'Smithsonian: America's Greatest Monuments'
(DVD / PG / 2018 / PBS)
Overview: How much do we really know about America's greatest monuments? From war memorials, to monuments honoring America's founding fathers, to Arlington's eternal flame, these soaring tributes in stone, steel, soil, and sky have amazing stories to tell.
DVD Verdict: They are studied in school and visited by millions. They are world-renowned symbols of our nation. But they are also shrouded in misinformation, mystery, and mythology.
So, just how much do we really know about America's greatest monuments? From war memorials, to monuments honoring America's founding fathers, to Arlington's eternal flame, these soaring tributes in stone, steel, soil, and sky have amazing stories to tell.
They are a permanent record of our nation's history and our evolution into the world's greatest democracy - a country of the people.
An absolutely stunning and informative, yet far too short at just 46 minutes new PBS / Smithsonian Channel documentary, 'Smithsonian: America's Greatest Monuments' reveals most of what we already knew, sure, but there are also some unrealized (well, to me, at least) tidbit of historical worthiness in here also.
Narrated by Al Chalk, Produced by Lynn Kessler, and written by both Lynn Kessler and Michael Dola, we get to learn more about, amongst others, The Lincoln Memorial. An American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln it is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument.
Also, The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the United States.
Another look into American history is found within The Jefferson Memorial for it's a presidential memorial also located in Washington, D.C., dedicated to Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826); one of the most important of the American Founding Fathers.
The main drafter and writer of the Declaration of Independence, he was also a member of the Continental Congress, governor of the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia, American minister to King Louis XVI, and the Kingdom of France, first U.S. Secretary of State under the first President George Washington, the second Vice President of the United States under second President John Adams, and also the third President (1801–1809); as well as being the founder of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, Virginia. Phew! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.
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