Why is it called the Washington Monument and not Washington Memorial?

Why is it Washington Monument and not Washington Memorial? - By Rashid Fehmi

When you land at Washington Reagan International it is hard to miss the sight of the great Washington Monument.  Waiting for our flight to depart we could see the planes passing the monument, although the distance between the plane and the monument was not to be worried about but from a distance it looked much closer.  

Construction started in 1848 and had to be halted due to lack of funds.  It was not till 1888 that the monument was officially opened.  When opened it was the tallest obelisk structure standing at close to 555 feet.  The initial drawings for the monument were very different.  Nothing happened for over 22 years when the construction was stopped and it was not clear how and when the monument will be finished.

From a distance it is not that obvious but as you get closer to the monument you can see the difference in the marble color.  

Or one would say Before and After.

This is what the monument looked like when the construction was stopped.  Since 22 years passed it was difficult to match the color of the marble, so the nearest possible marble was used.

When you look closely it is easy to visualize the portion that became the base for the final tower.

Now to the question as to why is it a Monument and not a Memorial.  General consensus is that there is no Washington Statue or Memorial at the site, so it is known as Washington Monument.  There is also an argument that, on September 23, 1835, the board of managers of the society that was working on building a monument described their expectations:

It is proposed that the contemplated monument shall be like him in whose honor it is to be constructed, unparalleled in the world, and commensurate with the gratitude, liberality, and patriotism of the people by whom it is to be erected ... [It] should blend stupendousness with elegance, and be of such magnitude and beauty as to be an object of pride to the American people, and of admiration to all who see it. Its material is intended to be wholly American, and to be of marble and granite brought from each state, that each state may participate in the glory of contributing material as well as in funds to its construction.

As the idea of some kind of monument had started while George Washington was alive, even though construction did not start almost 49 years after his death, the site is known as a monument as it was contemplated.  If contemplated after the death then it would have been a memorial.  

Foe people planning a trip any time soon - do not expect to get into the monument as the elevator is being replaced.  The interior has an iron stair well that people have been climbing.  But the Park Management has decided against allowing the public to walk up the stair wells.  

Plan is to re-open the monument sometime in Spring of 2019.  Tickets to the monument sell out online so please plan your trip well in advance so as not to be disappointed when you get to the monument.  Check Parks and Services Website

Whether you are able to get to the top or not just being near this Majestic Structure over looking the Capitol is a beauty and is an admiration for all who see it. 

Want to read about African American Museum click here

https://shebaskitchen.blogspot.com/2018/12/african-american-museum-written-and.html

Visit to Korean War Memorial - Washington DC.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial - Washington D.C.

Walk down the Lincoln Memorial and on the right or South East side is the Korean War Veterans Memorial, that has multiple structures that honor those who sacrificed during the three-year conflict (1950-1953) known as the Korean War.  The tip of the wall intersects a circle over the Pool of Remembrance.

The wall has images of troops moving by sea, land and air that have been sandblasted. One can also see the reflection of 19 stainless steel figures that include members from each branch of the Army on the wall.

When the 1,000-pound statues are reflected on the granite wall, there appears to be 38 soldiers, which represents the 38th parallel, the dividing line of North and South Korea during the conflict.

Although 22 members of the U.N. contributed towards the war effort, it is well known that 90% of the forces were Americans. A conservative estimate is that almost 1.2 million people including civilians died during this war.  Soviet Union, China and North Korea on one side and the U.N. forces or the west on the other side.  

A granite wall also states "Freedom is Not Free".  

Right at the tip are the following words engraved that tourist step on without even reading.  
" Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met."

There is debate whether this war was worth anything and not sure if leaving a wreath does any good.  

African American Museum - Written and Photographed by Rashid Fehmi

While the sun sets history is preserved

The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American. 

LONNIE G. BUNCH IIIFounding Director, NMAAHC

African American History Museum in Washington DC.  

Inside the museum overlooking the Gift Shop.

Through the African American Lens

The museum’s 12 inaugural exhibitions focus on broad themes of history, culture and community. These exhibitions have been conceived to help transform visitors’ understanding of American history and culture and to help visitors adapt to and participate in changing definitions of American citizenship, liberty and equality. 

