Friday, November 11, 2022 is Veteran's Day, a day to celebrate those men and women who have stood against evil, put their lives on the line, and dedicated body, mind, and spirit to the the one purpose of protecting our beloved United States, I wholeheartedly say, "Thank you!"
Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota,was created to honor four brave men who stood alone against tyranny: George Washington was our nations first president, Thomas Jefferson, Theodor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Sculptor John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum selected these four presidents of the United States because to him, they represented pivotal time of American history.
1732-1799, George Washington's legacy is that he led the colonists in the American Revolutionary War to win independence from Great Britain. He is called, "The father of the country." He and other "founding fathers" created the US Constitution and formulated the principles of the republic. He became the nation's first president and Sculptor Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the birth of our nation.
"It is better to be alone than in bad company."
George Washington
If you live by the sword, you will die by the sword. Playing catch with someone's insults, criticisms, and judgments by tossing back our own insults, criticisms, and judgments does nothing to solve the problem at hand.
1743-1826. Thomas Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and the nation's third president. He doubled the size of our country when he purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. Sculptor Borglum chose Jefferson to represent the growth of America.
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule,
where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine."
Thomas Jefferson
1858-1919. Theodore Roosevelt provided leadership at a time of rapid growth and was known as the "trust buster" for his work to end large corporate monopolies and ensure the rights of the common working man. He also commissioned during his presidency, 230 million acres of public lands and helped establish the present-day United States Forestry Service in 1905, an organization within the Department of Agriculture. At the age of 39, Roosevelt developed Polio, and for the rest of his life never regained the use of his legs. Sculptor Borglum chose Roosevelt to represent the development of the United States and described him as, "Humorous, Relentless, and Hardworking."
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”
Theodore Roosevelt
1809-1865. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He held the nation together during its greatest trial, the Civil War. He abolished slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863. He was assassinated on April 15, 1865. Gutzon Borglum chose Lincoln to represent the preservation of the United States.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
Abraham Lincoln
When the 2020 - 2022 riots destroyed statues of our nations founding fathers it broke my heart. Not because they were perfect, but because without their courage we never would have known what it means to be an American. When someone doesn’t feel your legacy has value, they feel justified to snuff it out.