December 1995
An Evening at the Jefferson Memorial:
The gala opening of the 1996 LP National Convention
Over a year ago, the organizers of the 1996 Libertarian Party National Convention conceived of the idea of using the Jefferson Memorial as the site of the opening ceremonies of their convention.
It took a number of meetings with the National Park Service and a number of experiences filing legal applications and permits, but the evening of July 3, 1996, will see hundreds of libertarians assembling on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial to take part in a historic celebration of individual liberty in song and words as the 1996 LP Presidential Nominating Convention opens.
The program will consist of two hours of music and quotations delivered by major activists in the Libertarian movement over the past 30 years, including a number of surprise appearances. The music will span a wide time period and stress themes of individual liberty.
The Jefferson Memorial is perhaps the only monument in Washington, DC, fitting for such an occasion. Thomas Jefferson asked that any monument erected to him face the White House so that he could watch to see if its occupant were holding true to the principles of the nation. Libertarians will, that night, share the grief that his spirit must feel, seeing what has happened to that wish.
Jefferson, who authored the Declaration of Independence and pioneered the principles of individual liberty and the right to revolution, would be honored for the Libertarians to share his memorial that evening.
Tour trolleys will transport convention attendees to the Memorial after dinner on Wednesday evening and bring them back to the hotel at the end of the program. Participants will be seated on the Memorial steps facing the tidal lake overlooking the White House and the Washington Monument grounds. Together, that evening, Libertarians will rededicate themselves to the task of restoring liberty to this nation.
