Why the Lincoln Memorial was almost never built

Today, it's iconic. But for a long time, the Lincoln Memorial was incredibly controversial. Vox's Phil Edwards looked into the full story. Read more here: www.vox.com/2016/10/3/13124866...
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[@hollowverium]

am i supposed to watch this with 3d glasses

[@pkabi]

i think????

[@r22gamer54]

?

[@mnf2139]

I'm glad I'm not the only one

[@adamali3460]

"This is my swamp." -Joseph Gurney Cannon

[@waitingfortherainz]

-Shrek

[@ThatChubbyDude]

Long story short: There was swamp where the memorial was going to be and a guy didn't want to spend that much money renovating the swamp land.

[@RandomPerson-jo7cw]

In few words Shrek and his swamp

[@moleo9485]

@@RandomPerson-jo7cw This is MY swamp now

[@justnoah2073]

Yeah, but the whole story is interesting.

[@831santacruzloc]

3:19 Congress wanted to turn the swamp into a park but canon had suggestions of turning it into “garden for the poor”. That sounds like a great reason to oppose putting a monument up for someone who freed hundreds of thousands poor farm workers.

[@myhackedxbox]

it wasnt about the money... he didnt want to desecrate lincolns image by building a memorial in a swamp. it was in the video man im suprised no one corrected you in 4 years.

[@victorbeysmith]

why is cannan pictured as the bad guy with a lack of vision and against change, he wanted the memorial to be in a better place, i dont get it...

[@corhydron111]

I don't get it either. He wanted it to be in a beautiful garden for the poor, so why does she even call him a fiscal conservative? Fiscal conservatives are for limiting public spending, especially for the poor.

[@wevear]

Victor Bey-Smith I think even Lincoln would've been against his memorial.

[@corhydron111]

Plus, I don't want to sound rude, because there is a lot of beautiful and visionary architecture in the US, but I really don't think this memorial looks good. It's just so underdone, it looks really out of place. It's like a huge portable toilet with some marble pillars. I live in a small town in Europe and there is a classicist church right next to my house that looks better than this. And that church was bombed three times.

[@spencerpoore5805]

Victor Bey-Smith he was also against Theodore Roosevelt's conservation and national parks.

[@victorbeysmith]

Well yes Spencer poore​ but the video doesn't seem very nuanced and only shows this one side of him, seems very biased. And corhydron111​ agreed, how is the memorial "innovation" same, im in France and there are tens of hundreds of more beautiful monuments and buildings all over the place that show real innovation fpr their time. If anything the Lincoln Memorial is a waste of money (not 2 b rude) which could be a reason for Cannan

[@petroglyph888mcgregor2]

At 3:22, she said that Cannon "wanted it to be a garden for the poor." Sounds like he was a really nice guy.

[@richardmiranda640]

Right! God bless theGrand Old Party.

[@rachelcookie321]

A garden would of been better than a huge memorial celebrating a man like he was a god.

[@foxbasealpha]

My late grandmother who grew up in Washington, D.C. remembered seeing the Lincoln Memorial being built.

[@quotedalpha9386]

Rest In Peace 🙏

[@lycheeblossoms7443]

Can you imagine walking to the memorial and you see this random person holding a picture frame, a telephone and moving it around in front of a camera?

[@richardmiranda640]

YT film maker

[@luke_darga]

That’s far from the strangest thing you can see in DC.

[@jphamspam]

is it just me or is the red and blue outlines trippy

[@TheTrippleTKA]

also, kind of ... out of place. It doesn't go with the story. Vox is all about making the effects fit their stories. They should've done some vintage-y stuff. Not some futuristic 80's-like style.

[@treasuretim3]

jphamspam that just shows you do/did drugs sir

[@CmdrFirewalker]

I think the video might be stereoscopic, but probably not exactly the right kind for the red/cyan glasses I got lying around (they make (some?) of the text and pointers float, but rob me of color). There are stereoscopic color-filter-combinations that are claimed to be almost unnoticeable with bare eyes, so it might be one of them. if it is it's superfluous, as youtube allows you to adjust the stereoscopy to the glasses you have, if the video is uploaded as stereoscopic.

[@SLE3PR]

It's horrible. Shame, Vox. Shame.

[@mitchellbarnhart6387]

Its 3d, put on some 3d glasses

[@williamdevane944]

I'm a seventh generation southerner and second generation fan of Lincoln because bitter, resentful, and stupid is no way to go through life without a guaranteed income.

