The Most Famous Monuments of Washington, D.C.: The History of the Capital's Grandest Memorials

People have always loved symbols and monuments. Even before there was any sort of written language, there were places and things considered sacred, whether it was the Mesopotamians’ ziggurats or the Egyptians’ pyramids. Thus, it had long been a practice to make some sort of memorial to those who had died as a way to remember and honor them, and given the importance of George Washington to the young United States of America, it’s no surprise that plans to build monuments to him began within months of his death. There are countless ways that Washington, remembered as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," has been commemorated across America, but the most famous is the Washington Monument. Congress had actually called for establishing a monument to Washington as far back as 1783, but it would not be until the 1830s that work on the world’s tallest obelisk began in earnest.  Given the importance of Abraham Lincoln to the country, it’s no surprise that plans to build monuments to him began within months of his death. There are countless ways that the Great Emancipator has been commemorated across America, but the most famous is the Lincoln Memorial, which would not be completed until well over half a century after his death.  A tranquilly elegant neoclassical building fronted by slender pillars and topped by a gently domed roof, the Jefferson Memorial stands among other American monuments near the shores of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. Housing a five-ton, 19 foot tall statue of Thomas Jefferson, the building looks as though it could be as long-established as the White House itself, but it is actually much newer. The Vietnam War is one of the most controversial events in American history, and it bitterly divided the nation, so it’s somewhat ironic that the most famous monument commemorating the war is also one of the most serene spots in the nation’s capital. Indeed, the famous Vietnam Wall is a place of almost eerie silence.