Who establishes national monuments?

National monuments can either be established by Congress though legislation or by the president of the United States through the use of the Antiquities Act.



In the United States, national monuments are primarily established by the President using the authority granted by the Antiquities Act of 1906. This law allows the President to protect "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" on federal land by proclamation. While Congress also has the power to create national monuments through legislation, the presidential route is much faster and more common; since Theodore Roosevelt first used it for Devils Tower, nearly every president has utilized this power. In 2026, these designations remain a key tool for conservation, allowing for the immediate protection of large landscapes or cultural sites (like the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument) without the lengthy political debates required for a full "National Park" designation.

People Also Ask

As an introduction, 127 National Monuments have been designated by Presidents since the Antiquities Act of 1906. Fifteen Presidents have designated National Monuments. Presidents Nixon, Reagan, and George H.W. Bush are the only Presidents who have not created National Monuments.

MORE DETAILS

A: The Antiquities Act is a law that allows the president of the United States to designate naturally, culturally and historically significant lands as national monuments. Sixteen out of the last 18 presidents have used the law since its enactment in 1906.

MORE DETAILS

The Antiquities Act established that preservation of archeological and historical sites on public lands is in the federal government's purview and in the public's interest.

MORE DETAILS

In the United States, a national monument is a protected area that can be created from any land owned or controlled by the federal government by proclamation of the president of the United States or an act of Congress.

MORE DETAILS

National monuments can either be established by Congress though legislation or by the president of the United States through the use of the Antiquities Act.

MORE DETAILS

The Antiquities Act of 1906 is one of our nation's most important conservation tools. Used to safeguard and preserve federal lands and cultural and historical sites for all Americans to enjoy, 18 presidents have used this authority and have designated 161 national monuments.

MORE DETAILS

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was designated as a National Monument in 1924.

MORE DETAILS

The principal qualities considered in studying areas for park purposes are their inspirational, educational, and recreational values. National monuments, on the other hand, are areas reserved by the National Government because they contain objects of historic, prehistoric, or scientific interest.

MORE DETAILS

Issues have related to the size of the areas and types of resources protected, the inclusion of non-federal lands within monument boundaries, restrictions on land uses, and the manner in which the monuments were created.

MORE DETAILS

Iconic locations like Yosemite and Yellowstone attract visitors from all over the world, but our public lands are so much more than just the big 61 national parks. They're also scenic rivers, national marine monuments, national battlefields and wildernesses.

MORE DETAILS

He designated it a national monument in 1908. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson made Grand Canyon a national park to protect the land and the resources within it, managed by the National Park Service. The United Nations declared the park a World Heritage Site in 1979.

MORE DETAILS

National monuments are located in 32 states, Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Minor Outlying Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Arizona has the most national monuments, with 19, followed by California with 18 and New Mexico with 13.

MORE DETAILS

Devils Tower was designated as America's first national monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.

MORE DETAILS

President Barack Obama created or expanded 34 national monuments by proclamation, the most of any president, with over half a billion acres of public land and water protected.

MORE DETAILS

This was followed by the formation of the National Park Service in 1916. As of January 2021, there are 130 National Monuments that are managed by various federal agencies. From New York's Statue of Liberty to California's Muir Woods, these monuments are as diverse as they are beautiful.

MORE DETAILS