Not just any bank holiday
The Lincoln Memorial
Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. Born on this day in 1809, Abraham Lincoln played an eminent role in ending the Civil War (1861-1865) and bringing slavery to a close.
To many people Lincoln is an American hero and some of his more famous quotes continue to ring true today.
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the
courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the
men who pervert the Constitution.”
But like many school and bank holidays, President’s Day comes and goes—one day in a month most of us would like to see end (hello, Washington, DC). For those of us lucky enough to have the day off, President’s Day becomes another day to run errands, shop the President’s Day sales and play Mondaycatch up for all the chores we didn’t get to over the weekend. At the end of the day, newscasters will remind us of why we celebrate this day in the first place showing celebrations around the country with a brief sound bite or two on the great Presidents themselves.
Perhaps it is because this week I was scheduled to spend time in our nation’s capitol (my travel plans were derailed because of weather) that I got to thinking of this giant of a man on the 201st anniversary of his birthday. Choose a tour like Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures Spirit of Washington, D.C. and included in your visit is the Lincoln Memorial and the Museum of American History. As part of the Smithsonian-wide celebration of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the National Museum of American History museum brought together for the first time its unique and unparalleled Lincoln collection, Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life, going on now through January 2011.
I remember distinctly the first time climbing the steps to the Lincoln Memorial. It was an April evening and the memorial glowed like a beacon. I was a high school senior attending Close Up Washington, D.C., a non-profit, nonpartisan citizenship education organization that involved a weeklong study-visit to the nation’s capital.
My first thought was how large and imposing Lincoln Memorial was up close. It was built to resemble a Greek temple with 36 Doric columns, one for each state at the time of Lincoln’s death. A seated Lincoln sculpture by Daniel Chester French is in the center of the memorial chamber and inscribed on the south wall of the monument is the Gettysburg Address. Above it is a mural painted by Jules Guerin depicting the angel of truth freeing a slave.
All these years later it has stuck with me how a group of high school seniors from around the country were captivated for a moment in time when given the opportunity to learn about the federal government and experience the political process firsthand. Textbooks and lectures alone are not enough. The “close up” experience was why I became an International Relations major in college and the reason I feel so strongly today that travel is the ideal forum for bringing history to life.
What better way to bring American history to life, then a visit to the place that is a symbol of democracy and repository of our early roots? Hello again, Washington, D.C.!
posted by Melissa McKee
Collette Vacations
Tags: 2010, Arts & Culture
