Environmental History of the
United States
U.S. Environmental History
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The environmental history of the United States
can be divided into 4 eras:
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Tribal
Frontier
Conservation
Environmental
What Happened During The Tribal
Era?
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North America was occupied by 5-10 million
tribal people for 10,000 years before settlers
began arriving in the early 1600s.
These indigenous people practiced hunting and
gathering, burned and cleared fields, and
planted crops.
Because of their small populations and simple
technologies, they had a fairly low
environmental impact.
Tribal Era cont.
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Most Native American cultures had a deep
respect for the land and its animals and did not
believe in land ownership.
What Happened During the Frontier
Era (1607-1890)?
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The frontier era began in the early 1600s when
European colonists began settling North America.
Early colonists developed a frontier environmental
worldview.
They view most of the continent as wilderness with
vast resources.
Forests were cleared for timber and cropland, but also
because they were hostile and full of savages and
wild beasts
Frontier Era cont.
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Settling of the continent and use of its
resources was accelerated by the transfer of
vast tracts of public land to private interests
between 1850 and 1900.
In 1850, the U.S. government owned about
80% of the total land area of the territorial
United States.
Tribal cultures accounted for 4% of the land,
mostly in reservations designated by the
government
Frontier Era cont.
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The Homestead Act of 1862: settlers were
given 160 acres in the Great Plains free of
charge.
By 1900, more than half of the country’s
public land was given away or sold cheaply to
railroad, timber, and mining companies, land
developers, states, schools, universities, and
homesteaders.
A homesteader family stands near their home
in Florissant, Colorado.
Frontier Era cont.
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The frontier environmental view prevailed
until the government declared the frontier
closed in 1890.
Does the frontier environmental view remain a
part of American culture today?
By 1890, settlements had spread throughout the Great Plains
and Far West, though large areas were thinly populated.
That year, the government reported that no frontiers were left.
The Early Conservation Era
(1832-1960)
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Who were some early conservationists (183270)?
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During this time, some people became alarmed at
the scope of resource depletion and degradation in
the United States
Two early conservationists Henry David Thoreau
and George Perkins Marsh.
Henry David Thoreau
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Thoreau became alarmed at the loss of
numerous wildlife species in Massachusetts.
To gain a better understanding of nature, he
built a cabin on Walden Pond and lived there
for 2 years by himself.
While there, he wrote Life in the Woods, and
environmental classic.
Henry David Thoreau
George Perkins Marsh
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A scientist and member
of congress from
Vermont, published
Man and Nature, which
helped legislators and
citizens see the need for
resource conservation.
What Happened Between
1870-1930?
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The Forest Preserve Act of 1891: established
the responsibility of the federal government for
protecting public lands from resource
exploitation.
1870-1930
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In 1892, nature preservationist and activist John Muir
founded the Sierra Club.
Muir advocated for the protection of large areas
wilderness on public lands from human exploitation,
except for low-impact recreational activities such as
camping and hiking.
Muir also lobbied for a national park system on
public land, an idea that became law in 1916 (2 years
after his death).
Adirondack Park
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1885 - The legislature adopted legislation
establishing the Forest Preserve (FP) stating
that the land “shall be forever kept as wild
forest lands.”
This was the start of protecting the Adirondack
wilderness.
Theodore Roosevelt
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Roosevelt’s presidency (1901-09) became
known as the Golden Age of Conservation.
Major contributions:
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Designating public land as wildlife refuges
Established 1st federal wildlife refuge on Pelican
Island n Florida
Designated Grand Canyon as one of the 1st
national parks
Tripled the size of national forest preserves
Men and Nature must work hand in hand. The throwing
out of balance of the resources of Nature throws out of
balance also the lives of men.
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir
on Glacier Point,
Yosemite Valley, California
Important Congressional Acts of the
Early 1900s
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1905- Congress created U.S. Forest Service
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Led Gifford Pinchot
Pinchot pioneered scientific management of forest
resources on public lands
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Sustainable yield- cutting trees no faster than they can
regenerate
Multiple use- using lands for a variety of purposes,
including resource extraction, recreation, and wildlife
protection
Important Congressional Acts of the
Early 1900s
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1906- Congress passed Antiquities Act which
allowed a president to protect areas of
scientific or historical interest
1916- Congress passed the National Park
Service Act
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Declared parks were to be maintained in to leave
them unimpaired for future generations
Established the National Park Service
Different Views on
Environmentalism
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Wise-use or Conservationist (Roosevelt and
Pinchot)- Believed all public lands should be
managed wisely and scientifically to provide
needed resources.
Preservationists (Muir)- wanted wilderness areas
on public lands to be left untouched.
What Happened Between 1930 and
1960?
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Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)- planted trees,
developed and maintained parks and recreation
areas, flood control, protect wildlife
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)- replant forests
Soil Conservation Act of 1935- established to fix
erosion problems from the dust bowl
The Environmental Era
(1960-2002)
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1962- Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring,
which documented pollution of air, water, and
wildlife from pesticides such as DDT.
Carson’s book was viewed as the beginning of
the modern environmental movement
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Many citizens demanded that politicians enact
laws:
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1.) curtailed pollution,
2.) cleaned up polluted environments
3.) protect wilderness from environmental degradation
Wilderness Act
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In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act
that authorized the government to protect
undeveloped tracts of public land as part of the
National Wilderness System.
What Happened in the 1970s?
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First annual Earth Day was held April 20,
1970.
President Nixon established the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
1970.
Nixon also supported passage of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973.
President Jimmy Carter
(1977-1981)
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Helped create a Superfund as part of the
Comprehensive Environment Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to clean up
abandoned hazardous waste sites, including the Love
Canal near Niagara Falls, NY.
Used Antiquities Act of 1906 to triple the amount of
land in the National Wilderness System and double
the area in the National Park System.
What Did Ronald Reagan Do?
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Appointed individuals who opposed most existing
environmental and public land use laws and policies.
Increased private energy and mineral development
and timber cutting on public lands.
Cut federal funding for research on energy
conservation and renewable energy resources and
eliminated tax incentives for solar energy use.
Lowered automobile gas mileage standards and
relaxed federal air and water quality pollution
standards.
"A tree's a tree. How many more do you
need to look at?"
--Ronald Reagan
George Bush (1989)
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Promised to be “the environmental president”
However, he supported the exploitation of
valuable resources on public lands
Allowed some environmental laws to be
undercut by the powerful influence of industry,
mining, ranching, and real estate development
officials
What Happened From 1990 to 2002?
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In 1993, Bill Clinton became president
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Consulted with environmentalists about
environmental policy
Vetoed most anti-environmental bills
Announced regulations requiring SUVs to meet
same air pollution standards as cars
Made forest health the primary priority in
managing national forests
Declared many roadless areas in national forests
off limits to roads and logging
President George W. Bush (2001-)
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Did not consult with environmental groups and
leaders in developing his policies
Increased private energy and mineral
development and timber cutting on public
lands
Cut EPA funding
Opposed U.S. participation in the international
Kyoto treaty to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions that promote global warming
5 Most Important Environmental
Issues of the 21st Century
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Threat to climate change from global
warming
Growing water shortages
Continuing population growth
Continuing biodiversity loss
Continuing poverty