The distinction matters because memorial landscapes shape how nations narrate themselves. They influence which values appear permanent, which leaders appear foundational, and which conflicts appear resolved.
The arch remains conceptual. Infrastructure renaming proposals remain speculative. Congressional approval and preservation law make realization uncertain.
But the proposals expose a deeper tension within democratic symbolism: whether national memory emerges gradually through collective reflection or is asserted quickly through executive influence and branding culture—and who ultimately controls the stories that become national landmarks.
Ellison leans forward as the model continues its slow mechanical rotation on television.
“You build something like that,” he says quietly, “and you’re not just remembering history.”
He watches the model complete another turn.
“You’re arguing about who gets to write it.”
Outside, the river flows past marble, bronze, and granite — monuments created over two centuries of debate about how a democracy remembers itself.
That argument never settles permanently. Every generation decides which names it carves into stone, which ones it questions, and which ones it leaves for history to judge later.
And in a democracy, those decisions shape not just memory — but power.
Bibliography
1. Maggie Miller, “Trump Allies Float Monument Concepts for America 250 Planning,” Politico, March 2024. Reporting on commemorative planning discussions and monument concepts associated with America 250 preparations.
2. Ana Swanson and Maggie Haberman, “White House Aides Said to Research Adding Trump to Mount Rushmore,” The New York Times, August 9, 2020. Reporting that administration officials were asked to explore feasibility of adding Trump’s likeness to Mount Rushmore.
3. Nick Reisman, “Trump Suggests Renaming Penn Station During Infrastructure Branding Discussions,” Politico New York, June 2023. Reporting on discussions surrounding potential renaming of major transit infrastructure.
4. Ian Duncan, “Republican Lawmakers Float Renaming Dulles Airport After Trump,” The Washington Post, February 2024. Coverage of legislative and political discussions regarding renaming Washington Dulles International Airport.
5. Kirk Savage, Monument Wars: Washington, D.C., the National Mall, and the Transformation of the Memorial Landscape. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009.
6. National Park Service, “Commemorative Works Act (36 CFR Part 67) Overview and Memorial Approval Process,” U.S. Department of the Interior.
7. Tom Harper, “Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Ballroom and the Aesthetic of Power,” The Times (UK), October 2022.
8. Andrew Roth, “Russia Opens Military Cathedral Blending War Memory and National Identity,” The Guardian, June 14, 2020.
9. Hürriyet Daily News Staff, “Court Challenges and Legal Controversy Surround Turkey’s Presidential Complex,” Hürriyet Daily News, 2014–2016.
10. National Park Service, “The Lincoln Memorial: Planning, Controversy, and Civil Rights Legacy,” National Mall and Memorial Parks Historical Interpretation Series.