Monuments and memorials that changed America forever

Yesterday, July 4, in the United States celebrated Independence Day, a nationwide holiday dedicated to the birthday of a relatively young but powerful nation. As in many other countries, landmark milestones, people and events in US history were marked by the installation of a number of monuments, memorials and memorial complexes. Some of them reflected the triumph of the United States as a country and its people, some were not ashamed to become an eternal reminder of the black pages of history, writes for His Anastasia Belogrivtseva.

Фото: Depositphotos

And although most of them are beautiful in their own right, nevertheless, a number of these monumental structures have repeatedly been criticized by the guardians of ethics and morality. In this collection there are both world-famous monuments and memorials that have become symbols of the United States, and less familiar to the world, and the American public.

Monument on Bunker Hill, Boston

Here the first battles of the Revolutionary War against the British took place. And although the latter had technically won the battle, the colonists, even then, inflicting enormous damage on the imperial army, proved their determination to fight for independence. The Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone here to commemorate the battle for Bunker Hill in 1825, and a massive granite obelisk appeared on this site in 1842 year.

Фото: Depositphotos

Statue of Liberty, New York

Lady Liberty is one of the most iconic American sights, literally a symbol of the country, standing guard in the harbor of New York. The copper statue was designed by sculptor Frederick Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustav Eiffel as a symbol of friendship between the United States, France and democracy.

After opening in 1886, the Statue of Liberty became the unofficial symbol of French emigration living in New York.

Standing soldiers

Not one statue, but a series of more than 2000 statues erected at the end of 19-th century. These are monuments to the civil war, which caused great damage to the States, both in the North and in the South. All the monuments are almost identical, except for details that indicate the soldier’s belonging to the troops of the Union or the Confederation. Not so long ago, some of them became subjects of controversy between representatives of diametrically opposite in their convictions, political and social trends.

Photo: Wikipwdia

Robert Gould Shaw and the Memorial of the 54 Regiment, Boston

This is a monument to the times when Abraham Lincoln issued a special decree allowing volunteers from African Americans to volunteer to serve in the Union army. Hundreds of such volunteers have signed up for volunteer service in the Massachusetts 54 Regiment, led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Although the colonel was initially reluctant to lead African American soldiers, he soon learned to respect them. Robert Gould Shaw died with almost his own 200 people at the Fort Wagner battle in South Carolina.

The memorial was designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who took 14 years to complete the project, opening it in 1897.

Фото: Depositphotos

Lincoln Memorial, Washington

Built in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was part of the expansion of the National Mall complex. The complex is located opposite the former home of General Confederation, Robert Lee, between which the river flows. A bridge was built between National Alley and House of Lee, which symbolized the unification of the North and the South.

Фото: Depositphotos

Rushmore, Kiston, South Dakota

When the initiator of the creation of the monument in grief, South Dakota historian Doan Robinson, turned to the sculptor Gutzon Borglum to create the project, he proposed options consisting of the images of the four presidents. This caused a heated discussion in the society, because there were a large number of those who disagreed with such an idea and cast doubts on the personalities of the presidents themselves. A special protest was expressed by local tribes of Native Americans, who considered sculpture to be the desecration of their lands. The funds needed for the construction of the monument ended in 1941, and since then it has stood unfinished.

Фото: Depositphotos

Gateway to the West, St. Louis, Missouri

The Gate Arch of the West was designed by Eero Saarinen as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and his ideas of westward expansion.

Фото: Depositphotos

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington

Vietnamese veteran Jan Scruggs spent eight million dollars on this memorial, announcing a competition for the best project among young architects. As a result, the memorial complex was designed then by the still unknown Maya Lin. The work was completed in 1982 year and contains the names of approximately 58 thousand soldiers who died during the Vietnam War.

AIDS memorial blanket

When the AIDS epidemic swept San Francisco in the 1980s, activist Clive Jones lost dozens of his friends. This shocked Jones so much that he initiated the creation of a memorial to those who died of AIDS. The result was a symbolic blanket of panels with the names and images of the scheme of the houses of the victims. For the first time, the blanket was shown on the National Mall in Washington in 1987, since then almost 50 thousand panels have been traveling the world.

Фото: Depositphotos

Oklahoma City National Memorial, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

In 1995, a terrorist detonated a bomb in the Oklahoma City federal building, killing 168 people, including 19 children. It was the most massive act of terrorism in America before 11 September.

The memorial includes a series of empty chairs - one for each victim, and the names of the survivors are inscribed on the remains of the damaged wall of the building. The monument was opened in 2000 year.

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