|
Washington, D.C. -- Today, the House passed S. 203, the National Heritage Areas Act of 2005, which would designate the Crossroads of the American Revolution in New Jersey as a National Heritage Area. A previous bill, the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Act, was first introduced in the House by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) in the 107th Congress, and later in the Senate, where it subsequently passed.
“The American war of Independence was contested more in New Jersey than any other region,” said Holt. “Although not every important battle was fought here, there were more military engagements than in any other state, and Washington’s crossing the Delaware to fight in Trenton and Princeton were two of the most important battles in American and world history. In New Jersey, families and towns were divided in their loyalties and the anguish, courage, intrigue, and sacrifice of the war was part of the life of every community.”
"As I have said since I started this effort five years ago, New Jersey quite literally was the crossroads of America's Revolutionary War. New Jersey represented a turning point in the Revolution, too, as America's struggle for Independence was nearly lost, but fortunately saved here. More Revolutionary War battles were engaged in New Jersey than in any other state, nearly 300, and it is high time our state receives the recognition it deserves," Frelinghuysen said.
The Heritage Area would be based at Morristown National Historical Park and in Trenton. In 2000, Frelinghuysen and Holt directed the National Park Service to conduct a feasibility study on the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area. The plan will link New Jersey's Revolutionary War national, state and municipal historic sites and parks from Bergen and Passaic in the north, through Morris and Somerset, to Camden and Gloucester counties in the south.
National Heritage Areas have a very positive impact on the regions within its boundaries. Heritage Areas provide educational benefits, a boost to historic preservation, economic advantages through tourism, and even opportunities to protect more open space.
### |
|
