The Washington Memorial: Father of a Dream
George Washington was the president of the United States between 1789 and 1797. He commanded to victory and independence the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1775-1783), presided over the Constitutional Convention that drafted the United States Constitution (1787), and was elected unanimously by the Electoral College in 1787 to serve as the first president of the United States.
Washington could have chosen to be a king of a monarchy but chose to be the president of a republic. It is appropriate that this Founding Father, this Father of Our Country, this esteemed man who was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen” would have a memorial and a city named after him.
Robert Mills designed the Washington Monument in 1845 in the tradition of the ancestry-honoring obelisks of the ancient world. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be entrusted with the supervision and completion of the monument.
The monument’s construction occurred in two phases (1848-1854; 1876-1884).
Construction began with the laying of the cornerstone on July 4, 1848. Builders started by building an 80-foot square step foundation with blue gneiss rock. Upon the foundation, a 55-foot, 1.5-inch square base made of marble was placed. Building continued until coming to an abrupt halt in 1854. Lack of funding, the brewing pangs of sectionalism, and a potential civil war would put off the construction of the Washington Monument till after the Civil War. The monument was abandoned—less than half-completed-- at the height of 156 feet.
After a long, bitter civil war and a period of reconciliation and healing, Congress renewed its efforts to finish the Washington Monument. On July 5, 1876, Congress assumed the responsibility of funding the monument’s completion, and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Lincoln Casey was tasked with finishing the work. On December 6, 1884, the monument was finally completed with the placement of a 3,300-pound, aluminum-tipped capstone--on the tip is the Latin inscription “Laus Deo” (Praise be to God). The finished monument stands 555 feet, 5.125 inches tall.
The Washington Monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885, one day before George Washington’s birthday, and opened to the public in 1886.
George Washington helped form a nation, but much more: He helped forge a country that would be the envy of all the world.
