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mount rushmore

Mount Rushmore is a massive mountainside sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota, showing four U.S. presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln—carved into granite to symbolize the nation’s birth, growth, development, and preservation.

What Mount Rushmore Is

  • It’s part of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota.
  • The monument features four 60‑foot (about 18 m) high presidential heads.
  • The surrounding memorial area covers about 1,278 acres, with the mountain’s elevation around 5,725 feet above sea level.

The Four Presidents

  • George Washington: Represents the birth of the United States.
  • Thomas Jefferson: Chosen for the Louisiana Purchase, symbolizing territorial growth.
  • Theodore Roosevelt: Represents economic development and the Progressive Era’s reforms.
  • Abraham Lincoln: Chosen for preserving the Union during the Civil War and ending slavery, symbolizing preservation.

How and When It Was Built

  • Concept: Doane Robinson of the South Dakota Historical Society proposed a large mountain carving in the Black Hills in the 1920s to boost tourism.
  • Sculptor: Gutzon Borglum, son of Danish immigrants, was hired to design and lead the project; his son Lincoln Borglum helped complete it.

Timeline

  • Idea proposed: 1923.
  • Dedication of the project: August 10, 1927, with President Calvin Coolidge attending.
  • Actual carving: From October 4, 1927, to October 31, 1941 (about 14 years, with about 6.5 years of active carving work).
  • Completion: 1941, shortly after Gutzon Borglum’s death, under Lincoln Borglum’s supervision.

Construction Techniques

  • Workforce: Around 400 workers took part over the years.
  • Methods: Heavy use of dynamite to remove large sections, followed by “honeycombing” (drilling many close holes and then removing rock by hand) to refine the shapes.
  • Rock removed: Roughly 450,000 tons blasted off and mostly left at the mountain’s base.
  • Scale: Faces about 60 feet high; noses about 6 meters long; mouths and eyes roughly 5 and 3 meters wide.
  • Chief carver: Luigi Del Bianco, an Italian immigrant stonemason known for giving the faces expressive detail.

History of the Design

  • Early vision: Borglum originally wanted the figures carved down to the waist, but money and time limited the work to the heads only.
  • Jefferson’s move: Jefferson was first started on Washington’s right, but poor rock quality forced the team to blast that attempt away and re‑carve him on Washington’s left.
  • Dedications by head:
    • Washington’s head dedicated in 1930.
* Jefferson’s in 1936.

* Lincoln’s in 1937.

* Roosevelt’s in 1939.

Money, Politics, and the Unfinished “Hall of Records”

  • Funding: A mix of private donations and U.S. federal money; the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act (1929) authorized up to 250,000 dollars in matching federal funds.
  • Overall cost: Close to 1 million dollars at the time.
  • Political support: President Calvin Coolidge’s presence at the 1927 dedication helped secure federal backing.

The Hall of Records

  • Borglum envisioned a “Hall of Records” carved behind the heads to house key U.S. documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
  • Work started in 1938 but never finished due to very hard granite, the approach of World War II, and lack of funds.
  • A scaled‑down version exists as a chamber containing historical panels and documents, but not Borglum’s grand original plan.

Controversies and Native Perspectives

Mount Rushmore is also a symbol of deep controversy, especially for the Oceti Sakowin (Lakota, Dakota, Nakota), whose sacred lands include the Black Hills.

  • Treaty background: The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie guaranteed the Black Hills to the Sioux “in perpetuity.”
  • Land seizure: After gold was found, the U.S. violated the treaty and took the Black Hills in the 1870s, triggering the Great Sioux War and opening the area to settlers.
  • Sacred site: The mountain was originally known as Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe (“Six Grandfathers”) and held spiritual significance long before the carving.

Legal Dispute

  • 1980 Supreme Court case: In United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, the Court ruled that the Black Hills were taken illegally and awarded about 102 million dollars in compensation.
  • Sioux position: The Sioux have refused the money, insisting on the return of the land instead of cash payment.

Ongoing Criticism

  • Some critics call Mount Rushmore a “Shrine of Hypocrisy,” arguing that honoring U.S. presidents on land taken from Native nations highlights the gap between American democratic ideals and historical actions.
  • Others see it as a powerful patriotic symbol of American democracy and resilience, showing the complexity of how different communities interpret the same monument.

Tourism, Pop Culture, and “Trending” Context

  • Visitor numbers: Mount Rushmore draws more than 2 million visitors annually and is one of the most famous U.S. tourist destinations.
  • Experience: Travelers typically walk a flag‑lined avenue toward the main viewing area, explore museum exhibits, and sometimes attend evening lighting ceremonies.
  • Pop culture: The monument has appeared in movies, documentaries, and countless photos, often used as shorthand for “American leadership” or “founding ideals.”

Recent and Ongoing Discussions

  • Public debate: In recent years there has been renewed attention on Mount Rushmore in discussions about monuments, colonial history, and which historical figures are publicly honored.
  • Native activism: Oceti Sakowin activists and allies continue to advocate for honoring Indigenous sovereignty in the Black Hills, raising questions about whether the land should be returned or jointly managed.

Mini FAQ (Quick Scoop Style)

  • Who are the faces on Mount Rushmore?
    George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
  • Why those four?
    They were selected to represent the country’s birth (Washington), expansion (Jefferson), development (Roosevelt), and preservation (Lincoln).
  • When was it built?
    Work began in 1927 and ended in 1941.
  • Who designed it?
    Gutzon Borglum designed and led the project; his son Lincoln Borglum oversaw its completion.
  • Why is it controversial?
    The monument stands on Black Hills land taken from the Sioux despite treaty guarantees, and many Native people view it as a symbol of broken promises on sacred ground.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.