Detective’s Oath:
I will move quietly around the Capitol Square and use my eyes to search the facts and clues. Since all of my questions will be answered from the walkways, I will not walk on the plantings around the monuments nor climb the monuments.
Your Mission:
The year is 2200. You have traveled back in time and are now in the year 1992. You know that it’s the bicentennial year for the capitol of the state, Raleigh, North Carolina. You also know that bicentennial means 200 and you are curious about the state’s first 200 years. If you can answer the following questions, you can find out a lot about the history of the state and better understand the people of this time period. By looking around you figure out the following: The large building that is in the middle of the square looks different from the other box-like buildings that are crowded together across the streets. You gather that because it is set apart and has a lot of land surrounding it, it must be very important. You notice that the walkways lead you by statues and monuments. They have been well cared for so you know they, also, are special.
Investigation:
As you walk around the grounds, use your investigative tools to answer the following questions about the monuments. Work with your group leader (chaperone) and group members to quietly find the answers about this unusual place! Be sure to alternate taking pictures of each monument with your group camera.
Ideas for sharing:
When you return to school, have students work with their groups to present posters on the monuments they found. You could also prepare a whole class PowerPoint presentation with each group inserting a digital picture and facts about the monument they researched. You could even assign each group a monument or two to focus on while on the trip to ensure you have them all.
Source: Raleigh: The First 200 Years by Candy Lee Metz Beal, 1992
Quiz:
Monument #1: Presidents North Carolina Gave the Nation
- What does the sign at the very bottom of the front of the monument say?
- Who are the main figures on this monument?
- Notice what is written under Polk and Johnson. How do you connect what they're holding with the inscription?
- Look at the figure of Andrew Jackson and figure out how you would know he was an outdoors type of person.
- What's on the back of the monument facing the Capitol?
Monument #2: Charles Duncan McIver (1860-1906)
- For what one thing was this man known? Is there any clue on the figure to help you answer the question?
- Did he live a long life? How old was he when he died?
- Who paid for the statue?
- Read the inscription and think about what the 2 parts mean. What do you think is meant by the "not rocks and rivers and imaginary boundary lines--make a state"?
- "...and the state is great just in proportion as its people are educated." What does this mean?
Monument #3: Zebulon Baird Vance (1830-1894)
- Read the inscriptions on the monument. Except in the word Vance what letter doesn't read as we would expect it to? What letter has been put in its place?
- Carefully study the statue. Was this man a patriot? How do you know?
- Vance names 3 extras that North Carolina gave to the Confederacy. What
were they?
- Notice that the inscription says that the "country turns toward her young men." How might you reword it to reflect the way things are moving today?
- When did Vance die? When was the statue done? Does this tell you anything about the way the people felt about him?
Monument #4: George Washington (1732-1799)
- If you have been inside the Capitol Building and seen the Canova Statue of George Washington you can make an interesting comparison between this statue and the one inside. In what one way are they alike? How do they differ?
- Is there anything about the way this statue is sited that suggests this is an especially important person?
- Notice Washington's clothing. Compare his statesman's attire to the way an American political leader of today dresses? How do they differ?
- George Washington was also a military general. Do you think he dressed like this when he led his men into battle?
- When and where were the cannon made? In what war would they have been used?
Monument #5: Charles Brantley Aycock (1859-1912)
- Who sculpted this statue? You may not know this, but his work also includes the carvings on Mount Rushmore. How do you think working on this figure and on the faces on Mount Rushmore might differ? Do you know of any other scenes that are carved on the sides of mountains? Name them.
- What do you think Governor Aycock's administration was known for? What clues did you use to figure that out?
- How is Governor Aycock's clothing different from the outside figure of George Washington? From the Canova Statute?
- Notice the whole monument. Does its shape match any other monument on Capitol Square?
- Was Aycock born before or after the Civil War? Did he die before or after
World War I?
Monument #6: Women of the Confederacy
- What do the bronze pictures on the sides of the monument say to you? Use your best detective work here! BIG CLUE: What kind of feeling do you get when you look at each of them?
- What was the Confederacy? What war involved the Confederacy? What role do you think the women played? Were they important?
- Notice the woman's face. What do you think she is thinking about? What kind of book do you think she might be holding in her left hand?
- Notice the boy. Who do you think he is? What is he holding? What do you think he is thinking?
- What kind of feeling and message does this monument give you? Why do you feel that way?
Monument #7: Wildcat Division Memorial
- The Army's 81st Division was nicknamed the "Wildcat Division." What does this tell you about the type of fighters they were?
- Why doesn't the marker tell if this was World War I or World War II?
- This marker was dedicated as "an inspiration from the past and a warning to the future." What does that mean? Did we heed the warning? Why or why not?
- How is this monument different from most of the others?
Monument #8: Worth Bagley, Ensign, U.S. Navy (1874-1898)
- It doesn't say, but what war do you think this statue represents? Are there any clues that might help you figure it out? BIG CLUE: Where did he die? What branch of the service was he in? That's a Spanish naval deck gun mounted nearby.
- Study the seal on the front of the monument. Describe it. What kind of power could have been used to make the ship move?
- How old was Worth when he died? Why was his likeness picked for the monument?
Monument #9: Confederate Monument
- Notice the placement of this statue. No other statue on the grounds has such a main street leading right up to a monument. What does this tell you about the importance of the statue?
- Notice the figures. Try to figure out the types of fighting each did. What clues did you use to get your answers?
- What do you think "First at Bethel, Last at Appomattax" means? Is it something for which to be proud? Why or why not?
- Compare the two seals on the monument. What do they represent?
- Try to replicate on your piece of paper the CSA logo found on the Hillsborough Street side of the monument.
Monument #10: Samuel A’Court Ashe (1840-1938)
- Samuel Ashe had the distinction of being a "last." What "last" was he?
- Why is it too bad that the monument was unveiled in 1940?
Monument #11: Henry Lawson Wyatt (1842-1861)
- Who sculpted this statue? What other statue did he do? BIG HINT: Mount Rushmore and ?
- Henry was unfortunately a "first." What "first" was he?
- How old was he when he died?
Monument #12: Old Hickory Highway Marker
- What street does this marker face?
- What building is across from the marker?
- This marker commemorates North Carolina soldiers of the US Army's 30th ("Old Hickory") Division, who fought and died to break the Hindenburg Line in France during World War I. "Old Hickory" was also the nickname of one of our Presidents. Which one? BIG HINT: He's on horseback on Capitol Square.
- Here's another monument that says "The World War." Which other monument said that?
Monument #13: Vietname Memorial Statute
- Why do you think the soldiers are looking up? Do you sense that they are
in danger?
- What do you like about this monument?
- Notice the sock hanging from the soldier's belt. What do you think is in it?
- List 5 details that make this monument come alive for you.
- How is this monument different from the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.?
Monument #14: Monument honoring those who fought in World War I, World War II, and Korea
- What were the dates of the three conflicts?
- What branches of the service are honored?
- What part of this monument do you like best? How might you have designed
it differently if you were given the job?
- Does this monument recognize the women that participated in these wars?
How do you know?
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