President Obama on Thursday designated three new national monuments having to do with the Reconstruction era and the civil rights movement.
The outgoing president announced the establishment of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, the Freedom Riders National Monument and the Reconstruction Era National Monument.
“Today, I am designating new national monuments that preserve critical chapters of our country’s history, from the Civil War to the civil rights movement,” Obama said.
The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument in Alabama will protect the historic A.G. Gaston Motel.
The Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston, Ala., includes a Greyhound Bus Station and a site where the bus was firebombed.
The Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort County, S.C., includes four sites and will tell the story of Reconstruction after the Civil War.
“These monuments preserve the vibrant history of the Reconstruction Era and its role in redefining freedom,” Obama said. “They tell the important stories of the citizens who helped launch the civil rights movement in Birmingham and the Freedom Riders whose bravery raised national awareness of segregation and violence. These stories are part of our shared history.”
Obama also announced the expansion of other national sites, including the California Coastal National Monument and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
“I am also expanding existing areas for some of our country’s treasured and historic natural resources in Oregon and California today, including stretches of California’s scenic coast and unique wildlife habitat in rugged mountain ranges and forests in Oregon and California,” he said.
