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National Historic Landmarks Program

Properties that represent some great idea or ideal of the American people.

This criterion relates to properties that represent an overarching ideal unique to the United States. This ideal could be a belief, principle, or goal. The application of this criterion requires the most careful scrutiny and applies only in rare instances.

NHLs designated under this criterion are associated with endeavors or goals of the highest order such as attaining democracy, achieving freedom, and securing fundamental rights. A property eligible for NHL designation under Criterion 3 will also be eligible under Criterion 1. Since the significance of the property can be fully explained under Criterion 1, Criterion 3 is rarely used.

Click here for a Criterion 3 example: Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, Selma, AL

Brown AME Church

photograph by Bill Herndon via Flickr
Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, AL: Brown Chapel African American Episcopal Church played a major role in events that led to the adoption of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was the headquarters of the Selma Voting Rights Movement and the starting point for the three Selma-to-Montgomery marches. The nation's reaction to the Selma's “Bloody Sunday March” is widely credited with making the passage of the Voting Rights Act politically viable to an otherwise cautious Congress.