WASHINGTON — The Lincoln Memorial is celebrating a monumental "birthday" this year, as May 30 will mark the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial.
The National Park Service and its partners will sponsor numerous activities throughout May to honor the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The memorial dedicated to the 16th president of the United States was inspired by the Parthenon in Athens.
The inside of the Lincoln Memorial features a statue of Lincoln seated, a mural of Lincoln's greatest accomplishments when he was president, engravings of the Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural address, and two of his greatest speeches.
Activities will include topics such as the meaning and memory of the memorial, the many sides of Abraham Lincoln, the Lincoln Memorial as a work of art, the Lincoln Memorial's pivotal role in the civil rights moment, and the memorial and monumental city.
The planned celebrations -- a mix of virtual and in-person -- will be at the Lincoln Memorial and other sites around the nation's capital during the month of May to celebrate the centennial.
The Labor that Built the Memorial : May 1, 11 a.m.
A park ranger can show you a closer look at the creator of the Lincoln Memorial and learn what they thought about Abraham Lincoln and his legacy.
Lincoln Memorial Centennial Family Day : May 14, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Staff from local historic sites will be available for you to meet and ask questions. There will be an opportunity to engage with hands-on activities that connect to the Lincoln Memorial story. You could have the chance to earn a special Lincoln Memorial Centennial commemorative Junior Ranger badge.
The Lincoln Memorial in Pop Culture : May 14, 7:30 p.m.
Faith Salie of NPR’s “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me” and CBS Sunday Morning joins the National Park Service's Mike Litterst to analyze film, television, comics, and more on how these different forms of media have helped shape the cultural meaning of the Lincoln Memorial. The program will take place at the Sylvan Theater, one of the southwest grounds of the Washington Monument at15th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW.
Commemorating Abraham Lincoln Through Oratory : May 17-18, 11 a.m.
DC Public and Public Charter School classrooms from Ford's Lincoln Oratory Festival program will present speeches by President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Mary McLeod Bethune.
Words Count: Marian Anderson at the Lincoln Memorial : May 16, 11 a.m.
A park ranger will help you understand the controversy, and Anderson's ensuring performance transformed the memorial into a landmark for civil rights and served as an inspiration for Martin Luther King Jr. to give his "I Have a Dream" speech where he did.
Lincoln Memorial Centennial Celebration : May 22, 10 a.m.
A ceremony "Building on Lincoln’s Vision of Unity and Equality" will be held at the Lincoln Memorial to discuss the meaning of the memorial to Lincoln's Life to becoming a symbol of civil rights. The participants are Lincoln historian Harold Holzer; Dr. Edna Greene Medford, noted Lincoln scholar from Howard University; Dr. Charlotte Morris, president of Tuskegee University; and actor Steven Lang of Avatar, Gettysburg and Gods and Generals fame.
The Lincoln Memorial and Civil Rights : May 28, 11 a.m.
Throughout the 100 years since its dedication, the memorial has as America's public square, where people congregate to demand inclusion in that union. Join a park ranger for a look at how the meaning of the Lincoln Memorial has evolved over time, from a monument to our 16th president to America's location for demonstrations focused on civil rights.