Speech at Lincoln Memorial

I have often visited the Lincoln Memorial as a tour guide and visitor . As I walk into the memorial on the south side is written in stone is the Gettysburg Address. The Gettsyburg Address is 270 words long. President Lincoln took his time writing the speech.He started writing the speech in the White House and finished in Gettysburg.Presidents were not often invited to give speeches in the 1800's. Lincoln was happy he received the invitation . He traveled to Gettysburg by railroad.


On November 19, 1863 President Lincoln gave one of the greatest speeches in American history. The man who spoke before the president was Edward Everett. Mr. Everette he spoke for two hours. Several days after both men spoke Mr. Everette wrote the President on how great the speech was. The speech was later put in newspapers around the nation.

I was at the Lincoln Memorial on Presidents Day when a young man was portraying President Lincoln. I was amazed when he brought the speech to life. I enjoyed the speech very much. The  young man  portaying the former president did a good job except for two mistakes. He did not have a permit to give a speech on the steps of the memorial. Aftter giving the speech at the bottom of the steps he put out a box and asked for money. i really felt that cheapen what he had just done.

Washington DC Tours

A step on guide is a person who gets on a bus to give a tour to people he or she do not know. I am a step on guide. As a step on guide you never know what kind of group you will get. Some groups are great. The great groups usually are people that ask questions , are not talking while I am giving the tour, keep their cell phones vibrate and the bus driver has a good knowledge of where the sights are.The middle of the road group trends to take their time getting off the bus, getting back on the bus late, people not staying with group and the driver do not have a clue how to get anywhere. The worst group is no one seems to be in charge, no discipline with students, adults on school trips talking to their husbands back home or talking to their office about work that they haven't done yet.

Here are some do and don't about group touring.

• Make sure everyone is physically able to take a tour
• Plan your trip (be very detailed)
• Pick the bus company carefully. (if the bus breaks down will they have one to replace it soon. How well does the bus driver know the city you are traveling to . Have the bus driver check the microphone to see if it is working
• Have people make all phone calls before the tour starts.
• Hire a professional tour guide
• Reseach the places you will be visiting.

The don'ts

• Wait in line for tickets for the Washington Monument (get them online)
• If you have a group of students do not go to the National Archives at 10am (wait later )
• Wait line for a tour of the Capital (try to get your Senator or Congressman to get you a tour)
• If you do not like crowds do not come to DC in the spring

Washington is a great place to visit with a group.

Lincoln Memorial

As I was giving a group of young students from New York city a tour of the Lincoln Memorial I realized they had very little interest in what they were seeing or what history had taken place there. One of the most important speeches in American history was made on the steps of a memorial to a man who keep the union together. The step on which the speech was given is engraed in the mable steps. As the group stood over the engraving it seem to me most of the students had little excitement at what they were looking at.
We walked up a few more stairs weaving between the 36 colums each 44 feet high. As the group walked into the chamber they saw the 19 foot statue of our 16th president. Lincoln statue has the american flag drapped over the the left side of the chair Lincoln is sitting in.

As the group faced the southern wall of the chamber the students had an opportunity to read one of the greatest 100 speeches in American history, the Gettysburgh Address. Above the speech the group noticed the Mural of Truth. The Mural of Truth on the southern wall depicts the freeing of the slaves by President Lincoln. On the northern wall written in stone Lincoln's second inaraugal address plus the Mural of Angels of truth. The second inaraugal address has been high rated as one of the best speeches in American history