[@Pablo123456x]

Awesome comment. Sharp and funny as good ol Abe.

[@bcubed72]

Your great-grandfather just rolled over in his grave...

[@thesssradio5008]

Which state in the south. Deep South or kentucky

[@Tom-eq7eh]

Scary to think that 5 generations of Southerners could hate a man who abolished slavery, really says something about some Americans.

[@mrbrainbob5320]

@@Tom-eq7eh how? Dont you mean southerners?

[@Patri_Fides]

The old man impression wasn't necessary.

[@HarshDude126]

Yes, it was.

[@richardmiranda640]

Clearly, he was an old man and the kind that give old men a bad name. God bless the G.O.P.

[@OXIDElead]

4:18 that's not where sound comes out of a phone...

[@paciic]

r/facepalm

[@831santacruzloc]

Just a hint to those who are actually paying attention to the video... I guess canon was saying memorializing a man (who is literally remembered for freeing poor farm workers) is not as important as having farmland for the poor. Seems legit.

[@kylewarnke9665]

Could do without the annoyingly distracting old-man voice you guys chose for Cannon. Otherwise, very good video.

[@BT-ex7ko]

also the ridiculous amounts of chromatic aberration effects.

[@person-iw8qj]

the voice is because his quotes are laughably curmudgeonly

[@karlmcnutty5323]

"Get out of my swamp!" - Joe Cannon, the inspiration for Shrek. Donkey helped him out.

[@user-us6nh5qy8q]

This is Vox's 420th video, does this explain something?

[@cagedtigersteve]

Lincoln was high.

[@TheTrippleTKA]

No. Now I'm disappointed. They should delete an old video and remake the 420th, with some cool research on pot that we don't already know about.

[@tehcrikmasteh5608]

TheTrippleTKA yes please vox yes

[@Dude-gd5wm]

or Hitlers birthday...

[@lucyhannah1227]

when I was reading this, this video had 420 comments 0_0

[@tubewoodycool]

Why are all these American memorials and stuff always built to look like they're thousands of years, when in reality they're like 200 years old?

[@henrymurphy7067]

tubewoodycool Neo-classicism (reviving Ancient Greek and roman architecture) was huge in the 18th century, you can see the same style in a lot of European (especially English) buildings of the period

[@jimtuv]

It is because our political system was designed by men who admired the Greek and Roman system of governance. They design the architecture to acknowledge that.

[@Gardehesten]

Because of the lack of American architectural history at that point in time. It is a young nation, even younger then. And as mentioned by others here, they admired the old Greek and Roman ways of governance. To me, it's still strange to see new buildings erected in the same style. There are great examples of modern American architecture, that capture your society of present day. Shouldn't it be the point to make a statement of the age the building is built? I'm not a big fan of Neo-classicism in either England nor the US. I'm also glad the memorial didn't turn out as a pyramid hah.

[@tubewoodycool]

It was more of a rethorical question but I agree with you Gard

[@Gardehesten]

hah, it went straight over my head :)

[@bajojohn]

I'm glad we got a Greek temple rather than a pyramid.

[@realsmollbean]

The Washington monument was also almost not built too. Washington himself said it was a waste of resources, but after he died he had no say as he had no words as he was dead, so they built it then.

[@rachelcookie321]

Poor dude. They should of respected his wishes.

[@faidiefak]

Their videos are so quality oh my god

[@miniena7774]

Unlike you.

[@davebilldavebill961]

Greg Caesar boom roasted

[@miniena7774]

***** It's the internet, if you weren't already aware. People (whom are at least somewhat sane) aren't searching for 100% accurate "rebuttals." One would know what point I was attempting to convey, as per their viewing of the context it was placed in. As such, if you're going to attempt to correct me, at the very least word yourself in a...somewhat understandable manner.

[@thegoldensubway4182]

Theyre so quality?

[@massimookissed1023]

TheGoldenSubway so quality, very production.

[@MrNailbrain]

Immagine the Illuminati-theoires if they had build it as a pyramid!

[@t_ylr]

Think of all the Illuminati videos we could have had about the Lincoln pyramid.

