The National Mall Memorial Parks | Washington, DC

These words by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ushered the United States into World War II and defined what it is to be an American. Stop by this secluded memorial and begin to understand the Roosevelt legacy.

Author of the Declaration of Independence, statesman and visionary for the founding of a nation. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

At the Korean War Veterans Memorial, "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met."

"...as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Beneath these words, the 16th president of the United States sits immortalized in marble as an enduring symbol of unity, strength, and wisdom.

At the intersection of 17th Street and Independence Avenue SW stands an overlooked statue of John Paul Jones, the most recognized naval hero of the American Revolution. Some also regard Jones as the father of the United States Navy.

The George Mason Memorial, located in East Potomac Park near the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, commemorates the neglected contributions of an important Founding Father. George Mason was the author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which served as an inspiration to Thomas Jefferson while drafting the Declaration of Independence. Mason later served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. Mason also withheld his signature from the United States Constitution because it did not abolish the slave trade and felt it lacked necessary protection for the individual from the federal government.

Located in downtown Washington, DC, the memorial honors Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and the struggle for freedom, equality, and justice. A prominent leader in the modern civil rights movement, Dr. King was a tireless advocate for racial equality, working class, and the oppressed around the world.

Honoring the men and women who served in the controversial Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial chronologically lists the names of 58,318 Americans who gave their lives in service to their country.

Through stone architecture and bronze sculptures, the World War II Memorial recognizes the ways Americans served, honors those who fell, and recognizes the victory they achieved to restore freedom and end tyranny around the globe.