It took me quite a while to figure out what I was going to do for this project however, I eventually decided that I was going to reimagine and remix Mount Rushmore. I knew that I wanted my project to critique the lack of presence and common knowledge of women in American history, especially women from underrepresented groups. As someone who identifies as female with a minority heritage, and deeply loves history, I have continually found it extremely problematic how inadequately the achievements of women are taught or mentioned in American history. Society has long overlooked the significant contributions women have made to society, instead, society continues to focus on the same select group of men (commonly white men). I felt that the most impactful way I could make this statement would be to replace the presidents’ faces depicted on Mount Rushmore with the faces of impactful women who were alive at the same time. I spent time researching whom I would include on my remixed Mount Rushmore and selected four individuals that I feel made noteworthy contributions to society but were overlooked because of their sex and gender, and when applicable, their race. My main goal of my remixed Mount Rushmore is to have viewers of my project reconsider who Mount Rushmore is representative of and who would be represented on their remix of Mount Rushmore. In addition, by choosing Mount Rushmore, a very recognizable national monument, I want to challenge people to think about what monuments mean both historically and in a current historical context and the tensions that develop and exist when monuments are viewed through a modern lens.
This project employs critique as I directly call attention to the disturbing truth that society continues to undervalue women and their importance while heralding the same men over and over. Judith Sargent Murray replaces George Washington’s face. Judith Murray Sargent was an essayist and author who achieved acclaim in the immediate post-revolutionary period in the United States, a remarkable achievement in itself. However, her unwavering critique of American Society’s acceptance of unequal gender roles was undoubtedly pioneering, progressive, and at the vanguard of thought, preceding the Seneca Falls Convention by nearly 60 years. Murray wrote one of the earliest feminist essays titled “On the Equality of the Sexes”. She staunchly believed that women deserve equal rights to men, namely access to education and the ability to be economically independent. Murray argued that if the new nation’s success demands intelligent members of society, and the responsibility to educate these men falls to the mothers at home, then by extension of logic, women should also be educated.
Thomas Jefferson was replaced by Mary Katharine Goddard. Goddard was a postmaster and publisher. Most notably she was the second person to print the Declaration of Independence and the Baltimore postmaster. Her copy of the Declaration of Independence was commissioned by Congress and was the first version to include all of the names of the signatories. In addition, she printed her name on the bottom to cement the landmark moment in history, of a woman’s involvement in the formation of the country. For a woman to be commissioned to print the Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States, yet not have basic rights for hundreds of years, is a fitting representation of how women were regarded by society. Goddard was the first female Postmaster in the United Colonies (the predecessor to the United States). Goddard was a devoted patriot, as postmaster during the American Revolution she would pay the post riders with her savings to help maintain open communication lines, which was a vital element in defeating the British. In 1789, Goddard was removed from her position by the Postmaster General, he reasoned that the job required a significant amount of travel which was more than a woman could tolerate. This decision was met with intense outrage by the community, with more than 200 Baltimore citizens and the Maryland Governor signing a petition to the United States Senate. Goddard’s removal from her position was and continues to be a sexist injustice, unfortunately, it remains common for women to face prejudice in the workplace and experience situations similar to that of Goddard.
In place of Theodore Roosevelt’s face, I used the face of Jane C. Wright. She graduated from Smith College in 1942 and then attended New York Medical College. She graduated with honors in 1945. Wright was a pioneer in the field of clinical oncology specifically, she was a trailblazer in the field of chemotherapy. Alongside her father, she conducted revolutionary research on chemotherapy as a treatment for cancer which widened the accessibility of what was at the time a novel treatment. As a result of her groundbreaking work, Wright has saved millions of lives. Of the seven founding members of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, Wright was not only the only woman but also, the only African American. Among her many impressive honors, she was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to the President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke. Additionally, at a time when there were extremely few female African American physicians, Wright was the Director of Cancer Chemotherapy Research at New York University Medical Center.
Finally, Harriet Tubman’s face replaces Abraham Lincoln’s. Harriet Tubman is the most well known woman I included in this project, yet her impact on the country can never be overstated. After escaping slavery herself, Tubman helped an estimated 70 people enslaved people to freedom using the Underground Railroad. Her actions were not just limited to freeing enslaved people, Tubman also assisted the Union Army on many occasions throughout the Civil War by providing vital nursing care, leadership, and intelligence information regarding terrain and travel routes.
When remixing something, one must consider each aspect and determine which details will remain the same and which will be changed to best convey the intended message. Remixing something provides the opportunity to comment on a creation and reflect on a work that has already been shared. Each aspect of a remix is intentional and specifically chosen to communicate the creator’s message. Furthermore, critique is frequently present in remixes as each edit signifies something that might not have been considered in the original work or was portrayed incorrectly. In my remix, I employed my female identity and mixed race identity to guide what message I wanted to convey in my project. While identity can be an extremely divisive thing, it also can be key to having your work relate to others or expand people’s concept of a work. Above all, my project critiques the inadequate acknowledgment of women in American history. There were numerous other aspects of my identity or intellectual interests that I could have incorporated into the remix. However, by intentionally omitting parts of my identity in my remix, I aim to enable viewers to connect with the remix in individual ways and reflect on how their identity is or is not represented in both the original and remixed works.
Links to sources where I received the images:
Mount Rushmore: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/09/20/democracy-discomfort-and-hypocrisy-mount-rushmore-potent-mix/
Jane C. Wright: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/health/jane-c-wright-pioneering-oncologist-dies-at-93.html
Harriet Tubman: https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2006.86
Mary Kathrine Goddard: https://sites.psu.edu/entrepreneurshiplaw/2021/03/18/entrepreneur-from-history-mary-katherine-goddard-publisher-postmaster-and-bookseller/
Judith Sargent Murray: https://www.sargenthouse.org/judithsargent