[@jenlennon6614]

I just had a thought about possible symbolism behind the Lincoln Memorial. Hear me out on this. The building that the big statue of Lincoln is inside is clearly based off of Greek temple style of architecture. This is to represent the view that many had and still have of Lincoln on the surface as almost a deity like figure who was to be revered as such. But going inside you see Lincoln sitting in his chair peaceful yet contemplative. While he is large he is still approachable. You can get pretty close to Lincoln and see the human imperfections in his face. The inscription behind him speaks not of a deity like reverence but a reverence based off of his important impact in saving the union and freeing the slaves. One could even say the size of the statue is reflective of this. He is not a behemoth of a deity figure but a person who's large and important impact on this country is what makes him large in our hearts and minds just as he is in the memorial. The point I'm getting at is that the memorial presents the Building Lincoln is in as one of a God but upon a closer look we see the true Lincoln. We see Abraham Lincoln an American man born as common as everyone else who despite the uphill battles he sometimes faced made enormous impact in the lives of the entire country for the rest of his history and furthermore broke the chains of the oppressed slaves and led them to freedom.

[@jamesl9371]

Maybe the guy was right. Why not a park and other measures to help the poor

[@forreal7403]

When you look at the history of things, it just makes you appreciate it more

[@coolidgedollar2154]

And to think that Frank Gehry once said, *"The Lincoln Memorial is in the form of a Greek temple. What’s that got to do with Lincoln?”* You read that right: The most famous living architect in the world doesn't understand the history of architecture. And we throw millions of dollars at that man to build monuments of his own.

[@jsmn5059]

There is, however, a lot of value in the sort of practical utilitarian mindset Cannon had. Are we truly better off for having the Lincoln memorial situated on the National Park rather than a park for the poor? Grand artistic projects like the Lincoln Memorial cost money, and the stance that we should spend money on improving access to basic humans rights (water, food, education, housing) for those who don't have them over magnificent monuments to dead people, however admirable, is legitimate. The Lincoln Memorial was, after all, built during the Gilded Age - a time in which the creation of spectacular works of art, whether monuments or mansions, took precedent over social programs.

[@adanactnomew7085]

The National Mall is also a park for the poor, or just everyone more broadly.

[@cryofpaine]

A Lincoln pyramid would have been horribly ironic. A monument to the man who freed the slaves in the form of monuments that were originally built by slaves.

[@dahliacecily]

Weird montage but cool topic

[@corhydron111]

Am I the only one who really doesn't get how this building is considered beautiful? Don't get me wrong, I think USA is full of beautiful, visionary architecture, but this monument seems so underdone. Like, I live in a small town in eastern Europe and a classicist church down my street looks better than this. And that church was bombed three times.

[@dothedeed]

The monument includes the pool

[@jason200912]

looks like a rectangle with pillars to me

[@PFAlt]

+jason200912 TIL a 3D building hollow prism comrpized of multiple columns is comparable to a 2D shape with cylinders on it.

[@wyattrowe8396]

It's the lack of complexity that makes it beautiful.

[@melani3149]

I think you have to go to understand it's beauty. The first and only time I've been to the monument, it was a rainy April night and it was one of the best moments of my life. Standing next to enormous columns below this giant statue and looking out over the mall in the rain was a magical moment. Picture really don't do it any justice

[@tonyzan5268]

you have to understand that there are pockets of the country that refer to the civil war as the war of northern aggression

[@Frost517]

So much pettiness happened back then...and it lead to a country today that is as petty as ever.

[@electronpusher604]

duh

[@chadvogel3594]

yea because they live in the past and are ignorant

[@coloradohikertrash9958]

"It was terrifying. One moment you're at home, answering the door, and the next, you're stuck in some kind of suit. ... The only thing you can do is look through two little holes. It was some kind of mask, and whenever the sun shined near, I could see the inside of it. It was a familiar face. Every few nights straws would be put through the holes and someone would feed me some weird soup. ... They don't care if I talk about it or not. No one would take me seriously. Lincolnlooking is just... too absurd." ~ Maya Arnoldson on being a former Lincolnlooker.

[@ThatGuyCanmanNC]

I’m related to that guy. He’s like my great great great grandfather. (I think)

[@ConnorLonergan]

When I clicked on this my thought, it was going to be some folks in the south still pissed about losing the civil war

[@victorgabrielbuena]

This was extremely interesting and beautiful! I loved what you did with the picture frames and the park :D

[@jacksulley8928]

Never stop making these videos, you guys rock

[@adamkilam]

is this the one on fallout 3?

