The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC stands as a tribute to the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, who carried the nation through the American Civil War and passed the abolition of slavery. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. While there were plans to build a memorial for the 16th President as early as 1867, Lincoln Memorial opened to the public in 1922. The memorial was created by architect Henry Bacon who modeled the building off of the Parthenon in Greece, the birthplace of democracy. The 36 Doric columns, representing the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's assassination flank the building, which is also covered with friezes and relief sculptures. The central space is dominated by the seated statue of Lincoln, carved by the Piccirilli brothers and Daniel Chester French. The north and south rooms contain inscriptions from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address and his Gettysburg Address as well as two murals painted by Jules Guerin. The steps at the Lincoln memorial as well as the path leading up to the Reflecting Pool has been witness to monumental moments in American History including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's 'I Have a Dream' speech. The memorial aligns along an axis with the other buildings on the National Mall.