9781422287484

10 Jefferson Memorial: A Monument to Greatness

Maybe that is what Franklin Delano Roosevelt was feeling when he came to Washington, D.C., in 1928 as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Roosevelt, who would become the country’s 32nd president five years later, may have been disappointed that there was not a memorial dedicated to the memory and accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson. After all, Jefferson contributed a lot to the country’s development. His legacy can still be seen and felt in all aspects of our lives. Roosevelt may have vowed at the time that he would do something to correct the injustice if given the chance. It would take another 16 years for Roosevelt’s disap- pointment to turn to delight. In 1934, the United States Congress passed a resolu- tion to establish a Thomas Jefferson Memorial Commission. The commission was given authority to plan, design, and build a memorial that would pay tribute to Jefferson’s many accomplishments as presi- dent, politician, architect, naturalist, and educator. The commission’s mission was to set a foundation for the memorial in the same way Jefferson’s ideas set the foundation for this country. However, before the commission could begin plan- ning the memorial, its members had some very difficult questions to answer. Just how do you create a fitting trib- ute to a man who was so instrumental in the birth of this country? What type of design could embrace the spirit