Why Monuments Are Important

We’ve all been on school field trips to see big important symbols of the past, and I’m sure we’ve all have asked ourselves, “why does this matter” or “why should I care?”. The answer to that is monuments are a key component to commemorate an important event or person. Though, before one can be made there are some steps that should be taken before committing to making a new monument. Architects must think about the relevance of the person or event they wish to commemorate , if it is offensive or not, and the location of this memorial. Relevancy is a huge point in the consideration of the construction of a monument. The monument should be something that the community would be proud to have. Without a personal
Anything offensive or that has the potential to be offensive should most definitely not become immortalized. When thinking about a memorial, consider the long term effects that it will have on the people. As stated in “Waiting for Crazy Horse”, by Lawrence Downes the Sioux Nation that originally lived upon Mt.Rushmore, but were moved to a reservation when white settlers arrived. Mt. Rushmore, or known as the Black Hills to the natives, is a holy place for the Sioux. Even today Sioux descendants find the the removal of their accentors disrespectful, and to make matters even worse the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln were added to their once proud land. Even Downes admits, “It was bad enough that the white men drove the Sioux from hills they still hold sacred; did they have to carve faces all over them too? To me, it’s too close to graffiti” (Source C). The addition of the four presidents to the Black Hills was just adding insult to injury. Offending a proud group definitely puts a damper on a supposed “great tribute” to even “great people”. Researching what you want to memorialize and it’s relation to all people is a must. An offensive memorial is lawsuit waiting to