Members of the Society of Old Brooklynites present a wreath at the base of the monument. Photo by Eugena Ossi
Posted on 05/04/2014 12:12:03 PM PDT by Pharmboy
House passes bill to seek change of status for Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument
A 149-foot-high shrine to American Revolutionary War POWs that stands majestically over Fort Greene Park could be on its way to becoming a national monument to be maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior if a bill approved by the House on April 28 is passed by the senate and signed into law by President Obama.
Members of the Society of Old Brooklynites present a wreath at the base of the monument. Photo by Eugena Ossi
The House passed the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Preservation Act, a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D- Brooklyn-Queens), via a voice vote on Monday. The legislation directs the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to study the feasibility of designating the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument as a national monument.
The monument, consisting of a 100-foot-wide granite staircase and a central Doric column 149 feet in height, houses the remains of some 11,500 Revolutionary War soldiers who were kept as prisoners of war by the British. Because there was limited prison space on land, the British maintained approximately 16 prison ships in New York Harbor to hold the POWs. The prisoners were housed under inhumane conditions. Many died as a result of starvation, disease and lack of medical attention, Jeffries said. The patriots who lost their lives on the ships represented all 13 colonies and more than a dozen countries.
(Excerpt) Read more at brooklyneagle.com ...
The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...
Thanks :)
Double thanks.
“The House passed the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument Preservation Act, a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D- Brooklyn-Queens)”
Gotta say, I’m impressed...which is sad that I would have to be.
It would take an American President who understands and cherishes this country and what it stands for to sign the bill honoring Revolutionary War POWs. Where can we find one?
Future Wikipedia Update: "President Barack Obama delivered the address dedicating the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument as a national monument. He criticized the 18th Century white patriarchal power structure that founded the United States of America for creating a fundamentally unjust, racist, homophobic, and anti-Marxist political system that doesn't properly distribute wealth."
...and blamed Bush for the terrible conditions on the ships.
It is hallowed ground and they deserve National recognition, but if this means those breaucRATs can close it down the next time there’s a budget dispute, let New York State run it.
It should. My great-great-great-great-grandfather—who died as a POW there—would be pleased.
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