The preservation of archaeology and architecture do not flow from the same source. A. Architectural preservation came first from desire to memorialize famous ancestors, heroes and battlefields. B. Archaeological preservation comes only as professional archaeologists have defined the field and identified a past to preserve. The majority of laws in the United States about archaeology concern public lands.
Legislation responds to crises or needs important enough to consider.
A. Antiquities Act of 1906. Only allows excavation with permit. Puny enforcement penalties. Allows the government to create monuments of important sites. Richard Wetherill and southwest antiquities.