Column in center “Liberty” and Eagle on front, flame at top. Washington to left proper left arm raised, right hand is clasping proper right of Lincoln who stands to right with scroll in his right hand.
Less than 100 years after George Washington fought bravely for an independent nation, the fabric of the United States was threatened by Southern succession and the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln stated that the most important role he played in resolving the conflict between the North and South was to rescue the Union. After the Civil War, Lincoln was celebrated as the nation’s redeemer. In this image, Lincoln and Washington are portrayed as the great heroes of the United States. Lincoln holds a scroll, probably the Emancipation Proclamation, and he and Washington are shown standing in front of the eternal flame of liberty. Washington, the shorter of the two, is portrayed slightly taller than Lincoln, indicating his elevated position in the history of the nation.
