Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

Posted on April 7, 2017April 4, 2017 by Dusty Roads

After a lunch break at the Pentagon City Mall it was back on the tour bus for one final stop. We headed back to the Tidal Basin. Half way between the Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorials we pulled over for a walk to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

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There are actually 2 memorials to FDR in Washington DC. The first, located in front of the National Archives was built to FDR’s specifications, about the size of his desk.

When Memorial #2 (the one we were about to visit) was dedicated his granddaughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, made the shrewd comment, “Memorials are for us. They aren’t necessarily for the people they memorialize.”

The new Memorial consist of 4 open air rooms, one for each term of his presidency.

The Prologue Room

Enter the memorial at the visitor center on north side off West Basin Dr. I don’t think I did that and it left me confused as to which room I was in from that point on.

You will know you are in the Prologue room because you’ll see a life size statue of FDR in his wheelchair. This room and the statue was added 3 years after the memorial was opened and following a great deal of debate. FDR never wanted to appear weak in public so did his best to avoid using the wheelchair except in private.

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Today the advocacy groups for people with disabilities consider FDR a role model and lobbied hard for the inclusion of the wheelchair statue.

Room 1

In room one we find a bronze bas-relief of the first inauguration. The single drop waterfall symbolizes the economic crash that started the Great Depression.

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Room 2

This room contains two very powerful statues…The Breadline which illustrates despair

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and The Fireside Chat which symbolizes Hope.

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The water fall in this room is multi-tiered and controlled, a nod to the Tennessee Valley Authority dam-building project.

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Room 3

Water crashes over boulders in all directions suggestion the chaos and destruction of the War years.

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Amidst this violence Roosevelt with his beloved dog, Fala, calmly presides over the world around them.

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Room 4

Roosevelt’s death is symbolized by the silent pool of water. It’s still surface reflects the Bas Relief called The Funeral Cortege. The carving represents a nation mourning following the death of the only president many can remember.

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Eleanor Roosevelt also has a statue here. It the only statue to honor a First Lady. She is honored for her contributions not only as First Lady but as one of the early delegates representing the United States at the newly formed United Nations.

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Throughout the Memorial the walls are etched with quotes from speeches and writings built on FDR’s 4 fundamental beliefs also called the 4 Freedoms:

Freedom of Speech
Freedom of Worship
Freedom from Want
Freedom from Fear

We would do well to remember those four Freedoms today.

I Had a Dream

Posted on April 3, 2017April 1, 2017 by Dusty Roads

Introduction

“I had a dream” is probably the most well know of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s many speeches.

The Monument

Our next stop on the tour of the Tidal basin is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The memorial is 30 ft high, located between the Jefferson & Lincoln Memorials on the National Mall.

Dr. King appears to be stepping out of a mountain of stone. As you approach the Monument you pass through a cut between two large boulders. It made me think of psalm 23, “Yea though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.

The boulders are meant to represent the Mountain of Despair which has been split in two. Dr. King’s likeness emerges as if stepping from a solitary boulder, the Stone of Hope. On the visible side the words “Out of the Mountain of despair, a Stone of Hope” is carved into the stone. The phrase comes from Dr. King’s “I have a Dream” speech.

Some History

It was 48 years after Dr King’s famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before the Dr. King Jr memorial opened. Originally scheduled for August 22, 2011 opening day was delayed by Hurricane Irene. It finally opened on October 16, 2011.
There is a lot of negative press today around Sororities and Fraternities, but the driving force behind Dr King’s memorial was Alpha Phi Alpha, the fraternity that opened its membership doors to Dr. King.
More than 900 applicants from 52 countries submitted bids to build the memorial.
The address for the memorial is 1964 Independence Ave., referencing the 1964 Civil Rights act.
The Cherry Trees are positioned so that it will appear that Dr King is gazing at them.
The memorial is the fourth in Washington, DC to honor a non-president and the first to honor a man of color.
Surrounding the statue of Dr. King is a 450-foot long Inscription Wall, which features 14 quotes from King’s speeches, sermons and writings. Quotes were chosen with Dr. King’s four main principles in mind: justice, democracy, hope and love.

Getting There

I reached the Memorial by taking a tour but if you are traveling on your own the site is accessible by either the Metro (subway) or Metrobus. If traveling by bus, use the 32, 34 or 36 Metrobus routes. The closest Metro stop is Smithsonian, on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines.

Conclusion

The stone of Hope, with Dr. King’s image standing boldly from its depths, is a message encouraging all citizens to forever strive for justice and equality. A message never more timely than today with violence in our cities, war in the world and rampart discrimination against immigration, especially Muslims. To borrow from a 60’s ballad (Where have all the Flowers gone), When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?

Challenge #1 ~ Plymouth Rock

Posted on March 22, 2013March 22, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Did you get it? It’s Plymouth Rock.

The first time I went to see Plymouth Rock I was surprised to see the monument. For some reason I expected a rock possibly protected by a fence around it. I wasn’t expecting this elaborate memorial.

Plymouth Rock located in Pilgrim Memorial State Park is in one of the most heavily visited State Parks in the system. The big draw being the “Rock”, the world-famous symbol of the courage and faith of the men and women who founded the first New England Colony.

Every year nearly one million people from all over the world come to visit the town where in 1620 Europeans first made a home in New England.

The park is located on Water St, Plymouth , Ma.

In 1774, Plymouth Rock split in two when a team of oxen attempted to raise it. Only the lower portion was left at the waterfront. The upper portion was moved to be displayed in the Town Square. Souvenir seekers caused further damage so the rock was moved again to the safety of an iron fence at Pilgrim Hall in 1834.

It had a rough trip to the museum obtaining a distinctive crack when it fell off its conveyance.

In 1859 the Pilgrim Society acquired the other half of Plymouth Rock and in 1867 a canopy structure was completed on the waterfront to house it. In 1880 the upper chunk was united with the lower piece with cement and 1620 was carved into the rock.