Information Panels: A Symbol of Union, A Symbol of Reconciliation

Information Panels: A Symbol of Union, A Symbol of Reconciliation

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

A Symbol of Union

"Before us is the broad and beautiful river, separating two of the original thirteen States, which a late President [Andres Jackson]...desired to span with arches of ever-enduring granite, symbolical of the firmly established union of the North and the South."

Secretary of State Daniel Webster, 1851

Although a bridge at this location had been proposed since the time of Andrew Jackson in the 1830s, it was not until 1932 that Arlington Memorial Bridge was completed.

Arlington Memorial Bridge is more than just a bridge - "Memorial" is its middle name. The bridge was envisioned as both a physical and symbolic bridge between the northern and southern factions that fought so bitterly during the American Civil War.

The Potomac River divided the Northern states and Southern states during that bloody struggle between 1861 and 1865. The bridge exhibits the enduring strength of the American Union - joining the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial. It stands as a memorial to the final triumph of the idea of a permanent and complete Union.

A Symbol of Reconciliation

On one side of Arlington Memorial Bridge stands the columned portico of Arlington House, the pre-Civil War home of Robert E. Lee. In that home, Lee made his decision to resign his US Army commission. He became the commanding general of Confederate forces and nearly succeeded in permanently breaking the American Union.

On the other side is the Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the sixteenth president of the United States who led the American public through four years of war and ultimately preserved the Union. Despite the anger and bitterness of many Americans, North and South rejoined and the re-United States would go on to become a world power.

This bridge was built to serve as a symbol of national reconciliation that occurred after the bloodshed and tragedy of civil war. Today, it is a national memorial to valor and sacrifice, connecting the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall with the Robert E. Lee Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.