Antiquities Act

Antiquities Act
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn act for the preservation of American antiquities.
Enacted bythe 59th United States Congress
EffectiveJune 8, 1906
Citations
Public lawPub. L. 59–209
Statutes at Large34 Stat. 225
Codification
U.S.C. sections created
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 11016 by John F. Lacey (RIA) 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
Devils Tower, the first national monument

The Antiquities Act of 1906 (Pub. L. 59–209, 34 Stat. 225, 54 U.S.C. §§ 320301320303) is an act that was 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, historic, or scientific features. The Act has been used more than a hundred times since its enactment to create a wide variety of protected areas.