The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is dedicated to one of American’s Founding Fathers and the nations third president, Thomas Jefferson. Construction began in 1939 and was completed four years later. The bronze statue of Jefferson was added in 1947. The Jefferson Memorial is managed by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks division. In 2007, it was ranked fourth on the List of America’s Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.
Several other memorials were denied funding or their ideas were dropped including a memorial to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1925. It was President Franklin Roosevelt who in 1934 inquired about erecting a memorial to a former president that he himself admired. Four different plans were presented and the site on the Tidal Basin was chosen mainly because it was the most prominent site and because it completed the four-point plan called for by the McMillan Commission. The interior of the memorial has a 19-foot tall, 10,000 lb bronze statueof Jefferson by sculptor Rudulph Evansshowing Jefferson looking out toward the White House. Many of Jefferson’s writings are found engraved in the memorial as well. Most prominent are the words which are inscribed in a frieze below the dome: “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” Other engravings included are from the Declaration of Independence, A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, and from several letters Jefferson had written.
Interesting Facts about the memorial and the man inside…
- The current site of the Memorial was originally created using landfill dredged from the Potomac River in the late 19th century. It became a popular bathing beach for Washingtonians and other locals.
- The memorial was dedicated in 1943 on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth.
- The original statue of Jefferson was made of plaster due to the ban of metal being used during World War II and was replaced with the bronze one that stands there today shortly after the war ended.
- The memorial is surrounded by 26 columns with represent the number of states in the union when Jefferson died.
- He never vetoed a bill by Congress.
- Thomas Jefferson and Martin Van Buren are the only two men in american history to be President , Vice President and Secretery of State.
- Jefferson started the Democratic -Republican party.
- He wrote a paper on the freedom of religion.
- Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died the same day July 4, 1826
Photo by Joel Rivlin
