The Monuments!

In the US there are some monuments that are important to know, like for example…

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island, New York City. It was a gift to the United States from France in 1886. And it measures 93 meters high!

The statue represents the roman goddess of freedom Libertas bearing a torch and a tablet evoking the law; in her feet lies a broken chain. For the immigrant that arrive to USA is an icon of welcoming.

Lincoln Memorial

As the name says, this monument was built in 1920 to honor the 16th President of the US: Abraham Lincoln; and it’s located in Washington D.C.

The statue is inside a building that resembles a Greek temple. Lincoln measures 6 meters high and 6 meters wide, and the temple has 36 columns which represent the 36 States of the time of Lincoln’s death… or so is believed.

Across of Lincoln Memorial you can see…

The Washington Monument

Is an obelisk built to commemorate George Washington, the first American President.

This monument is the world’s tallest stone structure and the world’s tallest obelisk… it’s 169.294 meters high!

Its construction began in 1848, but was finally completed in 1884 after the hiatus of the American Civil War.

Near it’s the famous…

White House

The White House is the official residence of the President of the US, but it’s his principal workplace too. It has been the residence of every US President since John Adams, who was the second president, in 1800.

The house was built between 1792 and 1800 but… during the War of 1812 the mansion was set ablaze! Its reconstruction began almost immediately and the President James Monroe moved into the house in 1817.

The White House has had four restorations during all the time that it has been built.

United States Capitol

This monument is the meeting place of the Unites States Congress and it’s located in Washington D.C. too, atop Capitol Hill.

It’s not the center of the federal district, but the Capitol is the origin by which the quadrants of the district are divided.

Like The White House, the Capitol was inaugurated in 1800. Before its construction, at least 8 buildings were used as Congress Venue.

The congress venue has its own Police Department; the Capitol Police controls the entry to the building and the vigilance of all the buildings of the Capitol.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

The Moun Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the face of the Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota. And... what is represented there?

Well, only the faces of four of the Presidents of the US: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. This are the first 130 years of the hisory of the United States.

The entire memorial covers 5.12 square km. Really big!!

And why they captured the faces of the Presidents on a mountain?

At first it was a project to increase tourism in the Black Hills, in South Dakota, and te faces that would have been carved were: Lewis and Clark, Red Cloud and Buffalo Bill Cody.

But after, it was decided that the sculpture should be more nationalist, so they made the Presidents. the construction began at 1972 and was copleted in 1934-1939.

If you want to hear thme singing, click the photo.

ACTIVITIES:

1. WRITING. Choose one of the following silhouette images and write some of its history.

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2. SPEAKING. Which of the monuments you like to visit? Explain to your partners why.

3. READING. Read the text below and fill the gaps with the name of the different monuments.