To stand in an ancient, vaulted cathedral, or in the workshop of a bygone master of creative thought, or on a battlefield where pivotal events in history occurred, can fire the imagination of the observer; not with fantastical imaginings, but with a sense of understanding of how we got to where we are, and with a sense of experiencing greatness of past events. This is ever so true when experiencing Fort Monroe.

While this piece of land and its waters existed since time immemorial, the history of our country is but a mere 405 years. As a nation, culture or society we cannot compare in duration to those of many millennia, yet in our four centuries, we have produced a wealth of the greatest political and social thought, advancements in sciences and medicine, and creations in literature and arts. We are no mean people... and our beginnings, as a nation can be traced to Cape Comfort/Fort Algernon/Fort Monroe. No other site in this country has written an enduring history as intrinsically germinal to USA, as has this one. This IS the heart of America.

When, by our decisions and actions, we write history; we must ensure that it is the best that can be written. On this sacred land, we have a wealth of living history - no facsimiles, no replicas - we have real, concrete evidence of actual stories that made our nation what it is; and it is our duty, as Americans, to ensure the best in its continuing history. This can only be done if we eschew the temporal desires of the few, and choose to forever celebrate - without compromising any part of the land and waters - all the great firsts in global history that occurred on Cape Comfort/Fort Monroe.

The finest example of what Fort Monroe can become, is in what Fort Monroe has been and continues to be.