re: Kennedy family seeks to block construction of Trump’s arch through lawsuit

Just ask AI

Some interesting background on other monuments and memorials...

From AI searches...


The Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial faced extensive political and architectural opposition for nearly a decade before construction finally began.

Key Figures and Reasons for Opposition

Speaker Joseph "Uncle Joe" Cannon: The most powerful opponent was Republican Speaker of the House Joseph Cannon, who blocked the project for nearly ten years. He famously stated: "So long as I live, I'll never let a memorial to Abraham Lincoln be erected in that… swamp".

Gutzon Borglum (Sculptor): The anticlassical sculptor Gutzon Borglum (who later carved Mount Rushmore) strongly opposed the Greek temple design. He complained to Speaker Cannon about spending millions on a "meaningless temple of three thousand years ago."

Southern members of Congress and politicians in state governments: Many influential political leaders opposed a memorial to Abraham Lincoln, who was still a controversial political figure at the time.


The Washington Monument

Yes, the Washington Monument faced significant opposition, political division, and delays over decades of debate and construction.

Opposition and hurdles took several distinct forms:

Partisan and Ideological Objections (Early 19th Century): In the early decades after George Washington's death, Democratic-Republicans (opposing the Washington-aligned Federalists) favored Thomas Jefferson and viewed monuments as unseemly, expensive, and suspiciously royalist.

The Know-Nothing Takeover (1853–1854): The privately run Washington National Monument Society was hijacked in a board election by the anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic Know-Nothing Party. Their controversial politics alienated donors and bankrupted the society. The faction also famously stole and dumped a memorial stone donated by Pope Pius IX into the Potomac River out of religious hostility.

The Civil War and Stoppages: Construction halted completely during the mid-1850s due to bankruptcy, followed by the American Civil War, leaving the monument stalled as an unfinished 156-foot stump for over 20 years. When work finally resumed under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1876, Robert Mills' original grand design—which featured a massive Greek-style colonnade base and statues—was scrapped as too expensive, resulting in the plain obelisk seen today.


The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Yes, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial faced intense opposition when its design was first revealed in the early 1980s.

The "Black Gash of Shame": Critics—including some veterans and politicians—condemned the black color and subterranean design, calling it a "black gash of shame," a "ditch," or a monument to defeat rather than honor.

Political Divisions over the War: The controversy reflected deep national scars over the Vietnam War itself, with some arguing the memorial failed to properly salute the valor of the service members while others argued against honoring participants in what was viewed by some as an immoral and unjust war of aggression,




Most people seem united in reverence of these monuments today as just and useful markers of our nation and its history.

Perhaps we should forget about the person who is President now and just consider whether honoring our nation's 250th year of existence is worthy of a monument.