more recently, Black Lives Matter gatherings.

Those who planned, designed and built the Lincoln Memorial may have never foreseen the site would become a symbol of a place to exercise their First Amendment right of free speech. But the evolution of the memorial to become a place where the American people fight for their beliefs is most certainly something Lincoln would have embraced.