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CNN Live Today
National Historic Sites Celebrate Independence Day
Aired July 04, 2003 - 11:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Our Independence Day coverage continues with CNN's Jason Carroll in Philadelphia, Keith Oppenheim in Mount Rushmore, and Kathleen Koch on the Mall in the nation's capital.
And, Jason, let's begin with you, the new museum that is honoring the U.S. Constitution, and a very sizable crowd there. At least outside, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The crowd is building outside. Absolutely.
Inside is what we're talking about. We're inside the only museum of its kind. I'm standing in a place called the drum, and the reason why they call it that is because, if you look up on the glass walls here, the Constitution is written out. All of the articles, all of the amendments there on the glass walls as well surrounding this area here.
They're trying to make this museum as interactive as possible. So there are a lot of things that you can do here. There are a lot of things that you can see here as well. A lot of interesting artifacts.
One, for example, the inkwell that President Lincoln used to write the Emancipation Proclamation. That is here. You can take a look at that and see the story behind that.
In addition to that, how about this, Fredricka? The tools that were used to break into the Watergate Hotel. Those are here as well. You can a look at those.
Also, the ballots that were used in the last presidential election. Whatever you think of that, you can come in, take a look, and get the story behind that as well.
The opening ceremony taking place right now outside. Just a little earlier, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stood up and spoke about the importance of learning all about the Constitution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Knowledge about the ideas embodied in the Constitution and the ways in which it shapes our lives is not passed down from generation to generation through the gene pool. It must be learned anew by each generation.
It's not enough simply to read or even memorize parts of the Constitution. Rather, we should try to understand the ideas that gave it life and that give it strength still today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: A message this 4th of July.
Standing in front of one of the interactive exhibits right now. The museum opens up later this afternoon. In just about an hour from now, they're expecting thousands to come in and enjoy the 4th of July -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Carroll in Philadelphia.
Thanks very much.
Well, these next guys always get a lot of face time on the 4th. In fact, all year round, for that matter. I'm talking about the men on Mount Rushmore. And, among them, our own Keith Oppenheim.
Hi, Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
You know, the more you learn about the history of Mount Rushmore, the more you start to understand how improbable it was that such a project could be completed. But it was. And here it is.
Take a look. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a sculpture of such magnitude with half-a-million tons of granite removed from a mountain. We have several live camera perspectives this morning to give you a visual ride and a sense of appreciation for Mount Rushmore.
And on this 4th of July, we want to tell you a truly American tale, the story of the man who had the vision for what's been called the Shrine of Democracy and the men who helped him create it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just stand here and look at it. You can't imagine what they went through and -- the hardship and the skill and the talent.
OPPENHEIMER (voice-over): Imagine 400 men working over the course of 14 years, men who transformed a little-noticed mountain face into the faces of four great men.
And one man, Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who designed the memorial, was determined to make Mount Rushmore a reality, even through the depths of the Depression.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Borglum was respected. He was feared. He was a task master. It took a man like Borglum to do Mount Rushmore.
OPPENHEIM: The dynamite and dangerous work created images of presidents who, larger than life, represented America in stages -- its founding, its growth, its preservation, it's modern development.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many people don't have this freedom that we have, and these men helped to bring it about.
OPPENHEIM: A view from the top shows even grandeur isn't without vulnerability. Cracks get filled as seismic monitors watch for expansion in the granite.
And as time has passed, Mount Rushmore has become something more, and those who seek it out are not only coming to view it as a work of art.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But they also then begin to think, well, what does it represent to America, and what does it represent to the world? And freedom and democracy is really what it stands for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Since its completion in 1941, a lot of folks have come to see Mount Rushmore. During the last decade, it was an average of 2.7-million visitors per year.
Happy 4th, Fredricka. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: Happy 4th to you, too, Keith. Thanks very much.
