Mount Rushmore Essay, Research Paper

About 60 years ago one of the most important monuments in history was completed. This famous monument is Mount Rushmore. The big rock where 4 faces are carved. This big rock is located in the Black Hills in South Dakota. Gutzon Borglum and 400 other workers spend 15 years carving the four presidents into history. For the past 60 years the same faces are still there. What if we carved 4 new faces into the monument? Whom should we select? The four people I have selected have played an important role in American history and the history of the world. They have made many contributions to better people?s lives around the world.

My first and foremost choice is Mother Teresa, who has devoted her life to the sick, ill, and hungry around the world. She offered her help to anyone that needed it. This resulted in her winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. After Mother Teresa won the Prize. She was forced to scale down on her activities due to her declining health. In 1997, Mother Teresa died at age 87 due to cardiac arrest. Many people considered her a ?living saint?.

My second choice is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States. President Roosevelt served the longest ever as president. Before he was elected president he was stricken with polio, which bound him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In 1932, Roosevelt was elected president and led America out of the Great Depression in the late 1930?s. Roosevelt was the American leader for almost all of World War II. President Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945, shortly before the end of the World War II.

My third choice is Harriet Tubman, who freed over 300 slaves by using the ?Underground Railroad?. She was considered the ?conductor? of the famous railroad. At age 25 she escaped slavery to Philadelphia. She learned of the Underground Railroad and returned south 19 times. She brought her family, friends, and other slaves to freedom in risk of her own life. Harriet Tubman died at age 93 in her own nursing home, having given her life to helping others.

My fourth and final choice is Henry Clay, who made many compromises in American history to make the country better. Although Clay never became president, he played a key role in American history. Some of his many compromises were the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850, which were used to hold of civil war. He was known as the ?Great Compromiser?. In the early 1850?s, Clay found it hard to continue his public service. He resigned from the Senate in 1851. He died the next year due to tuberculosis. Clay?s ability to compromise and negotiate was a key component in keeping the Union together in the first half of the 19th century.

The four faces currently on Mount Rushmore certainly deserve to be honored, but so do other people that never became president. Mother Teresa devoted her life to the sick. Franklin Delano Roosevelt carried America out of the Great Depression. Harriet Tubman freed over 300 slaves. Henry Clay made a deal of compromises and negotiations to make the United States better. All of these people have dedicated their lives to make the world a better place and need to be recognized for their efforts.