Antiquities Act - wikipedia Antiquities Act Antiquities Act Long title An act for the preservation of American antiquities. Enacted by the 59th United States Congress Effective June 8, 1906 Citations Public law 59 - 209 Statutes at Large 34 Stat. 225 Codification U.S.C. sections created 54 U.S.C. ch. 3203 § § 320301 to 320303 Legislative history Introduced in the House as H.R. 11016 by John F. Lacey ( R -- IA ) on January 9, 1906 Committee consideration by Public Lands Passed the House on June 5, 1906 Passed the Senate on June 7, 1906 with amendment House agreed to Senate amendment on June 8, 1906 ( ) Signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 8, 1906 United States Supreme Court cases Cameron v. United States Cappaert v. United States United States v. California Devils Tower, the first National Monument The Antiquities Act of 1906, ( Pub. L. 59 -- 209, 34 Stat. 225, 54 U.S.C. § § 320301 -- 320303 ), is an act passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by Theodore Roosevelt on June 8, 1906. This law gives the President of the United States the authority to, by presidential proclamation, create national monuments from federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. The Act has been used more than a hundred times since its passage. Contents 1 History 2 Uses 3 Reduction of powers 4 See also 5 References 6 External links History The Antiquities Act was signed into place by President Theodore Roosevelt during his second term in office. The act resulted from concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Native American ruins and artifacts -- collectively termed `` antiquities '' -- on federal lands in the West, such as at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Removal of artifacts from these lands by private collectors, `` pot hunters, '' had become a serious problem by the end of the 19th century. In 1902, Iowa Congressman John F. Lacey, who chaired the House Committee on the Public Lands, traveled to the Southwest with the rising anthropologist Edgar Lee Hewett, to see for himself the extent of the pot hunters ' impact. His findings, supported by an exhaustive report by Hewett to Congress detailing the archaeological resources of the region, provided the necessary impetus for the passage of the legislation. Since the Antiquities Act was first signed into effect under the 26th President of the United States, all but four sitting presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush have chosen to enlarge or dedicate new national monuments. President Obama in his last term in office erected the most monuments, under the Antiquities Act, than any President before him with 26. The President to have designated the highest number of monuments before President Obama was President Theodore Roosevelt with 18 monuments. On April 26, 2017, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing a review of the law and its uses. Uses The Act was intended to allow the President to set aside certain valuable public natural areas as park and conservation land. The 1906 act stated that it was intended for : ``... the protection of objects of historic and scientific interest. '' These areas are given the title of `` National Monuments. '' It also allows the President to reserve or accept private lands for that purpose. The aim is to protect all historic and prehistoric sites on United States federal lands and to prohibit excavation or destruction of these antiquities. With this act, this can be done much more quickly than going through the Congressional process of creating a National Park. The Act states that areas of the monuments are to be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected. The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld presidential proclamations under the Antiquities Act, ruling each time that the Act gives the president nearly - unfettered discretion as to the nature of the object to be protected and the size of the area reserved. Some areas designated as National Monuments have later been converted into National Parks, or incorporated into existing National Parks. The first use of the Act protected a large geographic feature -- President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower National Monument on September 24, 1906. President Roosevelt also used it to create the Grand Canyon National Monument ( now Grand Canyon National Park ). At 583,000 square miles ( 1,510,000 km ), Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is the largest protected area proclaimed. The smallest, Father Millet Cross National Monument ( now part of a state park ), was a mere 0.0074 acres ( 30 m ). For any excavation, the Act requires that a permit ( Antiquities Permit ) be obtained from the Secretary of the department which has jurisdiction over those lands. Reduction of powers Presidential powers under the Act have been reduced twice. The first time followed the unpopular proclamation of Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943. The 1950 law that incorporated Jackson Hole into an enlarged Grand Teton National Park also amended the Antiquities Act, requiring Congressional consent for any future creation or enlargement of National Monuments in Wyoming. The second time followed Jimmy Carter 's use of the Act to create 56 million acres ( 230,000 km ) of National Monuments in Alaska. