Answered
Why are the fasces on the Lincoln Memorial statue not depicted with axes?
The axes were taken out of the fasces whenever fasces were brought into the city of Rome, as a symbol that the rights of the citizens were superior to the authority of t…he state. Presumably, then, the absence of the axes symbolizes that Lincoln upheld the rights of citizens over the authority of the state, i.e., the emancipation of slaves. (MORE)
