Travel in Time with Dan: The Lincoln Memorial—From Union Savior to Living Temple of Civil Rights
Hey everybody, how are you doing? It’s Dan Blanchard here with another edition of Travel in Time with Dan, where we mix travel with history, with leadership, and… of course… with me, Dan Blanchard!
Today, we are standing at the west end of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., looking up at the awe-inspiring Lincoln Memorial! If you hear a slightly quieter, more reverent tone in my voice today, it’s because standing here almost feels like stepping into a sacred temple!
Designed by architect Henry Bacon in the style of a classical Greek Parthenon… chosen specifically because Greece was a democracy before Rome… this memorial features 36 soaring columns, each representing a state in the Union during the Civil War. And get this: because it was built on reclaimed wetlands, workers had to dig 30 feet down to solid bedrock, creating a vast, cavernous world of concrete columns beneath our feet that is now another museum called the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft Museum!
Up above sits Daniel Chester French’s massive, 19-foot-tall, 175-ton seated statue of Abraham Lincoln, flanked by his immortal words from the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address… where he famously called for “malice toward none” and “charity for all”!
When this monument was dedicated in 1922 by President Warren G. Harding… with Lincoln’s only surviving son, Robert Todd Lincoln, in attendance… the story was strictly focused on national unity, celebrating Lincoln as the “Union Savior”. But for decades, that focus on sectional reconciliation often pushed the story of the Emancipation Proclamation and the experiences of Black Americans to the margins.
To understand how this site transformed from a monument of national reconciliation into a living stage for civil rights, I traveled through time to meet the two iconic figures who redefined these very steps: legendary singer Marian Anderson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!
I caught up with them standing right at the top of the steps overlooking the Reflecting Pool. Here is our conversation!
The Fictional Interview: Dan Blanchard Meets Marian Anderson & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dan Blanchard: Miss Anderson! Dr. King! Dan Blanchard here from Travel in Time with Dan. What an absolute honor to stand with both of you on these historic steps!
Marian Anderson: (Smiles gracefully, wrapping her coat against the cold breeze) Thank you, Dan. Standing here brings back such vivid memories of Easter Sunday in 1939. When the Daughters of the American Revolution barred me from singing at Constitution Hall simply because of the color of my skin, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt stepped in. She helped arrange for me to sing right here on these steps instead.
Dan: Miss Anderson, that 1939 concert before 75,000 people was a watershed moment! When you sang “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” right in front of Abraham Lincoln, you transformed this building from a static stone monument into an active stage against racial discrimination!
Marian Anderson: I simply sang from my heart, Dan. But in doing so, we showed the world that the promise of liberty must belong to everyone, not just a privileged few.
Dan: Amen to that! And Dr. King, 24 years later, on August 28, 1963, you stood on these exact same steps during the March on Washington and delivered your immortal “I Have a Dream” speech to over 250,000 people!
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: (Nodding solemnly, looking out over the plaza) Indeed, Brother Dan. When I began that speech with “Five score years ago,” I was intentionally echoing the language President Lincoln used in his Gettysburg Address on these very walls. And because Lincoln was referencing the Declaration of Independence’s promise that “all men are created equal,” our movement reached back through Lincoln directly to the founding ideals of America!
Dan: That is brilliant strategy and historical rhetoric! You reclaimed this memorial as a living temple of civil rights! You proved that the work of liberty wasn’t finished in 1776 or 1865!
Dr. King: Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. We came to the nation’s capital to cash a check… a promissory note that all Americans, Black and white, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Dan: And that brings us directly to our big leadership lesson for today: Great leaders unite people during times of division, and the strongest leaders don’t just seek to defeat division… they seek to heal it!
Marian Anderson: Yes, Dan. But true healing cannot happen if people are left out. Unity without inclusion is just a mask over an open wound.
Dr. King: Well said, Miss Anderson. President Lincoln understood that winning the war was only half the battle; healing the nation with “charity for all” was the true test of leadership. And our mission in the Civil Rights Movement was to ensure that the healing was complete… including every child of God.
Dan: Boom! That is real, courageous leadership! Imagine how different history might have been if Lincoln hadn’t been assassinated and had been able to lead Reconstruction himself! But because he couldn’t, leaders like the two of you had to step onto these steps and keep pushing the country to finish the job!
Marian Anderson: History is a continuous relay race, Dan. Each generation must carry the torch of dignity a little further.
Dan: Dr. King, Miss Anderson, before I head back to my time, what’s your final word of advice for leaders facing division today?
Marian Anderson: Never let small minds prevent you from singing your song. Use your voice to elevate others.
Dr. King: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Stand up for justice, unite your people around a vision of hope, and never stop dreaming!
Dan: Drop the microphone! Miss Anderson, Dr. King, thank you both for your courage, your voices, and for turning these marble steps into a beacon of freedom for the entire world!
The Travel in Time Wrap-Up
Standing on those steps with Marian Anderson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made one thing crystal clear: great leaders don’t just win battles… they heal divisions, and they make sure no one is left out of the healing process.
The Lincoln Memorial started as a tribute to preserving the Union, but through the courage of people who refused to accept incomplete freedom, it became a living temple of civil rights.
In your life, your school, or your organization, true leadership isn’t about defeating your opponents or ignoring hard truths. It’s about bringing people together, standing up for justice, and leaving your community more united and whole than you found it.
So, how are you working to heal division and bring people together today?
Until next time, this is Dan Blanchard with the Travel in Time with Dan show… where we mix travel with history, leadership, and me! Take care, and have a wonderful day!
Enjoyed this powerful journey into civil rights and leadership? Don’t forget to check out our companion book chapters, YouTube videos, and podcasts to keep uncovering history and inspiring leadership!
Uncovering History. Inspiring Leadership.
📺 Watch the episode: YouTube | 🎙️ Listen to the podcast: Spotify | 📖 Read the blog: granddaddyssecrets.com | 📚 Dan’s book: Travel in Time in the Northeast
