Could a new president ever be carved into Mount Rushmore? It depends on who you ask. We call up historian Matthew Davis (author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore) to learn about the history of the monument and what its future might hold. 

It’s a story with a lot of surprising twists and turns, from the hills of Georgia to the sacred mountains of South Dakota. How does Mount Rushmore reflect America’s battles over who and what America chooses to celebrate?

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why Mount Rushmore was carved, and who originally inspired the project

The forgotten faces and ideas that never made it onto the mountain

How Indigenous history and land rights shape Rushmore’s legacy

Whether a future president could legally (or physically) be added

GUEST: Matthew Davis, author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore