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By Presidential Proclamation, President Barack Obama designated
February as National African American History Month. This year's
theme, "The Quest for Black Citizenship in the Americas," highlights
a story of struggle to create and maintain equal citizenship
for all peoples of the Americas. In honor of African American
History Month, the Heritage Documentation Programs of the National
Park Service explores Black Citizenship through architecture,
engineering, landscapes, and projects undertaken by the Cultural
Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) program. Please
join the Heritage Documentation Programs in celebrating the
accomplishments of all Americans of African descent.
Featured Sites
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
HABS DC-775 & HABS DC-775-A
Washington, DC
Mary McLeod Bethune, in her multiple roles as educator, organizer,
and public policy activist worked endlessly in pursuit of what
she called, "the unalienable rights of citizenship for Black Americans."
Learn more...
 Red
Oak Creek Bridge
HAER GA-138
Woodburg, GA vicinity
Born a slave in 1807, Horace King purchased his own freedom
by excelling in the design and building of physical structures.
In addition to becoming a renowned southern bridge builder,
King served two terms as a representative in the Alabama House
of Representatives. Learn more...
Theodore Roosevelt Island
HALS DC-12
Washington, DC
Reversing previous laws prohibiting Blacks from serving in the
military, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation
in 1863, allowing for the recruitment and service of Blacks
in the Union army. The 1st District of Columbia Colored Volunteers
were stationed on the island; on June 30, 1863 the volunteer
unit was renamed the 1st United States Colored Troops and was
the first African American regiment formally mustered into federal
service. Learn more...
Buffalo Soldiers Mapping Project
CRGIS
In 2002, the NPS Intermountain Regional Office and the Desert
Southwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (DSCESU) began
a partnership with Howard University and Haskell Indian Nations
University. Designed to give undergraduate history students
experience in inventorying the significant data and sites associated
with the Buffalo Soldiers and to foster cooperation among the
African American and Native American communities, the effort
was entitled, “The Warriors Project.” CRGIS created generalized
point locations for 215 out of the total 250 identified sites,
using existing data sources, such as the National Register of
Historic Places, Federal land boundaries, National Park boundaries
and the Geographic Names Information System created by US Geological
Survey. Learn more...
Learn More
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