Well, thousands of patriots are slowly jamming the nation's capital this morning to claim a perch for tonight's fireworks show and maybe even enjoy a little day side picnicking and enjoying the Mall there.
Let's bring in CNN's Kathleen Koch on the National Mall.
Kathleen, what's going on there right now?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, people are starting to come in. We're seeing people with coolers and blankets, and the smart ones are starting to seek out a very cool spot in the shade because the name of the game when it comes to the 4th of July in Washington, D.C., this year is the heat and, of course, just like last year, the very intense security.
There are 19 checkpoints set up around the Mall, and the entire Mall is fenced off. So, to get on the Mall to see the fireworks, to hear music, you have to pass through the checkpoints. They have some 1,500 local, state, and federal officers in place checking each and every person who comes on to the Mall.
A few minutes ago, we spoke to the chief of the National Park Service Police about some new measures...
(AUDIO GAP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERESA CHAMBERS, U.S. PARK POLICE: ... officers both in plainclothes and uniform outside the perimeter but with a different focus. Last year, our operational plan focused primarily on what was happening here on the National Park Service property itself and on the visitors that are here, and, while that's important and we're still focusing here, we're also looking outward.
We know that, if we're going to keep this venue safe, we have to be looking three, four, five blocks away to see what may be moving towards the crowd and make certain that if it's danger that it doesn't come all the way to the crowd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: There are also security measures that you don't see. There are security measures here on the Mall. In the Lincoln Memorial, on both corners, there are cameras. Also, 14 of them positioned throughout downtown Washington, D.C. So the police can keep a very close eye on anything and everything that's going on.
But, again, something important to keep a close eye on is the intense heat. Now, last year, it hit 98. The heat index was over a hundred. Today, we're expected to hit 95, but, Fredricka, they really don't think that that's going to keep anyone away because they say people, with the soggy spring we've had, are really ready to come out and celebrate.
Back to you.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Celebrate and bring lots of water to try and keep cool somehow or least to rehydrate.
All right. Thanks a lot, Kathleen.
KOCH: You bet.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 4, 2003 - 11:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Our Independence Day coverage continues with CNN's Jason Carroll in Philadelphia, Keith Oppenheim in Mount Rushmore, and Kathleen Koch on the Mall in the nation's capital.
And, Jason, let's begin with you, the new museum that is honoring the U.S. Constitution, and a very sizable crowd there. At least outside, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The crowd is building outside. Absolutely.
Inside is what we're talking about. We're inside the only museum of its kind. I'm standing in a place called the drum, and the reason why they call it that is because, if you look up on the glass walls here, the Constitution is written out. All of the articles, all of the amendments there on the glass walls as well surrounding this area here.
They're trying to make this museum as interactive as possible. So there are a lot of things that you can do here. There are a lot of things that you can see here as well. A lot of interesting artifacts.
One, for example, the inkwell that President Lincoln used to write the Emancipation Proclamation. That is here. You can take a look at that and see the story behind that.
In addition to that, how about this, Fredricka? The tools that were used to break into the Watergate Hotel. Those are here as well. You can a look at those.
Also, the ballots that were used in the last presidential election. Whatever you think of that, you can come in, take a look, and get the story behind that as well.
The opening ceremony taking place right now outside. Just a little earlier, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stood up and spoke about the importance of learning all about the Constitution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: Knowledge about the ideas embodied in the Constitution and the ways in which it shapes our lives is not passed down from generation to generation through the gene pool. It must be learned anew by each generation.
It's not enough simply to read or even memorize parts of the Constitution. Rather, we should try to understand the ideas that gave it life and that give it strength still today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: A message this 4th of July.
Standing in front of one of the interactive exhibits right now. The museum opens up later this afternoon. In just about an hour from now, they're expecting thousands to come in and enjoy the 4th of July -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jason Carroll in Philadelphia.
Thanks very much.
Well, these next guys always get a lot of face time on the 4th. In fact, all year round, for that matter. I'm talking about the men on Mount Rushmore. And, among them, our own Keith Oppenheim.
