Thirty-six columns surround the Lincoln Memorial. What do they represent?

The grand design of the Lincoln Memorial is steeped in symbolism, and its most prominent features are no exception. The 36 massive Doric columns forming the exterior colonnade represent the number of states in the Union at the time of President Lincoln’s death in April 1865. This design choice was deliberate, meant to symbolize the preservation of the nation that was Lincoln's greatest and most difficult achievement. The columns physically enclose the memorial, just as the states form the unified country Lincoln fought to keep whole.

Crucially, this count of 36 includes the states that had seceded to form the Confederacy. By encircling the memorial together, these columns represent a nation fractured by civil war but ultimately reunited, a powerful testament to Lincoln’s core mission. Architect Henry Bacon designed the structure so that the names of these 36 states are inscribed on the frieze directly above the colonnade, forever cementing their place in the restored Union.

The memorial's designers also planned for the future. While the 36 columns honor the Union as it stood in 1865, the names of the 48 states that existed at the time of the memorial's dedication in 1922 are carved on the attic walls above the frieze. A plaque was later added to commemorate the admission of Alaska and Hawaii, completing the representation of the full United States.