FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

SEC. 297A. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.(a) Findings.—Congress finds that—(1) the State of New Jersey was critically important during the American Revolution because of the strategic location of the State between the British armies headquartered in New York City, New York, and the Continental Congress in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;(2) General George Washington spent almost half of the period of the American Revolution personally commanding troops of the Continental Army in the State of New Jersey, including 2 severe winters spent in encampments in the area that is now Morristown National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System;(3) it was during the 10 crucial days of the American Revolution between December 25, 1776, and January 3, 1777, that General Washington, after retreating across the State of New Jersey from the State of New York to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the face of total defeat, recrossed the Delaware River on the night of December 25, 1776, and went on to win crucial battles at Trenton and Princeton in the State of New Jersey;(4) Thomas Paine, who accompanied the troops during the retreat, described the events during those days as “the times that try men’s souls”;(5) the sites of 296 military engagements are located in the State of New Jersey, including—(A) several important battles of the American Revolution that were significant to—(i) the outcome of the American Revolution; and(ii) the history of the United States; and(B) several national historic landmarks, including Washington’s Crossing, the Old Trenton Barracks, and Princeton, Monmouth, and Red Bank Battlefields;(6) additional national historic landmarks in the State of New Jersey include the homes of—(A) Richard Stockton, Joseph Hewes, John Witherspoon, and Francis Hopkinson, signers of the Declaration of Independence;(B) Elias Boudinout, President of the Continental Congress; and(C) William Livingston, patriot and Governor of the State of New Jersey from 1776 to 1790;(7) portions of the landscapes important to the strategies of the British and Continental armies, including waterways, mountains, farms, wetlands, villages, and roadways—(A) retain the integrity of the period of the American Revolution; and(B) offer outstanding opportunities for conservation, education, and recreation;(8) the National Register of Historic Places lists 251 buildings and sites in the National Park Service study area for the Crossroads of the American Revolution that are associated with the period of the American Revolution;(9) civilian populations residing in the State of New Jersey during the American Revolution suffered extreme hardships because of—(A) the continuous conflict in the State;120 STAT. 1839(B) foraging armies; and(C) marauding contingents of loyalist Tories and rebel sympathizers;(10) because of the important role that the State of New Jersey played in the successful outcome of the American Revolution, there is a Federal interest in developing a regional framework to assist the State of New Jersey, local governments and organizations, and private citizens in—(A) preserving and protecting cultural, historic, and natural resources of the period; and(B) bringing recognition to those resources for the educational and recreational benefit of the present and future generations of citizens of the United States; and(11) the National Park Service has conducted a national heritage area feasibility study in the State of New Jersey that demonstrates that there is a sufficient assemblage of nationally distinctive cultural, historic, and natural resources necessary to establish the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area.(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this subtitle are—(1) to assist communities, organizations, and citizens in the State of New Jersey in preserving—(A) the special historic identity of the State; and(B) the importance of the State to the United States;(2) to foster a close working relationship among all levels of government, the private sector, and local communities in the State;(3) to provide for the management, preservation, protection, and interpretation of the cultural, historic, and natural resources of the State for the educational and inspirational benefit of future generations;(4) to strengthen the value of Morristown National Historical Park as an asset to the State by—(A) establishing a network of related historic resources, protected landscapes, educational opportunities, and events depicting the landscape of the State of New Jersey during the American Revolution; and(B) establishing partnerships between Morristown National Historical Park and other public and privately owned resources in the Heritage Area that represent the strategic fulcrum of the American Revolution; and(5) to authorize Federal financial and technical assistance for the purposes described in paragraphs (1) through (4).