Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln:
Presidents with Visions for America

"If they could speak today, what might they say?"
Inspired by Mt. Rushmore National Monument

WASHINGTON: The majestic rocks, the sturdy trees are symbols of the American people. They have withstood hard Winters and Summers of draught and dust storms. The American people have sharpened their skills to survive.
America is truth and strength!

JEFFERSON: We are a caring and generous people. A cry comes out from our land or a devastated country. We respond the American way to their need. We are a land of plenty.
America is Life and Love!

ROOSEVELT: As a bomber thunders over us it wakes us to remind us of our freedom. We are wrapped up in the safety and protection of our Armed Forces. Our flag waves high!
America is Liberty and Freedom!

LINCOLN: My eyes are dimmed but the beauty of the Black Hills of South Dakota will never fade from my memory. The season's changing colors brings to mind the different colored skins welcomed to share and join in admiration of this land.
America is Beauty and Happiness!

Here I sit on top Mt. Rushmore,
Wishing that you folks would hush more.
Way up here there's peace and quiet,
It's just bully! Why not try it.

Here I sit engraved in stone,
With three companions, I'm not alone.
I can't move-not one iota,
But I'm at home in South Dakota!

South Dakota in 'eighty-five,
That was where I felt alive.
I caught a thief who broke the law,
And punched a ruffian in the jaw.

Sitting here right next to Lincoln,
I can't help but do some thinkin'.
As a friend of this great nation,
I believe in conservation.

Garbage, waste, and air pollution-
Where, oh where, is the solution?
Pesticides and global warming,
Even killer bees are swarming!

Wilderness--I tried to save it.
It's your heritage, don't pave it!
Nature helps to soothe the soul.
It keeps you sane, humane, and whole.

As President I did my best,
As a monument I can rest.
In South Dakota, land of the Sioux,
I can just enjoy the vioux.

This place in South Dakota. It's so far from the great battlefield at Gettysburg. This time, 135 years since the bloody clash. Months after the battle, I wrote a two-minute speech. It somehow became immortal. It ended:

'this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from this earth.'

And so it is. The union I so desperately strove to preserve is stronger than ever today. The new birth of freedom exists. I see it in the faces of the people who come here.

For nearly 60 years, I have rested here in the presence of the noblest men to ever lead this great nation. I have always been and will always be humble and proud.

I am Lincoln.
I am the glue that held
us together
when the Civil War
stormed through.
I kept spirits up
when brothers fought brothers
and our nation was threatened
to become torn.

Today, as I peer out at the modern world
from under my top hat,
I smile.
I smile because I am proud.
Proud at the fact that my country survived. It
lived through the World Wars,
the struggle with Communism,
the Middle Eastern crisis.
My country sent the first astronaut
to the moon, and the first diver
to the bottom
of the sea.
It has spawned thousand of artists
and poets,
who have added
to the world's collection of
drawings and verse.
As the first democracy, it has set
a standard for others
and has lived up to its reputation through
two centuries.
There were times when it looked like we as a nation might fall,
but we picked ourselves back up,
and continued on the journey
that started when thirteen colonies
declared independence,
and now have become a mighty nation,
whose flag is a symbol
of hope,
and peace,
and freedom,
for all.

I believe George Washington would say, "I am proud of my country. You have evolved so much since I left you. You can fly. People in my day only dreamed of flying and now you are flying to the moon and attempting mars. We also didn't have cars. We went everywhere on either barefoot or horseback (that is if you could afford a horse). Now all people have to do is jump in a vehicle and turn a key. When I was president only free men could vote. Now you have come as far as all but children voting. Remember, you have always had it better than me. Please, never forget that." That is what I think George Washington would say.