Americans need to respect the monuments of our nation
After years of being covered in graffiti, overrun by homeless camps and reeking of drugs and human excrement, Columbus Circle at Union Station in Washington, D.C., is finally glistening again after…
After years of being covered in graffiti, overrun by homeless camps and reeking of drugs and human excrement, Columbus Circle at Union Station in Washington, D.C., is finally glistening again after 18 years of neglect.
“Every day it felt like I was walking among ruins of a once-great people,” Connor Brown said in an X post that featured the run-down statue in 2024. “The change today is undeniable. The area is safer than it has been in years and our statues have been brought back to life.”
The Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force launched in March 2025 to restore fountains, parks and statues in D.C. in preparation for the America 250 celebrations this summer.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum spoke at the statue’s official reopening, reminding Americans that decline is a choice.
“This grand entrance to the Capitol was a symbol of neglect rather than one of inspiration,” Burgum said. “President Trump understands something important, which is that great countries build great things.”
Including Columbus Circle, the task force has cleaned more than 500 instances of graffiti, removed 153 homeless encampments, restored 22 fountains and cleaned 28 statues, among other work, according to the White House. The Lincoln Memorial pool resealing project is also part of the broader D.C. beautification and maintenance effort the city desperately needs.
Along with the beautification of Washington, the March executive order promised to increase security around the city, ensuring visitors a safe experience.
Most Americans (91%) say a lack of respect and courtesy is growing throughout the country, according to a 2025 study. This sentiment is evident in the growing disrespect for public places and lack of decorum among citizens. Americans value respect as an ideal, but their conduct does not reflect this standard, according to Gallup.
This loss of respect in everyday American life has trickled down so that it now affects not only how people interact with each other but also how they treat the world around them. The logic follows: If Americans have become strictly self-interested, then showing respect to the people and places around them will not advance their status, so it becomes unimportant. The neglect of the parks and monuments in our nation’s capital demonstrates this loss of virtue and the need for renewal, a call the Trump administration is answering.
Trump’s restoration initiative awakens Americans to the importance of preservation. In this year of our nation’s 250th birthday, the words of America the Beautiful remind Americans what makes our homeland worth preserving and respecting.
From the “spacious skies,” “amber waves of grain” and “purple mountain majesties” that make this place our home, the song asks that God forgive our flaws and “confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!” May the beauty of these renewed monuments prompt self-control and reignite American respect for the nation we live in and the people around us.
(Image credit: Smash the Iron Cage/Wikimedia Commons)
