The National Park Service Overview
By Thomas Rosenblum, Park Historian

The National Park Service was created on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson to "... promote and regulate the use of Federal areas known as national parks, monuments and reservations ... and to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein ... for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations." The National Park System comprises 385 areas covering more than 84 million acres in 49 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the Virgin Islands. These areas are of such national significance as to justify special recognition and protection in accordance with various acts of Congress.

Most national parks are rich with African-American history and many specifically preserve an important story of that history. The National Park Service commemorates and preserves the memory and history of hundreds of men and women who contributed to or made African-American history. In the history of the United States, there was no activity, no era, no profession, no glory or shame that has not included Americans of African descent. They drove cattle, migrated westward and settled in towns they made. The led wagon trains, fought in the Indian wars and explored the west with Lewis and Clark. They have been whalers, bank president, and educators. They have been farmers, poets and miners, and have fought in America’s wars from the Revolution to the present. The National Park Service celebrates these American heroes and special places in almost every national park.