*Includes biographies of all 4 presidents on Mount Rushmore.
*Includes pictures of Mount Rushmore, the 4 presidents, and important people, places and events in their lives.
*Includes an introduction for each president
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
In the 1920s, plans were made to carve the figures of America's greatest presidents into Mount Rushmore, the tallest spot in the Black Hills of the Dakotas. By 1939 the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt had been carved into the rock, and one of America's greatest national monuments was born.
The four men were certainly worthy of being immortalized in granite. Every American is taught a pristine narrative of the life and legacy of George Washington and can easily recite the highlights and myths of Washington's life. Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in authoring the Declaration of Independence, laying out the ideological groundwork of the notion of states' rights, leading one of the first political parties, and overseeing the expansion of the United States during his presidency. Schoolchildren can recite the life story of Lincoln, the "Westerner" who educated himself and became a self made man, rising from lawyer to leader of the new Republican Party before becoming the 16th President of the United States and saving the Union. And at the turn of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt came to be recognized as the quintessential American, remembered for being a president, explorer, hunter, author, soldier, president, and safari adventurer, all of which combine into one unique reputation.
Mount Rushmore poignantly symbolizes the legacies and legends of these men, which often overshadow the actual men themselves. In addition to covering all of the accomplishments and the growing legacies of these 4 presidents, The Legends of Mount Rushmore humanizes each of these great leaders, examining what they were truly like. Along with pictures of each president and the important people, places and events in their lives, you will learn about the Mount Rushmore presidents like you never have before, in no time at all.