Why doesn’t Delaware have a National Park or National

Monument? Kaitlin Corso

Amanda HendricksonEric Hydeman

Caitlin Fitzwater

Historical Overview

Old Faithful; Yellowstone National ParkFrom National Park Service Website

Teddy Roosevelt; From National Park Service Website

Overview Continued…Antiquities Act of 1906Criteria for becoming a National Park or

MonumentDelaware History Recent campaign for National Park in

Delaware

National Park vs. National Monument

Yosemite National Park-CaliforniaFrom: nps.gov

Washington Monument in D.C.http://crapo.senate.gov

Criteria for National Parks and Monuments1. It is an outstanding example of a particular

type of resource.2. Illustrates cultural themes of our Nation’s

heritage.3. It offers superlative opportunities for

recreation for public use and enjoyment, or for scientific study.

4. It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of the resource.

DELAWARE: It’s Good Being First

•First state to ratify Constitution•One of the original 13 Colonies•Relatively small in size

Carper’s ProposalPlan to showcase the themesSet up unlike any other National ParkConsists of a set of “hubs” that link the sitesDesigned to resemble a bicycle

Delaware Senator Tom Carper http://carper.senate.gov

Key Concepts: Teddy Roosevelt: He is considered the Father of

Conservation and strongly believed in conserving our national lands, leading to the signing of the Antiquities Act.

Antiquities Act: This act was signed in 1906 to help preserve "historic landmarks, historic or prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" and became a way for presidents to protect public lands.

Yellowstone: The first national park in the world established in 1872 to protect and preserve national history.

Concepts…National Park System: The National Park System

encompasses the Department of the Interior and administers all national parks/monuments in the United States.

Resources: A key criteria for a site to become a national park or monument is that it must contain a valuable natural resource.

Historical Significance: For a site to be considered a national park or national monument it must have a historical contribution representing our nation’s heritage.

Concepts…First State: Delaware was the first of the original 13

colonies to ratify the United States Constitution, making it the first official state.

Delaware: Delaware has less land capacity which limits its amount of natural resources; reducing its chances to have a national park/monument.

State Parks: Delaware has a variety of state parks that could become national parks/monuments if the state relinquishes its rights and revenues associated with the park.

Carper: Senator Tom Carper has recently proposed a series of national parks long the Delaware coastline.

Objectives: Students will be able to:1. Explain the role of National Parks in history2. Describe the requirements for a site to become

a national park3. Explain why Delaware doesn’t have a national

park/monument4. Describe the original purpose of the Antiquities

Act and how it evolved into what it is today5. Defend your argument on why your park should

become a national park

Key Questions: 1. What are the requirements to become a national

park/monument?2. Why was the national park system created?3. Why doesn’t Delaware have a national

park/monument?4. What is the purpose of the Antiquities Act?5. What sites in Delaware would be appropriate to

become a national park?

Resourceswww.destateparks.com

This website is operated by the State of Delaware and provided information and links for various state parks in Delaware

www.nps.gov This is the National Park Service official website, it provided a lot of useful information including a

list of all the national parks, history, etc.

http://carper.senate.gov/documents/NP_Proposal.pdf This is a PDF document from Senator Carper’s page documenting his proposal for a National

Park/Monument in Delaware

www.delaware.gov This is the state of Delaware website, it provided a lot of historical facts about Delaware.

www.hsd.org This is the Historical Society of Delaware website which we also found useful for historical facts

and information.

www.nationalatlas.gov This website is run by the Department of the Interior and acts as an atlas of the United

States, we found an article under Government about National Parks and Monuments which

was helpful.

Class ActivityRole: Delaware Residents

Audience: Congress

Format: Letter

Topic: Explain why a particular site should be a national park in Delaware.

State Flag: www.delware.gov

Fort Delaware

www.delawaregreenways.org

John Dickinson Plantation

www.delaware.gov

Cape Henlopen

www.destateparks.com

Holts Landing State Park

www.destateparks.com

ConclusionConnections to prior UnitsWhy is this an important topic in U.S. history?Why is this an important topic for students?