What presidents are on Mount Rushmore and how long did it take to build?
The colossal sculpture on Mount Rushmore of four American presidents located in the Black Hills of South Dakota took nearly two decades to create.
Conceived as a way to draw tourism to South Dakota, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial has certainly done that; it is the top tourist destination in the state. Over two million visitors make the journey to the Black Hills every year to gaze upon the colossal sculpture of four United States presidents that shaped the history of the nation.
The busts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, that stand 60 feet tall, were carved out of the solid granite of the mountain. From the time the project was conceived to its completion took just under two decades and not a single worker died.
Mount Rushmore was built in 14 years
Mount Rushmore, that was called the Six Grandfathers by the local Lakota Sioux, was not the first choice for the memorial to US democracy. Conceived by Doane Robinson, a South Dakota state historian, in 1923, he originally wanted the monument to be carved out of the Needles, a series of granite pillars. However, Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor he persuaded to consider the undertaking told him the eroded rocks were not suitable for sculpting.
The second location was much more to his liking given its southeasterly facing provided maximum exposure to the sun. In the final days of President Calvin Coolidge’s time in office the project was approved by Congress in March 1925. Work began on the monumental project just over two years later.
Around 400 men and women worked on the project between October 1927 to October 1941. The carving was performed using dynamite and then honeycombing to remove smaller pieces. Despite the dangerous conditions there were no fatalities.
The Black Hills region, where the heads were carved, is part of the Lakota Sioux ancestral land. This was guaranteed to them by the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, making the carving of Mount Rushmore a disrespectful encroachment on Native American heritage and land.
Who are the presidents on Mount Rushmore?
“The purpose of the memorial is to communicate the founding, expansion, preservation, and unification of the United States,” said the sculptor who oversaw the execution of the endeavor. So how did these four American presidents from left to right on the monument, Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln represent these ideas?
George Washington (1732–1799)
Washington was chosen for his role in the birth of the United States as one of its Founding Fathers, he is also known as the “Father of the Nation”. As the commander of the Continental Army he led American forces to victory in the War of Independence. He was then elected the first US president serving two terms from 1789 to 1797.
Perhaps his greatest gift to the nation was the peaceful transfer of power. He intentionally chose not to seek a third term and pass the baton of leading the nation to another.
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
Jefferson represents the expansion of the nation. The author of the Declaration of Independence and Founding Father served as the third president of the US. During his time in office, 1801 to 1809, he oversaw the Louisiana Purchase.
The acquisition doubled the size of territory under control of the US government and allowed for the westward expansion of the nation. He also convinced Congress to fund the Lewis and Clark expedition which in seeking a route to the Pacific would map the newly added lands.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
Teddy Roosevelt was chosen for his efforts to preserve the nation’s bounty and beauty. As the 26th president from 1901 to 1909 he made conservation a priority. He established national parks system, and set aside numerous forests and natural monuments to preserve the American wilderness, the nation’s “cathedrals”.
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
As the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865 Lincoln oversaw one of the darkest hours in the nation’s history as brother fought brother. The Civil War was the result of the Confederate states succeeding from the Union to preserve slavery. Lincoln led the nation through the war and declared an end to the brutal practice with his Emancipation Proclamation earning his place on Mount Rushmore as the unifier.