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act requires Congressional ratification of the use of the Antiquities Act in Alaska for withdrawals of greater than 5,000 acres ( 20 km ). Under the Trump administration, all monuments dedicated after the year 1996 have been called into question. The Trump Administration is possibly looking to modify or even dismantle some of the monuments erected under the 1906 Antiquities Act. Although some Presidents have chose to ignore the tradition of preservation of notable environmental or historic areas, no President to date has undone a predecessor 's monument. See also List of National Monuments of the United States Timeline of environmental events National Park Service References Jump up ^ Ken Burns. The National Parks : America 's Best Idea. Florentine Films. Jump up ^ `` Americian Antiquities Act of 1906 ''. National Park Service. Retrieved March 28, 2018. Jump up ^ Kraft, Michael ; Vig, Norman ( 2017 ). Environmental Policy New Directions for the Twenty - First Century ( 10th ed. ). Sage. Jump up ^ Merica, Dan. `` Trump order could roll back public lands protections from 3 presidents ''. CNN. CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2017. Jump up ^ Cameron v. United States, 252 U.S. 450 Jump up ^ Cappaert v. United States, 426 U.S. 128 Jump up ^ `` Devils Tower First 50 Years '' ( PDF ). National Park Service. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2014. Jump up ^ Papahānaumokuākea protects submerged land. The largest surface reservation was the proclamation of Wrangell - St. Elias National Monument, 10,950,000 acres ( 40,000 km ). Jump up ^ `` Antiquites Act : Monument List ''. National Park Service Archeology Program. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2009... Jump up ^ Robert W. Righter. `` National Monuments to National Parks : The Use of the Antiquities Act of 1906 ''. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2006. Jump up ^ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. `` Digest of Federal Resource Laws of Interest to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 ''. Archived from the original on June 26, 2006. Retrieved May 16, 2006. ^ Jump up to : Vig, Norman ; Kraft, Michael ( 2017 ). Environmental Policy New Direction for the Twenty - First Century. Sage. p. 106 - 107. External links Wikisource has original text related to this article : An Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Monuments of the United States. Richard West Sellars, `` A Very Large Array : Early Federal Historic Preservation -- The Antiquities Act, Mesa Verde, and the National Park Service Act '' ( background and legislative history ) published by the University of New Mexico School of Law, 2007 Chronological list of uses of the Antiquities Act and related actions from NPS The Story of the Antiquities Act, by Ronald F. Lee Antiquities Act 1906 -- 2006 The National Park Service Almanac of Theodore Roosevelt Archeology.org The Antiquities Act : A Century of American Archaeology, Historic Preservation, and Nature Conservation, ed. by David Harmon, Frank P. McManamon, and Dwight T. Pitcaithley The Highs and Lows of the Antiquities Act United States environmental law Supreme Court decisions Missouri v. Holland ( 1920 ) Sierra Club v. Morton ( 1972 ) United States v. SCRAP ( 1973 ) Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill ( 1978 ) Vermont Yankee v. NRDC ( 1978 ) Hughes v. Oklahoma ( 1979 ) Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife ( 1992 ) United States v. Bestfoods ( 1998 ) Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw Environmental Services ( 2000 ) SWANCC v. Army Corps of Engineers ( 2001 ) Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen ( 2004 ) Rapanos v. United States ( 2006 ) Massachusetts v. EPA ( 2007 ) National Ass'n of Home Builders v. Defenders of Wildlife ( 2007 ) Coeur Alaska, Inc. v. Southeast Alaska Conservation Council ( 2009 ) Major federal legislation and treaties Rivers and Harbors Act ( 1899 ) Lacey Act ( 1900 ) Weeks Act ( 1911 ) North Pacific Fur Seal Convention of 1911 ( 1911 ) Migratory Bird Treaty Act ( 1918 ) Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act ( 1934 ) Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act ( 1954 ) Clean Air Act ( 1963, 1970 ) National Environmental Policy Act ( 1970 ) Clean Water Act ( 1972 ) Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ( 1972 ) Noise Control Act ( 1972 ) Endangered Species Act ( 1973 ) Safe Drinking Water Act ( 1974 ) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ( 1976 ) Toxic Substances Control Act ( 1976 ) Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act ( 1977 ) CERCLA ( Superfund ) ( 1980 ) Emergency Planning and Community Right - to - Know Act ( 1986 ) Emergency Wetlands Resources Act ( 1986 ) Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act ( 2016 ) Federal agencies Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Council on Environmental Quality Office of Surface Mining United States Environmental Protection Agency United States Fish and Wildlife Service Regulations and concepts Best available technology Citizen suit Discharge Monitoring Report Effluent guidelines Environmental crime Environmental impact statement Environmental justice National Ambient Air Quality