Mt. Rushmore was started in 1927, only 18 years after Teddy Roosevelt left office. That would be akin to putting Ronald Reagan up there today. How controversial was it to sculpt T.R. alongside the likes of Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln when it was first built?
I think the presumption of an equitable controversy is flawed. There’s a huge difference between the commission of an original work of art in which Roosevelt is one of four ex-presidents honored – than the case with Reagan, whose likeness would be added to a highly iconic monument 70-odd years later by a whole different art team, over the objections of purists who don’t want to see Rushmore changed in any way at all, Native Americans who barely tolerate it there anyway, and environmentalists who don’t want to see the area altered anymore than it is. Dredge up the fact that sculptor was a well- known Klan sympathizer and ol’ Jesse and Al will be up there to shut it down, too.
Also – Americans in the 1920s were more supportive and accepting of great public works to honor their leaders than they are now.
The theory was that the four Presidents to be honored gave a spectrum of the country’s values: Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and bought the Louisiana Purchase (in the northern extremity of which Mount Rushmore is located); Washington, who won the Revolutionary War and set the precedent for how a President should act; Lincoln, who kept the Union together in the Civil War and redefined what freedom means; and Teddy Roosevelt, who made us a world power and established the Progressive philosophy that was the principle on which both major parties acted in the early 20th century. Don’t forget that TR was a war hero and respected as an elder statesman after his Presidency either.
Teddy was also about as popular as it gets; he was a bigger, badder version of Kennedy. This man founded his own party on a whim and took in 30% of the vote (he also probably split the Republican ticket of the day when he could have had the nomination). He was gutsy, brash, and above all, successful.
If you want funding, choose whoever is popular at the time.
Cecil Adams on Why is Teddy Roosevelt commemorated on Mt. Rushmore. Nothing in there on any controversy, but it echoes some of the comments here on why it may not have been that controversial. Still, I imagine there must have been someone of prominence who had been an enemy of Roosevelt at the time who said “WTF.” But maybe not, as Cecil says, imagine someone raising a “WTF” about honoring Kennedy two decades after his death – even if one were inclined to do it one might judge that the political cost would be too high.
That was, of course, John Corrado, pretending to be Cecil. :eek:
Doh! And me a SDSAB guy myself. Guess that disqualifies me from any future Mt. Cecilmore. :smack: