Today,
more than half of the 388 park areas administered by the National Park
Service have been set aside as symbols and evidence of our history and
prehistory. Many of our natural parks contain historic places that
represent important aspects of that history. Collectively, these places
present an American history textbook, a textbook that educates us about
the people, events, buildings, objects, landscapes, and artifacts of the
American past and about the aspirations and actions that produced those
tangible survivors.