Standards National Priorities List New Source Performance Standard Not - To - Exceed ( NTE ) Right to know Total maximum daily load Toxicity category rating Theodore Roosevelt 26th President of the United States, 1901 -- 1909 25th Vice President of the United States, 1901 33rd Governor of New York, 1899 -- 1900 Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1897 -- 1898 New York City Police Commissioner, 1895 -- 1897 New York State Assemblyman, 1882 1883 1884 Presidency First inauguration historic site Second inauguration `` Square Deal '' Booker T. Washington dinner Conservation Newlands Reclamation Act Transfer Act of 1905 Antiquities Act Pelican Island Devils Tower National Monument Muir Woods National Monument Other National Monuments United States Forest Service, United States Reclamation Service National Wildlife Refuge System Roosevelt Arch Conference of Governors Northern Securities Company breakup court case Coal strike of 1902 Pure Food and Drug Act Food and Drug Administration Meat Inspection Act Expediting Act Elkins Act Hepburn Act Aldrich -- Vreeland Act Federal Employers Liability Act Kinkaid Act Big Stick ideology Hay -- Bunau - Varilla Treaty Panama Canal Zone Panama Canal Venezuelan crisis Roosevelt Corollary Occupation of Cuba Russo - Japanese War Treaty of Portsmouth 1906 Nobel Peace Prize Gentlemen 's Agreement of 1907 Army War College Roosevelt Hall College football meetings Bureau of Investigation Department of Commerce and Labor Bureau of Corporations Keep Commission Inland Waterways Commission Bureau of the Census Great White Fleet Perdicaris incident Cabinet White House West Wing State of the Union Address, 1901 1906 1908 White House desk Federal judiciary appointments Other events Spanish -- American War Rough Riders Battle of Las Guasimas Battle of San Juan Hill `` Bull Moose '' Progressive Party New Nationalism Assassination attempt Boone and Crockett Club Smithsonian -- Roosevelt African Expedition `` River of Doubt '' Amazonian expedition Life and homes Birthplace, boyhood home replica Sagamore Hill Home and Museum Oyster Bay Elkhorn Ranch Maltese Cross Cabin Pine Knot cabin Gravesite Writings and speeches Theodore Roosevelt bibliography The Naval War of 1812 ( 1882 book ) `` The Strenuous Life '' ( 1899 speech ) `` Citizenship in a Republic '' ( 1910 speech ) `` Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual '' ( 1912 post-assassination - attempt speech ) Theodore Roosevelt : An Autobiography ( 1913 book ) The Forum magazine articles Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia Archival collections Elections New York state election, 1898 Republican National Convention, 1900 1904 1912 1916 United States presidential election, 1900 1904 1912 Legacy Mount Rushmore Theodore Roosevelt Center and Digital Library White House Roosevelt Room Theodore Roosevelt National Park Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness Theodore Roosevelt Island Roosevelt National Forest Roosevelt Study Center Theodore Roosevelt Association Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park Monument Assemblage Theodore Roosevelt Federal Courthouse Roosevelt River Theodore Roosevelt Award Roosevelt Road U.S. Postage stamps Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider sculpture Equestrian statue Popular culture Teddy bear `` Speak softly, and carry a big stick '' Books Films Roosevelt in Africa 1910 documentary The Roosevelts 2014 documentary Related Political positions `` Bully pulpit '' Ananias Club `` Nature fakers '' Progressive Era A Guest of Honor Porcellian Club `` Muckraker '' National Collegiate Athletic Association `` Roosevelt Republican '' Family Alice Hathaway Lee ( first wife ) Edith Kermit Carow ( second wife ) Alice Lee Roosevelt ( daughter ) Theodore Roosevelt III ( son ) Kermit Roosevelt ( son ) Ethel Carow Roosevelt ( daughter ) Archibald Roosevelt ( son ) Quentin Roosevelt ( son ) Theodore Roosevelt Sr. ( father ) Martha Stewart Bulloch ( mother ) Anna Roosevelt ( sister ) Elliott Bulloch Roosevelt ( brother ) Corinne Roosevelt ( sister ) Cornelius Roosevelt ( grandfather ) James Stephens Bulloch ( grandfather ) James A. Roosevelt ( uncle ) Robert Roosevelt ( uncle ) James Dunwoody Bulloch ( half - uncle ) Irvine Bulloch ( uncle ) Theodore Douglas Robinson ( nephew ) Corinne Robinson ( niece ) Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( niece ) Hall Roosevelt ( nephew ) ← William McKinley William Howard Taft → WorldCat Identities LCCN : n86085588 VIAF : 177040662 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antiquities_Act&oldid=863770128 '' Categories : 1906 in law 1906 in the environment 1906 in the United States Progressive Era in the United States United States federal environmental legislation United States federal public land legislation National Park Service Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from June 2018 Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Español Esperanto Edit links This page was last edited on 12 October 2018, at 22 : 10 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: what was the purpose of the antiquities act
Answer: gives the President of the United States the authority to, by presidential proclamation, create national monuments from  federal lands to protect significant natural, cultural, or scientific features