The
Newest Additions of Mt. Rushmore: King and Einstein
What
do George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln
all have in common? They are all held in great respects by the American people.
They guided and shaped the nation to be what it is now. George Washington, the
general that led the colonists to victory and later on became the new born
nation’s first president. Thomas Jefferson is one of the founding fathers and
is credited for the Declaration of Independence. He expanded the nation from
the Louisiana Purchase, where Mt. Rushmore resides. Theodore Roosevelt led the
US into what is known as the Modern Age and truly exercised the Power of the
Presidency. Through President Abraham Lincoln’s effort, the abolishment of
slavery was able to take place after so many years. If two more faces were to
be added from the 20th or 21st century to Mt. Rushmore it
would be Martin Luther King Jr. and Albert Einstein.
Martin
Luther King Jr. should be one of the faces added to Mt. Rushmore because his
efforts in reforming America’s standards of equality. Inspired by Gandhi, he
used unconventional participation to demand a hearing and push for reform from
the community. He organized sit-in at stores, protest marches, and other
peaceful protests in his effort to seek change, not only for himself but for
everyone. He bared no hatred in his heart towards those who oppressed Africans
Americans nor did he lull over the past. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted the oppressors
and the oppressed to forgive one another and embrace each other as sisters and
brothers. In August 28, 1963 during the March on
Washington at the Lincoln Memorial, he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech which soften
even the hardest of hearts and placed pressure on the Kennedy administration to
go on with its civil rights legislation in Congress. If his ghost could visit he would not only see
his dream is a reality but that his speech had encouraged others to follow
their even when the times were bleak and gloomy. Martin Luther King Jr. should
be one of the faces on Mt. Rushmore because of his impact on reforming social
equality.
Another
face that should be added to Mt. Rushmore should be Albert Einstein. He is one
of the greatest scientists of all times. Without his discoveries and theories
society would not have the technology that is present today. Einstein gave new
knowledge in physics and technology which laid the foundation for all industrial
and technology developments. He brought general awareness and appreciation for
science to the public as well, something that was always undermined and
unvalued by the average citizen. His theories, which included theory of general
relativity, brought a revolution in physics. His theory of e = mc^2 changed the
concept of the universe since it helped other scientists and people understand
the origin and make-up of the universe better. Even though Einstein’s discoveries
and advancement of knowledge aided technology and artillery, he advocated
against war and violence.
Martin
Luther King Jr. and Albert Einstein should be the next two faces added to Mt.
Rushmore because of their contributions to society. King’s civil disobedience
taught society that violence just adds more fuel to the fire, pain for pain,
while words imprint on one’s mind and heart rather than a mark upon the flesh.
Einstein’s discoveries taught the public the importance of science while
influencing the advancement of technology.
