Mount Rushmore is located in South Dakota, in Black Hills National Forest. It is four huge carved sculptures showing the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Mount Rushmore represents freedom, liberty and the driving force of a dream. The sculpture began to be carved in 1927 and was finished in 1941. Each of the carved heads is 60 feet tall and took about 400 workers. Mount Rushmore is easily one of the most popular attractions in America, but do the past presidents really reveal the truth of America?
George Washington was the first president of the United States, he represents the birth of the United States. He led the colonists in the Revolutionary War to win independence over Great Britain. Gutzon Borglum and many other Americans considered Washington as the “father of our country” because he laid the foundation of American Democracy. Washington also led the convention that drafted the Constitution and established the position of President of the Republic. When he died, he was praised as “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his country.” Borglum chose him because he was a founding father of America and helped develop America in the early stages.
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. To Borglum, he represents growth in America. He was an American Founding Father and was very important to the United States as he was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. He was part of a five-person committee selected to draft the Declaration. He was the first Secretary of State, and he oversaw the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France where the U.S. gained about 827,000 square miles of the land west of the Mississippi River. He also was very important to the US because he signed into law a bill that banned the importation of slaves. Jefferson was important to the growth of America, which is why he is on Mount Rushmore.
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He is important to America in a lot of ways. He represents preservation. One reason is that he held the nation together during the Civil War where his sole purpose was to reunite the broken halves of the Union. He believed his duty was to preserve the union, and he did this by freeing slaves which weakened the Southern resistance and encouraged free blacks to battle in the Union army. He wanted to reunite the nation through a policy of reconciliation. Lincoln is considered by many people to be one of the greatest United States presidents, which is why Borglum included him to represent America on Mount Rushmore.
Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, provided leadership through rapid economic growth in a time in America that consisted of overcrowding, poor working conditions, and economic dominance of big businesses. He wanted to connect the east and the south by the construction of the Panama Canal. He also worked in large monopolies to ensure the rights of the common working man. Roosevelt represents the development of the United States which is why Borglum chose him.
If I had to remove one of the men from the side of Mount Rushmore, it would be Theodore Roosevelt. First of all, he was the 26th president, while Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln were all closer to the fabrication of America. Roosevelt oversaw the building of the Panama Canal, which was the most expensive construction project in the history of America at about 35 million dollars. The Panama Canal caused environmental issues, including a loss of freshwater. Also, the United States had full control over the zone but required Panama to pay for operating costs. The U.S. did not have pure motives during the construction of the Panama Canal and that is why I would remove Theodore Roosevelt from Mount Rushmore. (UVA)
I would replace Theodore Roosevelt with Steve Jobs. He was a pioneer who along with Steve Wozniak created revolutionary new products including the first computer for public use in 1977 (Sieckowski) and more recently the iPhone, iPad, Macbooks, and every Apple product in between. He understood the current and future markets and created not just products but things that are almost necessities. His company has created products that have changed the way the world connects. Steve Jobs represents revolution and America as a whole. There is not many people in America without an iPhone these days. Steve Jobs started creating Apple in his bedroom, then to his garage and now he is dominating the world with his products. Apple is now worth over $900 billion dollars. Becoming one of the most profitable companies in the world. Jobs had traits that some people might consider fitting for such an eminent company, he couldn’t accept anything mediocre. Consequently how iPhones, Macs, iPads etc. are so high-tech and aesthetic.
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