National Memorial in the United States is the name of a memorial that commemorates a historical person or event . National Memorials are approved by the United States Congress . The monuments are often in locations that have nothing to do with the events or people. Many of them, such as the USS Arizona Memorial , do not have the designation "National" in their names.
Most of the National Memorials are owned and administered by the National Park Service . Some monuments are managed by other organizations, but these are considered affiliated areas. The owners of these attached areas are assisted by the National Park Service in maintaining the monuments.
Like all historical areas in the national park system, the National Memorial is automatically added to the National Register of Historic Places ; only some of the affiliated areas are not listed on the register.
Occasionally, private organizations erect a memorial and include the word “national” in their name without congressional approval. It does not appear to be illegal to do so as long as it does not appear to be a government agency. Even if these appear to be a national memorial, they are not "National Memorials" in the sense that they have the recognition of the American people as represented by the government. An example of this is the George Washington National Masonic Memorial .