About the Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1922. The building is similar to a Greek Doric temple, and inside is a sculpture of Abraham Lincoln sitting in a throne. Also inside are the words to two of his best-known speeches: the Gettysburg Address, and his Second Inagural Address. The sculpture measures 19 feet, 9 inches tall and 19 feet wide. Congress approved the construction of the monument February 9, 1911, though the actual construction didn't begin until February 12, 1914, which happens to be Lincoln's birthday. On May 30, 1922, William Howard Taft dedicated the monument at a ceremony that Robert Todd Lincoln, one of Lincoln's children, attended. The monument has 36 columns throughout, made to represent each of the 25 Union states and 11 Confederate states at the time of Lincoln's death. Around the top, the names of the next 22 states are carved, and a plaque at the front commemorates Hawaii and Alaska.

The Lincoln Memorial has been host to many gatherings of all sorts, ranging from August 28, 1963, when Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famed "I Have A Dream" speech, to the Rockettes dancing down the steps to celebrate President Buch's 2001 inaguration. The Lincoln Memorial is shown on the five dollar bill and a Lincoln penny.