[@TimRosenburg]

yep

[@mortenharket3265]

Yep.. FO3's setting is WDC or later called Capital Wasteland

[@MrTuffarts]

Next it should get a roof line, it looks unfinished.

[@BRabbit716]

I get the old dude, he didn’t want his homies memory to be in a swap

[@Ahmed-N]

VOX's editing style has come a long way since 2016...

[@diveenvarma5068]

He seemed reasonable. Why spend 2 million dollars on a memorial?

[@rachelcookie321]

They could of built a whole school with that money.

[@scipioprime69]

Im 4 years late but if you know what Abraham Lincoln did for the USA, he deserves that 2 million dollar memorial.

[@CameronCourts]

Does anyone have any idea how much that marble would cost today? I can't imagine that it would be even feasible now.

[@Frost517]

I never learned any of this in high school or community college. This was awesome.

[@MrSafer]

anyone else find it odd how they put Lincoln in what is essentially a pantheon. werent pantheon's places of the gods in greece?

[@antonvernooy6186]

The music that comes in at 1:04 is so out of place I thought I had a popup add playing in the background. Anyone else agree? But on another note, the video was a great story that I had never heard of at all

[@davidjenkins4838]

Should've been a garden for the poor, regardless.

[@Vempsterful]

Vox says that "we ask our politicians to be visionaries", I don't think Vox would want anything remotely close to remembering anyone because they as so many are in fear of offending others.

[@randomguy5990]

What ?

[@Vempsterful]

gfhf fghgfhgf I know, Vox and many other SJW's and Feminists, reasoning for my comment, they wouldn't dare try to build something that would immortalise because they simply are too scared.

[@randomguy5990]

too much neck beard for one comment

[@Vempsterful]

gfhf fghgfhgf I think we are all Liberals in someway.

[@Vempsterful]

gfhf fghgfhgf We all hold a little of some, we would be hypocrites to deny any.

[@ronmader]

6:45 We can see what's always been there. Seeing what's next is the tough part.

[@Firesneaker]

Me in minecraft, trying to decide where to put my main base at

[@CintreuseGrande]

Why did you make a bunch of the clips in blue and red 3D it kinda hurt my eyes.

[@endicott1996]

Can someone please tell me who did the music for this video and if I can find it anywhere?

[@angelrios5897]

There's virtue in a tempered passion. Whilst lack of vision is problematic, so to is making change for the sake of making change.

[@jacobw2573]

Picture frames a little pedantic.

[@sanjam8747]

Okay the couple at 2:00 taking a picture gave me so much hope

[@rachelcookie321]

Why? Because they’re different ethnicities?

[@stevenbehnke4751]

I love you guys so much! Keep up the great work!

[@cameronwoo2783]

I thought I was watching a Casey Neistat vlog at the beginning 😂

[@njaa8597]

For a second I though this video was starting off with human music XD

[@kevinfarrell85]

All those picture frames were really annoying

[@Legionaairre]

I liked the ideas of skyscrapers on capitol hill.

[@shineshinexc]

one minor thing, when Ruth is talking on the phone sound would come from the ear piece not the voice receiver. Cheers love Vox videos

[@ChannelSurfiing]

Why are the sound waves coming out of the microphone end of the receiver?

[@wooden_hat]

the music is so good?? does anyone know what it’s called??

[@comptonassimps]

Am I the only one that noticed the voice coming out of the wrong side of the phone?

[@MartinMunster]

What is that song playing after the title card? It sounds delicious.

[@jamesgriffin7410]

What is the cite for Cannon's quote "tender feet... art" line? Awesome vid!

[@Nonamearisto]

There's a line between being a visionary and a megalomaniac. To dismiss all skeptics as "lacking vision" blinds oneself to the possibility that it may actually be a bad idea. That said, the Lincoln Memorial was a good idea.

[@minwang52]

This is a good case where a fiscal conservatism and lack of vision is ultimately proven wrong. But there are also many instances where spending on public projects or monuments are proven to be wasteful. No one has a crystal ball to see into the future, all we can ever do is use our best judgement at the time and hope for the best. I think this is one of the reason where you want to have check and balances in government's decision making so no one end of the political spectrum dominates.

[@ElMariuuu]

The artistic design is as magnificent as always !!

