Closed hands means cheap myth
However, Lincoln was only 56 years old when killed in April 1865. Many visitors assume the 58 steps they climb from the sidewalk below equals his age at his death.
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When you visit the memorial you climb several steps to reach the chamber. His memorial began construction in 1914 but no plans to move his body. However, after his death, Lincoln’s body was taken to his home in Springfield, Illinois where he was buried. Let’s start with one of the more understandable myths that he is buried underneath the stone structure. Whereas there are symbolic representations, such as the 36 exterior columns representing the number of states at his death, other suggested symbols are pure myth. I’m Ranger Mark Reagan of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, here to debunk myths about the Abraham Lincoln Memorial.Īlmost since its completion in 1922 the memorial to Abraham Lincoln has conjured up several myths associated with its architectural details. There is no significance to the number of steps. Some assume the 57 steps leading to the chamber equal his age at his death however, Lincoln was just 56 years old when he was killed in April 1865. The number of steps on the Lincoln Memorial is significant. The memorial was built as a place to remember Lincoln, not to house his remains.
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In Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, depicted on the north wall of the memorial, an engraver inadvertently carved a letter “E” where he meant to carve an “F.” This error was corrected by filling in a portion of the carving to revert it to an "F." Status: Partially true.Ībraham Lincoln is buried under the Lincoln MemorialĪbraham Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois. Status: False.Ī word is misspelled in the Lincoln Memorial. While French had an understanding of sign language characters, he did not incorporate explicit symbols into his sculpture of Lincoln. In that statue, Gallaudet is depicted with Alice Cogswell, his first student, who is signing the letter "A" with her right hand, symbolizing her education in sign language. Gallaudet was a co-founder of the first school for the deaf in America, and French's statue honoring him now stands at Gallaudet University in northeast Washington, D.C.
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The idea that French coded Lincoln's initials into his hands likely stems from another of French's sculptures, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell. This interpretation fits in with the motif of oak leaves and olive branches throughout the memorial, symbols of strength and peace, respectively. From this presentation, many infer the duality of Lincoln's power and strength on the closed left hand, and his compassion and peace on the right. Instead of keeping both hands closed, French chose to relax Lincoln's right hand. These molds were created with Lincoln's hands in a loose fist. Sculptor Daniel Chester French used molds of Lincoln's hands cast in 1860 to guide his work.
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Lincoln's hands are making sign language symbols of his initials "A" and "L." For the overt symbol of the Lincoln/Lee connection, or more accurately the Union/Confederate connection, look no further than the Arlington Memorial Bridge. The true meanings of the Lincoln Memorial - strength, peace, and union - are much more overt than a pareidolia in a barely visible part of the statue. The truth is that the "face" is nothing more than the viewer's interpretation of Lincoln's hair. Lee's face, looking toward his old home Arlington House across the Potomac River. The most plausible explanation is that it is Robert E. However, not all can agree on whose face it is, or even where it is on the statue. Many visitors to the memorial peer around the side of Daniel Chester French's statue of Abraham Lincoln looking for a face ambiguously carved in Lincoln's hair. A face is carved in the back of Abraham Lincoln's head.