[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8471-8472]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE 110TH CELEBRATION OF THE ANTIQUITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 9, 2016

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize and 
celebrate the 110th anniversary of the Antiquities Act this week. The 
National Antiquities Act was signed into law by President Theodore 
Roosevelt on June 8, 1906. This legislation serves as a historic 
cornerstone in conservation, allowing our presidents to protect public 
lands with national or notable importance by designating national parks 
and monuments.
  The Antiquities Act remains a critical tool in preserving our 
American history and in educating our American and foreign visitors 
about the American experience. These parks preserve our nation's 
landscapes that reflect the diverse beauty of our country--such as 
Katmai National Monument in Alaska, Grand Teton National Park in 
Wyoming, the Petrified Forest in Arizona, Papahanaumokuakea Marine 
National Monument in Hawaii, Mojave Trails in California, Marianas 
Trench Marine National Monument in the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
Grand Sequoia National Monument in California. These parks reflect the 
history of people who called our land home--such as the Aztec Ruins in 
New Mexico, Russell Cave in Alabama, the Gila Cliff Dwellings in New 
Mexico, the Navajo National Monument in Arizona, and Ellis Island in 
New York.
  Further, these parks reflect the history of our nation's birth, 
struggles, and growth as well as citizens who played key roles in these 
efforts--such as Fort McHenry in Maryland, Castle Clinton National 
Monument in New York, Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana, Fort 
Sumter in South Carolina, Appomattox Court House in Virginia, Booker T. 
Washington National Monument in Virginia, George Washington Carver 
National Monument in Missouri, the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality 
National Monument, and the World War II Valor in the Pacific National 
Monument in Hawaii, Alaska, and California. The importance of our lands 
and monuments is well documented in our American culture--in songs that 
praise ``our redwood forests'' or our ``purple mountain majesties,'' 
music that captures the emotion of the Grand Canyon, and images of the 
Statue of Liberty that move our spirits and evoke our patriotism.
  In my home City of Chicago rests the Pullman National Monument and 
Historic District that honors the 1894 factory strikes and their role 
in our nation's labor and civil rights movements. The Pullman District 
reflects the long history that the City of Chicago has with the birth 
of the Union Movement. I am proud to represent ``Teamsters Row'' in 
Chicago, the home of this important national labor union that champions 
the rights of workers.
  In closing, I am pleased to recognize the 110th anniversary of the 
Antiquities Act and honor the substantial impact the Act has made in 
the preservation of our national and cultural history and environmental 
treasures.

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