Mount Rushmore, located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, features the carved heads of four of our most famous presidents. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, respectively. Completion of the project finished in 1941 and since then the term, "Mt. Rushmore," can be used in any event to describe the four best people you know. "Who's on your Mt. Rushmore of NBA players?" and the like.
While the construction and occupation of the mountain lives in controversy as the Black Hills are owned by the Lakota people, technically, to this day, a fun game to play would be what honorable non-Presidential American deserves to go on there.
One Reddit user wanted to know who is worth enough to be carved into a mountain when they asked:
"You get to add another American to Mt Rushmore but it can’t be a president. Who do you choose?"
It's the internet, after all. Let's get the "Goofy But Worth A Shot" nominees out of the way first. After all, some of these candidates we can't even see.
Wa Ba Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo, Doo
"There is already a non-president on Mt. Rushmore."
"John Cena."
zoqfotpik
"John Cena? Wtf? But I don’t see—"
"Dammit. Take my upvote."
User Deleted
Makes Total Sense, Until You Think About It
"How is Nicholas cage not here yet."
deus_vult_34
"He stole the declaration of independence"
King_DeandDe
"He's buried under the mountain in a treasure vault that collapsed in on him when he discovered it. There was a documentary about the incident that came out in 2007."
Hologram22
Why Be Stingy? Put Both Versions Up.
" Weird Al."
OntarioLakeside
"Seconding Weird Al."
"One question: with or without mustache?"
MsDucky42
"With. And the UHF era tight curl."
"It’s only right."
Eternaltuesday
The thing about Mt. Rushmore, and it's legacy, is we should be transforming it into something positive to help ease the troubled history it has. Make it a true testament to the American who helped shape us or shaped a generation.
It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood
"Mr Rogers"
PitchforkJoe
"He specifically asked that there not be any statues to honor him. So I doubt he'd appreciate this. It's why I vote Bob Ross instead."
photoguy423
We're So Much More Than War And Death
"Mark Twain. The quintessential American writer."
"We always put up statues of military and politicians across this country. It would be nice to see more of our creative side get honored. Put up Poe on the mountain. Attract goths to the site."
inksmudgedhands
"That’s a damn good point."
"I’m an American who emigrated to France a long time ago."
"Just about every city in France has a street named after De Gaulle but also one named after Victor Hugo, the writer. Before the Euro, French franc notes had authors, scientists, painters, composers, etc in addition of course to war heroes and presidents."
"It would be great if we honored them in the US, too."
amerkanische_Frosch
What Do People Outside Of The Country Think?
"Im European and I would put Conan O'Brien on it. He has made me laugh for 20 years. I dont glorify celebrities usually but damm does he deserve it."
Prixm
And then there's these, people who have done beyond anything we could conceive to help advance the moral fabric of America that maybe we should consider carving another entire "Rushmore."
Somewhere else, obviously.
Yay, Vaccines
"Dr. Jonas Salk. Saved us all from polio"
Barefoot_Alvin
"He would represent American science and innovation. I like it."
WellWellWellthennow
"I do love me some Jonas Salk but then you have to get into the whole Sabin vs. Salk thing so I'd favorite Maurice Hilleman instead. 40 vaccines, this guy developed. 40."
"Late edit to add: Sabin and Salk were rivals who both developed excellent polio vaccines I mean. Salk finished first and ran massive trails in the US but Sabin developed the oral vaccine and run massive trials in the Soviet Union. They both were characters who did good science."
gonegonegoneaway211
The Obvious Choice
"MLK"
carlsquidy
"Not sure if you're aware but there's a pretty cool MLK monument in Washington, DC. If you're ever in the area, it's worth checking out."
GenghisTron17
"I came here to write a smart argument, but you came out of the gate with an ACTUAL amazing choice. I’m gonna go crawl back in my troll hole with my tail between my legs."
Tre_Altrix
Never Doubt Her Contributions
"Sacagawea"
bivalve_connoisseur
"This is the most on-theme suggestion so far. The presidents currently in the monument were selected because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. Given Sacagawea's role in exploring the Louisiana purchase, I think she belongs."
CrabbyBlueberry
Build Stronger Children And Let Them See This
"I recently heard someone refer to Frederick Douglass as "the Black Founding Father", so I feel like he'd be an appropriate choice."
"(And, yes, we all know he wasn't a contemporary of the Founding Fathers; the point was he's as important to our history and how the country sees itself, and I'd argue that the America that emerged from the Civil War was as different to the one that came before as the America before and after the Revolutionary War.)"
mikevago
It's important to honor people who have done a great service to their people and their community. Just make sure it's on land that you own and are ethically able to use.
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