"It is my hope that The American will be a tribute to the courage and resolve of the American people and a symbol of a nation unified."
Shan Gray Artist & Designer of The American
Gray's depiction of the Indian and eagle is meant to symbolize boldness, strength, courage, endurance, and triumph. The youthful brave is symbolic of America, still a young country. The eagle represents the American Ideal. The wind that blows the brave's hair symbolizes the adversity that Americans have overcome. Together, the two figures also suggest acceptance between man and nature as they yield to each other.
On a higher level, the Indian represents the diverse cultures of the American people, a people who have faced hardship and peril with the hope that comes from the freedom offered to those making their homes on our shores. The monument will face East toward the rising sun, symbolizing the coming of a new day with its challenges and opportunities for new beginnings.