The value of education 

Whether enslaved or free, of limited means or privileged background African American, contrary to the common belief, viewed education the key to changing their status.  Communities banded together to build and support schools. Despite various obstacles, African Americans quest for education from the basics to higher intellectual pursuits established a lasting legacy of achievement.

 Howard University has overcome many crisis but is still seen as one of the premier educational institution.  Notable Alums include Elijah Cummins, congressman from Maryland, Kamala Harris, Senator from California, Nnamdi Azikiwe, first president of Nigeria and many more.

A Howard University Class

And then there was the biggest crowd of the First Black President of the United States who attended Harvard along with his wife Michelle 

Separate but Equal 
Looking back this may have been one of the biggest injustice to human kind by the US Supreme Court. The doctrine was confirmed in the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision of 1896, which allowed state-sponsored segregation. Though segregation laws existed before that case, the decision emboldened segregation states during the Jim Crow era, which had commenced in 1876 and supplanted the Black Codes, which restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African-Americans during the Reconstruction Era.  It took almost 60 years for the Supreme Court to overturn this doctrine and another 30 years for the Era to end.  
Even in 2018 question arises whether the era has really ended. 

Unimaginable - For all the millennials and the younger generation out there it would be unimaginable that humans could be bought on an auction. 




If Slavery had not been abolished, auctions may have been made on smart phones via Ebay and the product shipped by FedEx or USPS.

Slave Trade in the U.S.

Almost sixty years before slavery came to an end in the U.S., international slave trade was already prohibited. Internal slave-trading however still happened regularly within the U.S. borders, and the slave population peaked at four million people before slavery was abolished.

Slavery officially ended in the United States on December 6, 1865, after the 13th amendment to the constitution was passed and ratified, abolishing slavery across the nation. The 13th amendment states that nobody should work as a slave or involuntary servant, except if forced by law as punishment for a crime committed. This amendment was passed after the Civil War.

Some people think that slavery ended with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in September 22, 1862, where he declared all slaves in the U.S. free, but this was only the first step. Only setting the slaves free wouldn’t help, slavery as a whole needed to be made illegal and prosecutable by law. For this reason the 13th amendment was passed.

It was the most horrific act where the entire family was auctioned off one by one to the highest bidders who would take each member as their own property and walk away segregating the members of the family, who would never meet again.

The Slavery officially ended but the atrocities continued 

The Till case, which staggered the nation after the boy’s open-coffin funeral and the publication of photographs of his mutilated body, has never faded away, especially in a region still grappling with the horrors of its past. Even in recent years, historical markers about the case have been vandalized.  Emmet Till alleged crime was that he offended a white women in her grocery store by smiling at her.  She also accused him of physical and verbal advances.  The culprits confessed but were acquitted.  The case has been recently re-opened.  

Till or Tamir Rice,  smiling or playing with a toy gun the results for young black men has not changed.  They still end up in a coffin.  What has to happen to change this?

The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan - 1865, just three years before the so called end of the era of segregation KKK was born in Tennessee. Confederate veterans organized themselves to continue to spread fear and discourage African Americans from voting and running for office.  They also threatened Republican politicians.  

Not sure if some politicians still feel threatened and follow a hidden agenda.

Even in 2018 a white Republican senator from Mississippi made a partial apology after publicly saying that she would “be in the front row” of a “public hanging” if invited by a political supporter.  Her claim like all others "My Words were Twisted".

And then there was Music and Art - African Americans reverted to Music to forget the atrocities.  It is not clear how African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), known less precisely as Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), , or colloquially Ebonics came about but there are distinct differences in pronunciations and emphasis of vowels. 

The Museum has total 10 stories.  Five above ground and five below. The deeper you go the more solemn it gets.  The Exhibits including the Southern Railway Coach was lowered into the basement as the construction went on.  

For a non African American person it is hard to imagine what they had to go through.  As a visitor you could easily spend a full day in the museum and still only scratch the surface.  It is a must see for non African American, especially school students.