[@lucyhannah1227]

sometimes i wish these videos were feature-length documentaries so I could relax with popcorn and just leeeeeeeearn.

[@aaronries9307]

Um... hey vox? I think you have something wrong with your phone at 4:17. The sound is coming out at the wrong end of the earpiece.

[@MultiSupporter]

back in the good ol days when republicans were left leaning

[@flylcarusfly]

"He wanted to build a park there for the poor"... Times sure do change...

[@antipyrene]

Cannon was actually considered a conservative and enemy of progressive Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt

[@harryeverett2152]

commie

[@Denutvalde94]

It's easy to be "visionary" when you are spending other people's money.

[@dasher787]

and when democrats were right-leaning

[@Nox_Bishop]

The 3D effect strained my eyes. Omg

[@lobecosc]

Very Interesting. I didn't know that. That's how that building on Independence Ave got it name. Good info about Joe Cannon as well.

[@ALLTHESAVED]

So the National Mall isn't actually a mall, right? I'm not from the states so I don't know, is it just the name for a large park?

[@MrLylehammer]

It's not an actual mall (as in shopping center) but a huge park featuring key national monuments and museums. The National Mall includes (but not limited to) the Lincoln Memorial, Smithsonian Museum, Washington Monument, the White House, the US Capitol Building, etc.

[@SiVlog1989]

Seeing as Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt are on Mount Rushmore, would that be the ultimate memorial for any president? Especially as I've heard some call for Reagan to be added while others call for FDR to be added (taking politics aside, as both had big impacts on their generations, I can see why they are called out)

[@dattmougherty_5392]

Does anyone else not understand the drawing at 2:13? Seems totally off unless i'm looking at it wrong

[@deemey95]

for anyone wondering, the lovely lady in pink is Dr. Lisa Benton-Short, department chair and professor of Geography at the George Washington University.

[@ginrou1030]

Still not sure when I was supposed to put on my 3D glasses...

[@HumeanPiano]

once a museum, always a fancy one

[@wolfdwarf]

The beginning sounded like Human Music ^(TM).

[@chris24hdez]

Is his where terms like "Star Wars canon" comes from? It's not up to the spec of Mr. Canon?

[@Larson907]

Sound doesn't come out of the bottom of a telephone...

[@andrewkful]

Wow that's a good choice of a voice for him! :D

[@joy5067]

Can someone explain the music in the intro... 1:07

[@timothyoreilly6014]

these videos always remind me of the serial podcast...

[@ZCVG]

"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it" - Abraham Lincoln

[@ThatGuyCanmanNC]

I am related to joe Cannon. I was named after my grandmothers last name “Cannon” and are family proves i am related to him.

[@merlinwhench1395]

I hate that picture frame that they keep holding

[@tylersimpson2974]

is the background music at the start of the video from "one who flew over the cuckoos nest"?

[@StevenTorrey]

That was very informative!

[@projectwaveform]

VOX your last few videos seem to be cut off at the ends.

[@adhouston99]

Jonathan D. R. Hall-Neal-Bayne Are you on mobile? The videos that have special annotations at the end cause the video to cut to the end. KZbin hasn't fixed the bug yet.

[@1practicaljoker]

What's with the frikken picture frames?

[@lemonjelloguy1]

3:57 nice burka

[@shawnweeks2968]

Is half this video suppose to be in 3-D or something?

[@mxferro]

STOP with monuments to politicians!!! The nation needs to be brought together behind joint causes to the PEOPLE...not to individuals!!!

[@rachelcookie321]

This exactly

[@brandonarrington8220]

everyone on planet earth : vox : WHY THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL WAS ALMOST NEVER BUILT

[@TheChurchHistoryChannel]

Can you imagine all the conspiracy theories if they had built a Lincoln pyramid?

[@rickwalker1989]

Phil Edward's is definitely one of Vox' best assets

[@TheJaredtheJaredlong]

To be fair, John Russell Pope _also_ designed the temple on Meridian Hill.

[@kartman568]

4:44 isn't it perfect my video paused to buffer after she said that?

[@nelsona779]

great video thanks for sharing

[@ZZ-sb8os]

Am I supposed to be watching this video with 3D glasses? I'm only halfway through and it's starting to hurt my eyes...

[@nunnaurbiznez8815]

What is with the picture frames? And the weird sound design? Is this an art piece? I'm not even sure what you were talking about, the music and picture frames were too distracting.