Hi, Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
You know, the more you learn about the history of Mount Rushmore, the more you start to understand how improbable it was that such a project could be completed. But it was. And here it is.
Take a look. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a sculpture of such magnitude with half-a-million tons of granite removed from a mountain. We have several live camera perspectives this morning to give you a visual ride and a sense of appreciation for Mount Rushmore.
And on this 4th of July, we want to tell you a truly American tale, the story of the man who had the vision for what's been called the Shrine of Democracy and the men who helped him create it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just stand here and look at it. You can't imagine what they went through and -- the hardship and the skill and the talent.
OPPENHEIMER (voice-over): Imagine 400 men working over the course of 14 years, men who transformed a little-noticed mountain face into the faces of four great men.
And one man, Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who designed the memorial, was determined to make Mount Rushmore a reality, even through the depths of the Depression.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Borglum was respected. He was feared. He was a task master. It took a man like Borglum to do Mount Rushmore.
OPPENHEIM: The dynamite and dangerous work created images of presidents who, larger than life, represented America in stages -- its founding, its growth, its preservation, it's modern development.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many people don't have this freedom that we have, and these men helped to bring it about.
OPPENHEIM: A view from the top shows even grandeur isn't without vulnerability. Cracks get filled as seismic monitors watch for expansion in the granite.
And as time has passed, Mount Rushmore has become something more, and those who seek it out are not only coming to view it as a work of art.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But they also then begin to think, well, what does it represent to America, and what does it represent to the world? And freedom and democracy is really what it stands for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Since its completion in 1941, a lot of folks have come to see Mount Rushmore. During the last decade, it was an average of 2.7-million visitors per year.
Happy 4th, Fredricka. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: Happy 4th to you, too, Keith. Thanks very much.
Well, thousands of patriots are slowly jamming the nation's capital this morning to claim a perch for tonight's fireworks show and maybe even enjoy a little day side picnicking and enjoying the Mall there.
Let's bring in CNN's Kathleen Koch on the National Mall.
Kathleen, what's going on there right now?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, people are starting to come in. We're seeing people with coolers and blankets, and the smart ones are starting to seek out a very cool spot in the shade because the name of the game when it comes to the 4th of July in Washington, D.C., this year is the heat and, of course, just like last year, the very intense security.
There are 19 checkpoints set up around the Mall, and the entire Mall is fenced off. So, to get on the Mall to see the fireworks, to hear music, you have to pass through the checkpoints. They have some 1,500 local, state, and federal officers in place checking each and every person who comes on to the Mall.
A few minutes ago, we spoke to the chief of the National Park Service Police about some new measures...
(AUDIO GAP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERESA CHAMBERS, U.S. PARK POLICE: ... officers both in plainclothes and uniform outside the perimeter but with a different focus. Last year, our operational plan focused primarily on what was happening here on the National Park Service property itself and on the visitors that are here, and, while that's important and we're still focusing here, we're also looking outward.
We know that, if we're going to keep this venue safe, we have to be looking three, four, five blocks away to see what may be moving towards the crowd and make certain that if it's danger that it doesn't come all the way to the crowd.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: There are also security measures that you don't see. There are security measures here on the Mall. In the Lincoln Memorial, on both corners, there are cameras. Also, 14 of them positioned throughout downtown Washington, D.C. So the police can keep a very close eye on anything and everything that's going on.
But, again, something important to keep a close eye on is the intense heat. Now, last year, it hit 98. The heat index was over a hundred. Today, we're expected to hit 95, but, Fredricka, they really don't think that that's going to keep anyone away because they say people, with the soggy spring we've had, are really ready to come out and celebrate.
Back to you.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Celebrate and bring lots of water to try and keep cool somehow or least to rehydrate.
All right. Thanks a lot, Kathleen.
KOCH: You bet.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
