May 5th - FDR Memorial by Day

Franklin Delanor Roosevelt Memorial

Excerpt from the NPS brochure from the Memorial:

"In his 1941 State of the Union address, as the nation prepared for World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt spelled out "Four Freedoms" as a reminder of why Americans were fighting. From the days of his first presidential campaign during the depths of the Great Depression, Roosevelt spoke directly to the people. "I pledge you, I pledge myself," he said in his 1932 acceptance speech, "to a new deal for the American people." Four years later he proclaimed that "this generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." As president from 1933-1945, he addressed the American people by radio in what came to be known as fireside chats. Each idea, each phrase was underscored by courage and optimism that inspired no less in the people he served.

Long after Roosevelt's death his own words call out from the walls of his memorial as though he were somehow present. Those who know FDR only as a historical figure will recognize these words by their association with great and catastrophic events. For those who lived through the Roosevelt era, the words recall 12 years of personal struggles and triumphs."

On the May 4th page of the blog, I have given more details of the FDR Monument.

This statue represents the men who stood in line during the Great Depression. Lines for work, lines for food, lines for handouts.... it was a desperate time for family men, and that desperation is graphically portrayed here.
This scene depicts a man listening to his radio and one of FDR's fireside chats.

Time for a little "sit-me-down".
Some of the cherry trees along the Tidal Basin, just down from the FDR Memorial. The ones below are some of the original trees donated as a gift of friendship to the United States from the people of Japan in 1912. In Japan the flowering cherry tree or "Sakura", as it is called by the Japanese people, is one of the most exalted flowering plants. The beauty of the cherry blossom is a potent symbol equated with evanescence of human life and epitomizes the transformations Japanese Culture has undergone through the ages.

In total, Japan donated over 5,000 cherry trees to Washington. The first 2,000 trees had to be destroyed due to an infestation. Japan then sent a further 3,020 trees which were planted around the Tidal Pool and in other locations in Washington.
March 27, 1912: First Lady Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted the first two cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin, about 125 feet south of what is now Independence Avenue, SW. The first two trees planted were Yoshino cherry trees. At the conclusion of the ceremony, First Lady Taft presented a bouquet of "American Beauty" roses to Viscountess Chinda. Washington's renowned Cherry Blossom Festival had its inception in this simple ceremony, witnessed by only a few persons. These two original trees are still standing today several hundred yards west of the John Paul Jones statue at the south end of 17th Street. Located at the bases of the trees are large bronze plaques which commemorate the occasion.
For full details on the history of the famous Washington Cherry Trees, there is a wonderful page on the NPS website dedicated to the story of the trees.
http://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/cherry-blossom-history.htm