Mount+Rushmore+(2)

How were the four presidents on Mount Rushmore chosen?[[image:MORU_Mount-Rushmore-view2.jpg width="363" height="179" align="right"]]
By: KW-OS, ES-OS, SJ-SOTH


 * Why is this important to U.S. History?**

The four presidents on Mt. Rushmore are all on that mountain for a reason. All 4 of them are honorable men, who helped shape, and build our country. It would not be the same as it was today without them. Their faces and valiant efforts to make us a better nation are now represented every day on beautiful Mt. Rushmore.(KW-OS)

What was the modivation for making mount Rushmore? It is a carving of rock that took a long time to make. Someone must have thought a lot about the presidents associated with this historical landmark. The four presidents that are pictured on the mount were four great leaders of the past. Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Washington were honorable leaders of their time. The decisions made by these people shaped our country to what it is today and put the country first in these doings. The U.S. would be very different today if these people didn't make some of the life changing decisions that they made. - (SJ-soth )

The presidents on the monument aren’t there for no reason. They are there to represent the first 150 years of American History. They were selected on what they symbolized. George Washington represents the the struggle for Independence. Thomas Jefferson on the idea of a government represented by the people, not a king. Abraham Lincoln for his idea on equality, a more perfect union, and the abolish of slavery, and Theodore Roosevelt for the 20th century role with the United States in world affairs. Almost 400 workers were present on the job, they spent 14 years to complete it. They moved more than 800 million pounds of rock, that's 4,000 tons. The project cost close to one million dollars. Each head of the sculpture is equivalent to a six-story building. The noses on the men are 20 feet long, there mouths are 18 feet wide, and their eyes are 11 feet across. [] (ES-OS)

Another one of the big reasons to even build this historic monument was to attract tourists. South Dakota historian Doane Robinson thought of the idea in 1923. The first place they were going to build at was a place called Needles. The plan was to carve the faces in the Needles area into tall granite figures. But they found that the area was not natural built well enough to support this. That is when Mount Rushmore was found and was a candidate to become this historic landmark. Once they had a carving plan, and the right place to do it, the work could begin. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum was the head of the project. On October 4, 1927 the first actual carving could begin on the 5,725-foot mountain. Dynamite was used to remove large rock from the mountain until only a thin layer was left. There next step was to use a process called "honeycombing". This got rid of the thin layer and made the rock smooth. The work concluded in 1941. (ES-OS)

Answers ** [|The four presidents on Mt. Rushmore] were Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. **  Thomas Jefferson was the 3rd president of the United States, and he was the author of The Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson was named as one of our countries founding fathers. Two major event****s that he was a part of were, the Lewis and Clark expedition, and the Louisiana Purchase. George Washington was America’s first president, and viewed to some as, the greatest president we have had. Washington, during the Revolutionary War was named the Commander In Chief. Throughout the war he led our country through many dangerous, and bloody battles. Another thing that he did was draft our countries United States Constitution. Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States from the Republican Party. He was also once the Governor of New York. Theodore sometimes worked as a professional historian, naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier. The first American Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to him. All of these men helped to find the country, they helped our country grow, and they have preserved our country. All of these great four men on Mt. Rushmore have reasons why their faces are up there. With honorable acts, and sometimes great deeds when are country needed it most, they had what it took to be great leaders.[|honorable acts, and sometimes great deeds](KW-OS)**
 * Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president (our first Republican). He led America through the civil war, and was an honorable man, because of his courage and knowledge. He also kept the union alive, which stopped slavery once and for all in America.

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One of the big reasons to even build this historic monument was to attract tourists. South Dakota historian Doane Robinson thought of the idea in 1923. The first place they were going to build at was a place called Needles. The plan was to carve the faces in the Needles area into tall granite figures. But they found that the area was not natural built well enough to support this. That is when Mount Rushmore was found and was a candidate to become this historic landmark. Once they had a carving plan, and the right place to do it, the work could begin. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum was the head of the project. On October 4, 1927 the first actual carving could begin on the 5,725-foot mountain. Dynamite was used to remove large rock from the mountain until only a thin layer was left. There next step was to use a process called "honeycombing". This got rid of the thin layer and made the rock smooth. The work concluded in 1941. (ES-OS)

http://www.allblackhills.com/mount_rushmore/facts_about_mount_rushmore.php

http://www.mtrushmore.net/ [|Calvin Coolige's speech] presented at Mount Rushmore really tells and explains a lot about what this statue is about. Is there a better way to start a tribute off than with our first president of the United States? It all started with George Washington, He was our first president. His courage to carry out the war, win the war, and help our country shape the first few years of its existence. His man was a great leader. He did not want to become king because he felt that this would be too close to what Great Britain was like [|king?]. I think that the first president of the united States, that had the opportunity to be king but chose to be something else for the sake of the country and that started our country off in its new life, was a really good choice to have on this monument. (SJ-soth) Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence [|author]. He was a very important part in history. Abraham Lincoln was also a huge figure in America's history. First of all, Abraham fought to keep the union alive [|union]. When the south separated from the north on April 26, 1852, Abraham Lincoln went into immediate action. Abraham fought through war and won. He also freed most of the slaves during this war [|Lincoln]. Theodore Roosevelt was another important person in history. He has been named the first modern president because "He significantly expanded the influence and power of the executive office" [|modern president]. He was also the first to use the media to contact with people at home. He was the first environmental president and he was very well loved. All of these presidents were key people in history. They all served our country well and were fathers of our nation. (SJsoth)