Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) was an advocate for the protection and preservation of nationally significant US battlefields related to the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 ("America's Second War for Independence"). He introduced bills calling for such in multiple sessions of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2013.
While none of his bills was ultimately approved, Holt's efforts did contribute to the National Park Service's reaching out to the Civil War Trust in 2013 to request that it expand its scope to include protection of American Revolution and War of 1812 sites. An agreement was reached, and the Trust's new scope brought about a name change for the organization - it is now known as the American Battlefield Trust, it "preserves America's hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters."
In addition to seeking Federal funds for battlefield preservation (noted above), Holt also sought a vehicle to supplement his proposed Federal appropriations with private funds. Before the launch of the 2012 Star-Spangled Banner coin program effort, and with the 1995 Civil War Battlefields coin program as an inspiration, Representative Holt turned to commemorative coins and began his efforts to secure them "in commemoration of the battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812." in 2004.
In each of the 108th, 109th, 110th, 111th and 112th Congresses, Representative Holt introduced legislation that called for a three-coin commemorative program - Gold Half Eagle (up to 300,000), Silver Dollar (up to 1,000,000) and Copper-Nickel (CuNi) Clad Half Dollar (up to 2,000,000) - that was to benefit the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 Battlefields Foundation ("Foundation").
Holt's bills did not include a "Findings" sections, but he provided some background as part of his introductory comments regarding his coin bill during the 109th Congress; his comments discussed his Federal appropriations bill as well as his commemorative coin bill:
"In 1996, the Congress enacted the American Battlefield Protection Act, which established the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) within the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). At the same time, the Congress directed the U.S. Park Service to conduct a comprehensive study of endangered Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites for submission to the Congress, to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and to the Office of Management and Budget. The U.S. Park Service study is to be completed in the coming spring and opened for at least a 90-day public comment period."He continued:
"Current federal law authorizes and appropriates monies from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) for the preservation and protection of Civil War battlefields and related sites. One of my bills--The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act--would do the same for the hallowed battlefields of the Revolutionary War (e.g., Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth) and the War of 1812 and related historical sites that are also in danger of being lost forever. The
enactment of this bill would allow National Park Service officials to collaborate with state and local governments, non-profit organizations, and concerned individuals to preserve and protect endangered Revolutionary War and War of 1812 historical sites on the priority lists of the forthcoming Park Service study and to provide up to 50 percent of the costs, for example, of purchasing battlefield land threatened by sprawl.He then focused on his coin bill:
"My second bill--The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields Commemorative Coin Act--would provide a non-federal funding mechanism to provide even more funding for the preservation and protection of endangered Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields and related historical sites. It would authorize the minting of $3.5 million in gold, silver, and clad commemorative coins to be sold to the public at surcharges of $3-$35, thus generating as much as $23.5 million in seed money. Upon collection of these proceeds, the U.S. Treasury Secretary would transfer them to the non-partisan, non-profit Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefields Foundation to be used exclusively for these expressed preservation and protection purposes. It would cost U.S. taxpayers nothing.
"The greatest beneficiaries of these two bills would be future generations of Americans who will be able to relive more of the history of the Revolutionary War era and the War of 1812, the early development of our Nation, and the critically important roles played by the people of New Jersey and the other original thirteen colonies and the Northwest Territory."No specific design requirements were specified in the bills, just a generic "shall be emblematic of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812." statement. The final designs for the coins were to be selected by the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the Commission of Fine Arts and the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 Battlefields Foundation ("Foundation"). As expected, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) was to serve in a review role.
As noted by Holt, the Issue Price of each coin was to include a surcharge that would be paid to the Foundation. The surcharge details were:
- $35 per Gold Half Eagle
- $10 per Silver Dollar
- $3 per Clad Half Dollar
The Foundation was to use collected surcharges "for purposes of the preservation of historically significant battlefields of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 and related historical sites."
Each of Holt's bills was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, with a further referral to its Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology. None of the bills, however, was reported out of Committee or considered further.
The lack of action on Holt's coin bills was disappointing to me - I would have supported this coin program. I believe it had worthy intent.
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 07/13/2025 06:46 am
