The oldest public park in the United States is Boston Common, which was first established on September 13th 1634. This historic landmark was created as a buffer for downtown and became an important meeting place for colonists during colonial times. It has been used to host many famous events including speeches by President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., protests against slavery, labor rallies, peace demonstrations, concerts from rockers like Simon & Garfunkel and Aerosmith plus more recent performances from artists like Bruce Springsteen or Tony Bennett.