The Lincoln Memorial sits on the west end of the National Mall opposite of the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument. Construction was started in 1914 and was finished, and opened to the public in 1922. The Memorial was Designed by Henry Bacon as a tribute to the nations 16th President Abraham Lincoln, His design is now ranked 7th on the American Institute of Architects list of all time American Architecture. The exterior is surrounded by 36 columns which represent the 36 states that were apart of the union which Lincoln fought to save during his Presidency. On the inside there is a 19 foot statue of Lincoln that is viewable from outside of the memorial. Also, on either sides of the statue there is the transcript from his 2 most famous speeches. His second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address.
The Memorial served a different purpose during the tumultuous times of the 60s where it served for a gathering place to protest human rights. Protests of the Vietnam war as well as Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream speech were both held on the memorials steps. Today the memorial sees millions of visitors annually. It is open 24 hours a day and is one of the the 7 Icon Memorials in D.C. by the National Parks Service.
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