Mount Rushmore, one of America's most iconic landmarks, has just turned 100 years old. To mark this milestone, a new book delves into the sculpture's complex history and meanings.
The story of Mount Rushmore begins in 1927, when sculptor Gutzon Borglum was tasked with carving the faces of four U.S. presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln - into the granite face of a mountain in South Dakota. The project took 14 years to complete, requiring over 400 workers and an estimated $984,000.
Despite its grand scale, Mount Rushmore was not without controversy from the start. Many Native Americans felt that the monument was a desecration of their ancestral lands, while others saw it as a symbol of American progress and democracy.
Borglum's vision for Mount Rushmore was influenced by his own experiences with immigration and the melting pot of America. He believed that the sculpture would serve as a unifying force, bringing together different regions and cultures under one shared identity.
The book "A Biography of a Mountain" reveals that Borglum's intentions were not without fault. The monument was built using forced labor, including Native American workers who were paid minimal wages and worked long hours in harsh conditions.
Today, Mount Rushmore remains a powerful symbol of American history and culture, but its complex meanings continue to be debated by scholars and visitors alike. As Matthew Davis, author of the book, notes, "Mount Rushmore is a reminder that our past is always layered with achievement and fault."
The story of Mount Rushmore begins in 1927, when sculptor Gutzon Borglum was tasked with carving the faces of four U.S. presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln - into the granite face of a mountain in South Dakota. The project took 14 years to complete, requiring over 400 workers and an estimated $984,000.
Despite its grand scale, Mount Rushmore was not without controversy from the start. Many Native Americans felt that the monument was a desecration of their ancestral lands, while others saw it as a symbol of American progress and democracy.
Borglum's vision for Mount Rushmore was influenced by his own experiences with immigration and the melting pot of America. He believed that the sculpture would serve as a unifying force, bringing together different regions and cultures under one shared identity.
The book "A Biography of a Mountain" reveals that Borglum's intentions were not without fault. The monument was built using forced labor, including Native American workers who were paid minimal wages and worked long hours in harsh conditions.
Today, Mount Rushmore remains a powerful symbol of American history and culture, but its complex meanings continue to be debated by scholars and visitors alike. As Matthew Davis, author of the book, notes, "Mount Rushmore is a reminder that our past is always layered with achievement and fault."
. i mean, who needs consent from native americans when you're carving their ancestral lands into granite? 
Borglum's vision of a unifying force is so cute in retrospect, especially considering the workers were basically forced labor 
. and $984k seems like a small price to pay for the "proud" monument we have today 
. still love it though, in a complicated, can't-unstick-them-from-my-head kind of way 
. the fact that native americans were paid minimal wages for their work is super messed up tho... i mean, you can't just erase the pain of the past and say it's all good vibes 
. borglum's vision was cool and all, but he shouldn't have exploited his workers like that 
. its interesting how the monument has become a symbol of american progress and democracy tho... maybe thats not as black and white as we think 
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. But at the same time, I can see how it's meant to be a symbol of unity and democracy for America... it's just wild how complex our history is 
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. This new book is giving me all the feels, can't wait to dive in and learn more! 
That's like moving the Eiffel Tower to South Dakota! 
14 yrs & $984k might seem like a lot but it's actually ~$17m in today's value 
200 Native American workers were paid as little as $0.15/hr 
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... I mean, don't get me wrong, it's awesome to see Mount Rushmore celebrating 100 years, but can you believe it took 14 years to finish? I recall my granddad telling me stories about how they had to move mountains (literally!) just to get the sculpture done back in '27 
. And let's be real, it was a labor of love... for some people 
. I've read this new book "A Biography of a Mountain" and man, it's like a punch in the gut – all these issues with forced labor and Native American workers... it's heartbreaking 
. Still, you gotta admire the scale and grandeur of Mount Rushmore. It's like something straight outta a Wild West movie 
. What's crazy is that its meaning is still debated among scholars and visitors today... I guess some things never change 
. And don't even get me started on the Native American workers who were basically forced to do slave labor for minimal pay 
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. They're glossing over the whole problematic side of things and just focusing on Borglum's "vision" for America... meanwhile, what about the vision of the Native Americans who were actually displaced from their land? 
. There's more to this story than meets the eye... mark my words! 
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According to Google Trends, interest in Mount Rushmore has increased by like 1000% since 2020, so it seems like people are still really into it! 
. Maybe it's still as awe-inspiring as everyone says, or maybe I'll just be standing there thinking about all the controversy surrounding it 
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! So crazy to think it took 14 years to finish and over 400 people worked on it 
. But you know what's wilder? The fact that Native Americans were treated unfairly during the construction process 
then suddenly these massive faces appear out of nowhere