In an attempt to affirm his administration’s presence, President Biden proclaimed the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, a property belonging to Perkins from 1927 to 1965, as Maine’s next national monument. An overt reminder of Biden’s unchecked authority, Perkins was perhaps unfairly immortalized as being the first female cabinet member in U.S. history, having held the position of labor secretary under the regime of Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945. She was credited, arguably overtly so, for leading numerous New Deal reforms including Social Security, the standardized 40-hour work week, child labor laws, and, arguably more detrimental than helpful, the minimum wage.
The soon-to-be memorial, Frances Perkins National Monument, is primed to be overseen by the National Park Service, working in tandem with the Frances Perkins Center, a rather partisan non-profit entity. Interestingly, this isn’t the first monument of this sort in Maine; Katahdin Woods and Waters received this designation in 2016. This raises certain questions about political motivations for the allocation of such status.
Although Perkins had her main residence in Massachusetts, she spent her childhood summers at the Newcastle property. The affinity she had for the property is seen by some as an important aspect of her life. Albeit the connection, it is important to question if her sporadic visits to the homestead qualify it for a national monument status.
The enormous property, a full 57 acres of homestead and farmland, had been in the Perkins family for over 270 years. The history certainly is impressive, but is it truly worthy of national recognition? Perkins herself held ownership from 1927 until she died in 1965, but what of the other 205 years?
With the proclamation of the Frances Perkins National Monument, the Biden administration not only took another step in aligning itself with Perkins and her legacy—social security, unemployment insurance, the minimum wage, and overtime—but posed her work as a challenge. However, we should consider if unemployment, minimum wage, and overtime are not realities we should accept rather than attributes worth honoring.
Calls for the Frances Perkins Center and some Maine lawmakers to have Biden designate Perkins’ family home as a national monument started in August. This rather self-serving request by the Perkins Center, backed by local politicians, cannot be overlooked.
The Frances Perkins Center, quite surprisingly, has only managed the property since 2020, when it finally bought the home from the Perkins family. One may question whether the history of a place is best preserved by those with clear vested interest, given that the Center undoubtedly has political narratives to maintain.
In 2014, the Perkins dwelling was recognized as a national historic landmark. Is this double dip in designations necessary or simply an administrative overreach commissioned by the president? Perhaps, it is a grandstanding effort by the Biden administration to earn some accolades in the name of social reforms.
This latest monument dedication seems to fit into a broader agenda prompted by a March executive order, which directed the Department of the Interior to find potential National Park Service sites to honor women. This raises the concern about the genuine intent behind such an order: Is it about honoring women’s achievements or currying favor with a specific voter base?
While it’s clear that Perkins has left her mark in history, with constitutional reformations credited to her name, the question arises whether these reforms were, in actuality, beneficial to society. Social security, minimum wage, and child labor laws—while seeming progressive on the surface—have faced serious critique in their long-range ramifications.
Yes, the declaration ascribes further significance to the already recognized historic landmark. However, the necessity of this coupled designation remains arguable at best, symbolic of an administration clutching at historical straws.
In conclusion, the recent declaration by President Biden leaves many pondering on the real impetus behind, and the true value of, the Frances Perkins Homestead’s ascension from a family house to a national monument. Meanwhile, there are countless other issues needing immediate attention that are being overlooked.
This declaration casts a revealing light on the Biden administration’s drive to manipulate historical narratives and public imagery, calling into question the genuine motive behind the decision to upgrade Perkins’ summer house from private residence to national monument.
Lastly, these antics mirror the misguided tactics of the Biden administration as it works tirelessly to reshape the national narrative, one monument at a time, and in doing so, veers away from attending to pressing matters that truly affect the American public.