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Mount Rushmore located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, features sculptures of four of the greatest Presidents of the United States: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
Source: Used under License-Corel Photo CD. |
Snapshots Spotlight:
Honoring America's Great Presidents
On Monday, February 16, 2015,
we celebrate a holiday that has become known as “Presidents’ Day”. But is it more
than just a day off of work or when businesses offer deals on appliances, carpet
or furniture?
The history behind Presidents’ Day goes
back to the early 1800’s. After George Washington died in 1799, his birthday,
which was February 22, was “unofficially” celebrated by many patriotic
Americans in honor and remembrance of the first US President and the “Father of
our Country”. However, it wasn’t until 1885, that Washington’s Birthday was officially
established as a National Holiday celebrated annually on February 22.1
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which went
into effect in 1971, officially moved several Federal Holidays to Mondays,
creating more “three day weekends” for families. One of the goals and arguments supporting the promotion of the change, was that three day weekends would stimulate the travel
industry and increase business commerce. Hence the now common “Presidents’ Day sales”, really do have an
actual historical origin in the law as it was supposed to be helping to stimulate business and economical growth.2
The new law changed the official date to
celebrate Washington’s Birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in
February. Depending upon how the calendar falls, it can occur between Feb 15
and 21. That date was chosen under a proposed provision in that Act that would
combine the celebration with Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, which was February 12.1&2
Interestingly, the final draft of the bill dropped language and the reference regarding
President Lincoln or other Presidents, and only recognized the Federal Holiday as “Washington’s Birthday”. However, since that time, many
States, as well as popular tradition, have recognized and adopted the holiday as
“Presidents’ Day”, honoring primarily both Washington and Lincoln, as well as other
Presidents throughout history.2
As we are honoring and remembering the Great Presidents that have help build and strengthen America, Mount Rushmore is the one place that memorializes 4 of the great Presidents, including both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who we are primarily recognizing on Presidents' Day.
“The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the
founding, expansion, preservation, and unification
of the United States with colossal statues of
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore
Roosevelt."
Gutzon Borglum5
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Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount
Rushmore, was born in the Idaho territory in 1867. His family moved to Nebraska
while he was still young where his father established a medical practice. He
studied art and sculpture in Paris at the Julian Academy, where he met and was
influenced by famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Borglum had built a
reputation for several patriotic works of art, ranging from a bronze memorial
statue at Gettysburg of confederate soldiers from North Carolina, to a six ton marble
head of President Lincoln that was exhibited in the White House during Theodore
Roosevelt’s Presidency.
Work on Mount Rushmore started in 1927. After 13 and a half years of work, Gutzon died in March 1941 before Mount Rushmore
was finished. His son Lincoln, supervised some finishing touches on the faces through the Fall of
that year. Shortly thereafter, the United States entered World War II and with
the country’s resources being devoted to the war effort, further work
stopped.
Over the decades, Mount Rushmore has become a familiar symbol of
America, recognizing 4 of the greatest Presidents of the United States. Each
year over 3 million people come to witness one of the greatest historic
memorials and artistic ingenuities in
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"Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze, Oil on Canvas,
on Display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. |
George Washington is recognized as the
“Father of our Country” for his many roles in establishing the United States as
an independent and free country. He was the General and Commander in Chief of
the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, leading his troops to
victory over the British which established the Independence of the United
States.
He also presided over the Constitutional Convention which drafted the
United States Constitution in 1787. He was then unanimously elected as the
First President of the United States, and served two terms from 1789-1797.
Thomas Jefferson is known for being the primary author of the Declaration of Independence as well as the Third President of the United States serving 2 terms from 1801-1809. He had served as Secretary of State for Washington’s first term and as his Vice President for the second term. During his Presidency he negotiated with the French for the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the United States territory and sent Lewis & Clark to explore the new added territory.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th
President, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He is best known
for his leadership during the Civil War and for the Emancipation Proclamation
which ended slavery in the U.S. He is also famous for the Gettysburg Address, which
was given four months after a key Union victory,
where he reaffirmed the Nation’s commitment to equal rights, liberty, democracy, aboloshing slavery and preserving the Union.
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th
President and a key political supporter of National Parks and Monuments, and
was a key figure in preserving the natural wonder and beauty of America. Mt.
Rushmore sculptor, Gutzon Borglum was a friend of “Teddy”, and believed that
Roosevelt had a clear vision of the role of the United States in leading the
world community as well as epitomized the true Spirit of America.4
Snapshots Across America features Mount Rushmore as one of the Attraction game cards:
For more information about Snapshots Across America, and the new updated edition to be release this coming Summer 2015, follow our blog or like us on Facebook
Copyright 2015, Sandell Games.
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