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Briana Adams
CAS 175 Section 003
Response Paper 1
20 September 2013
An Analysis of “Conservation As A National Duty”
In the year 1908, then President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt
delivered a speech entitled, “Conservation As A National Duty.” On this day, he
summoned the Conference of Governors to the White House as the American people
observed his advocacy and vision for the proper use of natural resources in our country.
His speech focused on the urgency of conservation and through the use of apotheosis of
self and appeals to tradition, Roosevelt argued that the future of civilization depends on
the wise allocation of America’s natural resources in the present.
President Theodore Roosevelt was born into an elite eastern family and developed
a strong code of ethics and morals from his philanthropic father. He saw himself as a
leader of the people and truly represented the masculine qualities of the Progressive Era:
strong, athletic, and fearless. (Cordery) In fact, his presidential nature was coined by the
phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick.” In his spare time, nature played a pivotal role
in Roosevelt’s life and was a source of comfort after his wife passed away. (Sheffield)
Therefore, when he obtained the highest office in the land, he summoned the Conference
of Governors to “consider the weightiest problem now before the Nation.” (Roosevelt 5)
The weightiest problem Roosevelt referred to was the possible exhaustion of natural
resources due to the impact of imperialism and expansion. He was deeply concerned that
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if consumption trends continued at its present rate, that “dark will be the future”
(Roosevelt 31) and that future generations would be at a severe disadvantage.
Roosevelt opened his speech by declaring his purpose, which was to discuss the
“question of conservation and use of the great fundamental sources of wealth of this
Nation,” with state governors and the American people. (Roosevelt 2) As President of the
United States, he used his ethos and platform to speak directly to the public. This
coincided with the theme of this Progressive Era in America, which was to spread a clear,
simple message to a wider audience. His audience reacted positively to his message. In
fact, there were many sporadic moments of applause and laughter. According to
Sheffield, the conference was so effective that thereafter, the “governors present[ed] a
signed unanimous declaration supporting Roosevelt’s view of conservation” along with
the creation of various conservation commissions. (Sheffield)
One of the ways Roosevelt propagandized his speech was through the inundation
of appeals to tradition and history. He makes strong connections to successful
civilizations throughout history and the impact on the environment thereafter. Roosevelt
suggests that, “with the rise of peoples from savagery to civilization…there comes a
steadily increasing growth of the amount demanded by this average man from the actual
resources of the country.” (Roosevelt 6) This populist technique helps to bridge the gap
of education and knowledge between the Senators and Representatives in Congress,
members of the Supreme Court, and the common man, who were all in attendance. In
addition, he sets a premise for the current issue at hand. The rise of civilizations would be
nearly impossible without abusing the environment to some extent. As pioneers and
explorers began to discover and mark new land for their respective countries, thus began
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the slow degradation of natural resources. He mentioned the banks of the Nile and the
Euphrates, as well as America during the late 1770’s, to demonstrate how far America
has advanced and developed industrially throughout history. Roosevelt’s tone was
understanding, and made it clear that the United States would not be at its industrial,
economical, and political position without the use of natural resources. He argued that
“our position in the world as been attained by the extent and thoroughness of the control
we have achieved over nature” and that now it was the moral responsibility of Americans
to conserve nature for generations to come. Roosevelt claimed that as a highly civilized
people, Americans know more than early civilizations and forefathers did, and with this
foresight, should apply it to the critical use of materials.
Moreover, the exaggerated use of apotheosis of self was another technique
Roosevelt used to inculcate this moral obligation of conservation into the 1908
Conference of Governors. He made constant references to America being a great nation
and the levels to which it has developed compared to any other group or civilization.
After doing so, he attributed this to the abundant resources that America possesses.
Roosevelt asserts that, “Our position in the world has been attained by the extent and
thoroughness of the control we have achieved over nature.” (Roosevelt 20) He did this to
not only build up the esteem of his audience, but to associate this level of integrity and
prestige with a moral responsibility to take action. He took one step further and referred
to America as being supplied by Nature to a higher degree “than has ever been the case at
any other time or with any other people.” (20) Roosevelt urged that the American people
now owe Nature the proper respect it deserves before it is permanently depleted.
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Overall, Roosevelt effectively used the aforementioned populist techniques to
persuade the American people and attendees of the 1908 Conference of Governors that it
was their moral duty to control the trends of excessive consumption and move towards a
more conservative attitude. He explained how the prestige and authority that the United
States now possessed was due to the sacrifice and detriment of the environment.
Therefore, it was then the responsibility of the United States to protect the resources it
had been given. The public positively received his speech and applauded him throughout
the speech, and he has gone down in history for advocating the creation of National Parks
along with other environmental efforts. His theme for a conservative minded population
still reigns triumphant today. With the recent theories of global warming and the danger
that fossil fuels are imposing on society, the words and ideas from this 1908 progressive
speech still remain relevant in 2013. Environmentalists and scientists are weary that one
day we will exhaust our nonrenewable sources as Roosevelt warned in his speech.
Perhaps Roosevelt is right, that it is time for such a civilized nation to allocate our
resources wisely and find innovative ways to utilize our renewable sources before it is too
late.
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Works Cited
Encyclopedia of American Studies, ed. Simon J. Bronner (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2013), s.v. "Roosevelt, Theodore” (by Stacy A. Cordery),
http://eas-ref.press.jhu.edu/view?aid=564 (accessed September 18, 2013).
Sheffield, Jessica. THEODORE ROOSEVELT, "CONSERVATION AS A NATIONAL
DUTY.” Voices of Democracy, 2011. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.
Roosevelt, Theodore. Conservation as a National Duty. 1908. MS. Library of Congress,
Washington, DC. Voices of Democracy. Web. 20 Sept. 2013.