Obama considers Fort Monroe as a national monument

Politico has the following article about Obama considering Fort Monroe as a national monument. It is online here:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61247.html

A quote form the article:

"There are few more significant sites in terms of African-American history anywhere in the country, and using the Antiquities Act to preserve this special place makes sense after the Army hands over the site next month,” Warner said in a statement.

Built between 1819 and 1834, Fort Monroe was one of the few Union military installations in the South never occupied by Confederate forces during the Civil War.

Gen. Benjamin Butler made the "Contraband Decision" there in 1861 that kept slaves from being forced to return after they crossed Union lines. Thousands of slaves came to the site, which became known as “Freedom’s Fortress.”

Another excellent article about Ft. Monroe and the effort to make it into a national monument is online at the "News and Observer" here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/17/1347261/freedom-shrine-at-highways-end.html