The US Census Bureau finally decided to ask Americans, “What was/is your major?” This question was added in the 2009 Census American Community Survey and the results were released in February 2012. Field of Bachelor’s Degrees in the United States: 2009 states that of the 56 million people age 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree, only 5.6% (approximately 3 million) had a liberal arts degree that included U.S. history because a U.S. History major fell into a broader category which includes five other majors, it is practical to infer that approximately 1.12% or 600,000 respondents have a degree in US History. Compared to the 315 million people who populate the United States, 600,000 is not a substantial number.

What was the point of all that information? Well, it’s safe to say that many of us know who our president is, who was the first president, even who was the sixteenth president. It is also safe to infer that most of us know who won the Civil War. Yet only 600,000 Americans are truly educated in our priceless culture and natural heritage. This means that for the rest of us, it is crucial that we somehow strengthen our American identity by preserving and passing on, from generation to generation, our nation’s past. What better way to fulfill this obligation than through the historic preservation of our landmarks, monuments, influential buildings, and local communities?

So many people have agreed with that statement that the Historic Preservation Advisory Council was created to foster a broader appreciation of historic preservation and history, among diverse audiences, and to communicate the value and benefits of preservation. Historic buildings are a fundamental method through which we can learn about our history and the meaning of our country, so it is our obligation to preserve the culture, heritage, identity and pride that each building possesses. So why is this so crucial?

The University of Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Graduate Program stated that Historic Preservation has become a critical tool for strengthening American communities. It has proven to be an effective tool for a wide range of public goals, including small business incubation, affordable housing, sustainable development, neighborhood stabilization, downtown revitalization, job creation, promotion of arts and culture, small town renovation, heritage tourism, economic development, and others. It was to better understand the economic functions and impact of historic preservation that this study was commissioned.

The conservation movement began on a larger scale and has now begun to focus on what matters most to Americans: their local community. Our nation has never had a greater impact on the world’s land use than we do today and conserving and preserving our local gems that strengthen our community is the way to lessen our impact on our non-reusable resources, conserve energy and preserve America. .

So, in addition to the vast environmental benefits that come from reusing and preserving our buildings, the sense of identity, heritage, and community that is received through their preservation is reason enough to see the crucial nature of historic preservation. .