IT'S MONUMENTAL!

THE PURPOSE: To research important American historic sites.  My aim is not only to introduce you to the entire sweep of United States history but also to get you thinking about how Americans have interpreted their past.

THE PROCEDURE:  Use the supplied handout and proceed to fill out as much of the grid as possible.  Ideally, for each monument you will provide its location; a description; a brief history; one or two interesting facts; and mention of one or two past or current controversies.  If you prefer to fill in the grid on the computer rather than by hand, or want to print off more blank monument templates, you can open up a word document by clicking on the following:  It's Monumental Template.  I have listed some possible resources below.  Engage in your own Internet search, check not only  but also the Academic Search data base at the North Island College Library.  For an excellent news archive that may include information about your individual monuments from recent years, see  .  For the most recent news stories , go to and type in your search term.

SOME POSSIBLE RESOURCES:

  1. THE ALAMO.  See .

  2. ANGEL ISLAND.  For a tourist site about the island that served as the West Coast immigration and detention center, see .

  3. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY.  For the official web site of Arlington National Cemetery, see .  For National Park Service information on the Robert E. Lee Memorial, see http://www.nps.gov/gwmp/arl_hse.html . 

  4. BUNKER HILL MONUMENT.  See .

  5. CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL.  See .  See also www.geocities.com/south_dakota01/crazyhorse.html .

  6. ELLIS ISLAND.  For the National Park Service web-site, see . 

  7. FORT MCHENRY NATIONAL MONUMENT AND HISTORIC SHRINE.  See . 

  8. FORT SUMTER.  For the National Park Service site, see .

  9. FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL.  For the National Park Service web-site, see .  For a CNN feature on the controversy involving the Roosevelt Memorial, see www.cnn.com/US/9704/30/fdr.monument/ .  For a Washington Post feature on the Memorial, see www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/tours/fdr/front.htm .

  10. GETTYSBURG NATIONAL PARK.  For a visitor's guide to Gettysburg, see .  For the National Park Service web-site, see www.nps.gov/gett/home.htm .  For a site designed by the Gettysburg Convention and visitors Bureau, see www.gettysburg.com/

  11. INDEPENDENCE HALL.  For the story of the creation of Independence National Historic Park, see .

  12. KOREAN WAR MEMORIAL.  For the National Park Service site, see .

  13. LIBERTY BELL.  For a detailed history of the Liberty Bell, see .  For a June 1998 Atlantic Monthly article about the Liberty Bell, see www.theatlantic.com/issues/98jun/bell.htm .  For the National Park Service site, see www.nps.gov/inde/ .

  14. LINCOLN MEMORIAL.  For the National Park Service site, see .  For a site that focuses upon the role of the Lincoln Memorial in Civil Rights demonstrations, see www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/dc1.htm .

  15. LITTLE BIGHORN BATTLEFIELD NATIONAL MONUMENT.  For the National Park Service site, see .  For a relevant CNN article, see www.cnn.com/US/9606/27/little.bighorn/ .

  16. MANZANAR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE.  See the National Park Service site at www.nps.gov/manz/ .

  17. MARINE CORPS MEMORIAL.  See .   For a biography of Ira Hayes, see http://phoenix.about.com/library/weekly/aa011301a.htm  .

  18. MESA VERDE.  A comprehensive site on Mesa Verde National Park can be found at .  The National Park Service site is at www.nps.gov/meve/ .  For further information about Mesa Verde and the surrounding Four Corners area, see www.mesaverde.com/ .

  19. MINUTE MAN MONUMENT.  For the relevant National Park Service web-site, see www.nps.gov/mima/ .

  20. MONTICELLO.  For the official site to Thomas Jefferson's home in Charlottesville, see .

  21. MONUMENT AVENUE.  For a private web-site, see .

  22. MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MONUMENT.  For a web-site designed for a PBS special on Mount Rushmore, see .  For a museum about the man who carved the monument, see www.rushmoreborglum.com/ .  For the National Park Service site, see www.nps.gov/moru/ .

  23. NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL.  For the official site about the designed Washington, D.C. memorial, see www.wwiimemorial.com/ .  For a site promoting the memorial, see .

  24. THE PENTAGON.  For an official introduction to the history of the Pentagon, see .

  25. PLYMOUTH ROCK.  For a Massachusetts government park site, see .

  26. STATUE OF LIBERTY.  For the National Park Service web-site, see .

  27. STONE MOUNTAIN.  For the web-site of the association responsible for maintaining Stone Mountain Park, see .

  28. TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIERS.  See .   For a CNN story on the reburying of a Vietnam era Air Force lieutenant who lay for 14 years in the tomb, see www.cnn.com/US/9807/10/blassie/ .

  29. TRAIL OF TEARS NATIONAL HISTORICAL TRAIL.  For the National Park Service site, see .

  30. TRINITY A--BOMB TEST SITE.  For the Unofficial Trinity Site Page, see .

  31. UNITED STATES CAPITOL BUILDING.  For a U.S. Capitol Virtual Tour, see .  See also www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/capitol_overview.htm .

  32. U.S.S. ARIZONA.  For the National Park Service site, see . 

  33. VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL.   For the National Park Service web-site, see www.nps.gov/vive/home.htm .  See also www.vietvet.org/thewall.htm and http://thewall-usa.com/ .

  34. VIETNAM WOMEN'S MEMORIAL.  See .

  35. WALDEN POND.  See .

  36. WASHINGTON MONUMENT.  For the National Park Service site, see .

  37. WHITE HOUSE.  For a site dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the White House, see .

  38. WOMEN'S RIGHTS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK.  For the National Park Service web-site, see .  See also  http://brownvboard.org/brwnqurt/01-1/01-1c.htm .

  39. WOOLWORTH BUILDING.  See and the Greensboro News and Record site at www.sitins.com/ .