Group6Memorial

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**Letter to Congress:** The Civil War is undoubtedly the most important war in American history, thus it is imperative that a memorial be built to honor this significant battle. Without the Civil War, our nation would not be where it is today; this war shaped modern day America. Just as the Civil War is a story of two parts of the country forming together to make one nation, our memorial tells a story of unity. The memorial is a path made out of two different shades of grey, all-natural stepping stones. Both shades represent two different sides that are different at first but are eventually able to make their way together. The path will begin with the different shaped stones spread out in the beginning, implanted in the grass. The stones will gradually get closer and closer together until it reaches the actual circle in which case the stones will finally connect making a complete circled path. The stones used to create this design are thick, mid-sized stones designed to be placed in the ground to allow for crossing. Not only do the stones allow visitors to feel at peace with our memorial, but they also symbolize the healing process necessary for the country to recover from this dreadful war. The healing process involves moving forward, which is why we used stones to make up the path that leads forward to recovery. Stones are often symbolized as strength and courage, which is what we believe America needs to rebuild itself and become whole. At the beginning of the path, the visitors will walk beneath a large arch with vines and flowers wrapped around it. The arch is presented at the beginning as symbol of peace and forgiveness. As you walk under the arch it is designed to give off the impression of unity as the path begins to come together. The flowers and vines wrapped around it are a reminder of American beauty and how much we truly grow when we act together as a whole. As the path reaches the end circle, solar powered lights glow from the ground to reflect the amazing country we have become. Solar power lights are environmentally friendly which represents the fact that America has grown in so many ways after we came together as a whole. The lights are also used to draw people into our memorial; the idea is to be welcoming for everyone, just as the end of the war was. The solar powered lights are incorporated into the design year round to remind people of a special service that we will hold. Our design has a strong focus on these lights and the idea of fire to symbolize the power of one small spark. Once a year, on the anniversary of the surrender at Appomattox, a candle-lighting service will be held at our memorial. The leader of this service will likely be a part of the National Parks system and will begin with lighting his own candle. Each member of the service will also be supplied with a candlestick. Although the large amount of candlesticks needed for this service will be an additional cost to the memorial, it is only once a year and is an important event. The leader will light the first audience member’s candle, who will in turn light another candlestick, until a sea of fire encompasses the area as everyone’s candlestick is lit. The idea behind this service is that it only takes a spark to get a fire going, showing people the power of just one small action. We hope that each year, people will enjoy this service as a way to honor their country and their freedom that came from the first small spark of the Civil War. There will be benches placed around the circle to provide unity and allow visitors to sit down and really take in the significance of this memorial. We aim for people to sit down for a moment to really take in the memorial and be amazed on how amazing our country really is. Another significant object incorporated in our design is a large oak tree placed in the middle of the circle. Oak trees represent strength and shows how our country as a whole must stand together in order to be strong. Coming off of the oak tree are glass pieces that represent reflection. These glass pieces are placed in such an order than when looked at from below, they form the American flag, but from faraway only look like pieces of glass. This is a very subtle design strategically placed at the end of the memorial for people to see and be amazed by the entire concept of the memorial and how important it really is for our country to come together as a whole. Apart we are not as strong, not as complete. As one reaches the end of our memorial, they will look out across the Washington Mall and have a breathtaking view of three major American landmarks: the Washington Monument, the Capital building, and the Jefferson Memorial. Juxtaposed with the American flag depicted in the glass shards hanging from the oak tree, a patriotic picture of our country will be painted right before the viewer’s eyes. The main goal of our memorial is to subtly remind visitors of what makes the Civil War so important. Hopefully, visitors will see these landmarks representing American power and success and understand why they are at the Civil War memorial in the first place: to celebrate their own life. Our memorial is not a place to honor the dead, but rather celebrate the living population that is enjoying the America that was crafted so long ago. In any memorial, there will always be those who disagree with the idea and disagree with the significance of what is presented. As with any great war, there are always be those who will not agree with the outcome and therefore there will always be some potential controversy for people who do not believe that America got better after the war. Our memorial is not designed to be biased; it is simply a nonjudgmental symbol of unity. America has undeniably improved after the war, and we are trying to emphasize the significance of this improvement through subtle beauty and strength. Visitors should focus on the benefits of America today. We hope to spread the message of freedom and nationalism through our memorial, in a serious, but also calm and beautiful, manner. Another potential controversial element in our memorial is those who disagree with the materials used to create it. For example solar powered lights are more costly; however it is worth having them in the long run. Normal lights would be less efficient and require someone to monitor the lights, and would be a waste of energy. Solar power lights are more ecofriendly and represent improvement that our country has strived for since the end of the war. Although there will always be those who will not agree with every single one of our ideas, we hope that the majority of our visitors will be able to enjoy themselves and appreciate the significance of the Civil War at our memorial.
 * Location of Memorial:**


 * List of Sources:**

"American Civil War." //History.com//. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. .

Bailey, Thomas Andrew, David M. Kennedy, and Lizabeth Cohen. "Guiding for War: The North and the South." //The American Pageant//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 434-42. Print.

Gianpetro, James D. "Lincoln's Ever Changing Views on Slavery." //Lincoln's Ever Changing Views on Slavery//. Northern Illinois University Libraries, Jan. 1997. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. .

Miller, William J., and Brian C. Pohanka. "Introduction." Introduction. //An Illustrated History of the Civil War: Images of an American Tragedy//. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 2000. 7-9. Print.

Stanchak, John E. //Civil War.// New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000. Print.