Monument Maker:Daniel Chester French and the Lincoln Memorial

History shapes our lives. And what we do with our lives can shape history. That’s how it was with Daniel Chester French…
When Abraham Lincoln was shot to death in 1865, fifteen-year-old Dan French had no way to know that one day his tribute to the great president would transform a Washington, DC marsh into a national gathering place. He only knew that he liked making things with his hands.
People thought Dan would study law like his father and grandfather, but Dan wasn’t meant to do that. One spring morning he idly carved a turnip into a frog and discovered what he was meant to do. Monument Maker captures the joy and determination with which Dan taught himself to sculpt and created the famous Minuteman statue in his hometown of Concord, Massachusetts.
This is also the story of the Lincoln Memorial. Thanks to Dan’s lovingly sculpted masterpiece, Abraham Lincoln lives on as the man of marble, his craggy face and careworn gaze reminding millions of seekers what America can be. Dan’s statue is no lifeless figure, but a powerful, vital touchstone for a nation’s ideals. Monument Maker brings history to life.