Visionary Monuments: Vision, Values & Legacy

This session explores the Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorials in Washington D.C. as a way of thinking about vision, values, and legacy. Novelist William Faulkner once wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Memorials, which ostensibly commemorate the past but are just as concerned with setting expectations for future generations, illustrate and prove Faulkner’s contention. Our tour follows two timelines simultaneously, that of the historical figures and that of the monuments. We explore the vision Jefferson laid out for the nation in the Declaration of Independence in 1776, then how Lincoln extended the call for equality in the Gettysburg Address in 1863 and conclude with King’s dream of an even more expansive vision in 1963. In terms of legacy, we look at the construction of the memorials to Lincoln (1922), Jefferson (1942), and King (2011), and consider how contemporary feelings and values shaped the form these monuments took.

Disclaimer: There will be up to 1.5 miles of walking on this tour- wear comfortable shoes.