Lily Gardner
Gabi Hacker
Ryan Silver
Srishti Goswamy
Question 1 (Document-Based Question): 55 minutes
Suggested Reading period: 15 minutes
Suggested writing period: 40 minutes
Directions: Question 1 is based on the accompanying documents. The documents have been edited
for the purpose of this exercise. You are advised to spend 15 minutes reading and planning and 45
minutes writing your answer.
Write your responses on the lined pages that follow the question.
In your response you should do the following:
· State a relevant thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question.
· Support the thesis or a relevant argument with evidence from all, or all but one, of the
documents.
· Incorporate analysis of all, or all but one, of the documents into your argument.
· Focus your analysis of each document on at least one of the following: intended audience,
purpose, historical context, and/or point of view.
· Support your argument with analysis of historical examples outside the documents
· Connect historical phenomena relevant to your argument to broader events or processes.
· Synthesize the elements above into a persuasive essay that extends your argument, connects it to
a different historical context, or accounts for contradictory evidence on the topic.
1. Analyze how President Theodore Roosevelt’s conservationist efforts marked a turning point in the
government’s attitude towards the environment.
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Document 1
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Document 2
Source: The Fight for Conservation by Gifford Pinchot, 1910
CHAPTER X: AN EQUAL CHANCE
The American people have evidently made up their minds that our natural resources must be conserved. That is
good. But it settles only half the question. For whose benefit shall they be conserved for the benefit of the many,
or for the use and profit of the few? The great conflict now being fought will decide. There is no other question
before us that begins to be so important, or that will be so difficult to straddle, as the great question between
special interest and equal opportunity, between the privileges of the few and the rights of the many, between
government by men for human welfare and government by money for profit, between the men who stand for the
Roosevelt policies and the men who stand against them. This is the heart of the conservation problem today.
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Document 3
Source: The Extermination of American Bison by William T. Hornaday, 1889.
CAUSES OF THE EXTERMINATION [OF BISON]
The primary cause of the buffalos extermination, and the one which embraced all others, was the
descent of civilization, with all its elements of destructiveness, upon the whole of the country
inhabited by that animal. From the Great Slave Lake to the Rio Grande, the home of the buffalo
was everywhere overrun by the man with a gun; and, as has ever been the case, the wild creatures
were gradually swept away, the largest and most conspicuous forms being the first to go.
Document 4
Source: Roosevelt Cartoon of the 1900’s from the Chicago ‘Record Herald’ by Ralph Wilder
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Document 5
Source: Antiquities Act of 1906
Any person who shall appropriate, excavate, injure, or destroy any historic or prehistoric ruin or
monument, or any object of antiquity, situated on lands owned or controlled by the Government of
the United States, without the permission of the Secretary of the Department of the Government
having jurisdiction over the lands on which said antiquities are situated, shall, upon conviction, be
fined in a sum of not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for a period of not more than
ninety days, or shall suffer both fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court.
Document 6
Source: “New Nationalism” written by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910
“Conservation is a great moral issue for it involves the patriotic duty of ensuring the safety and the
continuance of the nation. Let me add that the health and vitality of our people are at least as well
worth conserving as their forests, waters, lands, and minerals, and in this great work the national
government must bear a most important part.”
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Document 7
Source: political cartoon by Robert Minor
END OF DOCUMENTS FOR QUESTION 1
DBQ Notes
Prompt: Analyze how President Theodore Roosevelt’s conservationist efforts marked a turning
point in the government’s attitude towards the environment.
SCORING NOTES
Thesis: Possible thesis statements could include the following.
 Prior to President Roosevelt’s administration, the government placed business concerns
above environmental considerations, but Roosevelt’s conservationist efforts shifted the
government’s stance to one that took legal action to preserve the environment to make
both its beauty and natural resources available to future generations.
 President Roosevelt’s environmental policies, which he undertook more for conserving
natural resources for human use rather than to preserve the environment, were
nonetheless pivotal in positively shaping the American government’s behavior towards
the earth.
Analysis of Documents
As explained in the scoring notes, to earn full credit for analyzing documents, responses must
include at least one of the following for all or all but one of the documents: intended audience,
purpose, historical context, author’s point of view. Although examples of these elements are
listed below, these examples of analysis must explicitly be used in support of a stated thesis or a
relevant argument.
Doc.1
Source: U.S. Geological Survey
Intended Audience: people interested in the history of the American national parks, people
interested in President Roosevelt’s conservationist efforts
Purpose: To document the dates and locations of national parks founded during President
Roosevelt’s administration
Historical context: Roosevelt was an avid naturalist, conservationist, and sportsperson. In 1903,
he took a camping trip to Yosemite Valley with conservationist John Muir, who persuaded him
to found Yosemite National Park and influenced him to found many more national parks. The
Niagara Falls conference of 1905 reflects the development of new progressive attitudes in the
US.
Author’s point of view: The chart was created by the U.S. Geological Survey, a national data
gathering body, so the information is probably unbiased.
Doc.2
Source: The Fight for Conservation by Gifford Pinchot
Intended Audience: American public, conservationists, American government
Purpose: To persuade the public of the necessity of preserving the environment in Roosevelt’s
legacy.
Historical context: Pinchot - Ballinger scandal. Pinchot was an important conservationist in the
government who accused Ballinger of leasing illegal land in Alaska. The Supreme Court decided
to break up Standard Oil a year later in 1911. Mann - Elkins act of 1910 signals a shift in attitude
towards government intervention.
Author’s point of view: Because Pinchot was the first Chief of the United States Forest Service,
naturally he would support Roosevelt’s environmentalist policies.
Doc.3
Source: The Extermination of American Bison by William T. Hornaday, 1889
Intended Audience: buffalo hunters, Plains settlers, conservationists, American government,
American public
Purpose: To inform the reader that the dramatic decrease in buffalo population was due to
excessive human settlement and hunting.
Historical context: The transcontinental railroads, built in the late 1800s, allowed farmers,
miners, and cattle herders to settle in the Great Plains. This sudden increase in settlement largely
drove the buffalo population, the main food source of the Plains Indians, to near extinction.
Continual expansion of the US, North & South Dakota, Montana, and Washington added as
states in 1889.
Author’s point of view: As William T. Hornaday was a conservationist, zoologist, and the first
director of the Bronx Zoo, it follows that he would be upset by the decimation of the buffalo
herds.
Doc.4
Source: Roosevelt cartoon of the 1900’s from the Chicago ‘Record Herald’ by Granger
Intended Audience: Lumber corporations, conservationists, American government, American
public, Theodore Roosevelt supporters.
Purpose: To promote the conservation of U.S public lands and show Theodore Roosevelt’s
strong stance in the conservationist movement
Historical context: The US population has now reached 75 million at this point, as a result more
resources are required to sustain that larger population. The Newlands Reclamation Act of 1902
developed a series of irrigation projects for 20 states, the government is undertaking more
projects that manipulate natural resources.
Author’s point of view: Theodore Roosevelt’s conservationist efforts were beneficial to the
environment even though they limited production and limited trusts.
Doc.5
Source: Antiquities Act of 1906
Intended Audience: companies that use natural resources (ex. trees), conservationists, American
government,
Purpose: Protect the natural resources and to the objects of historic or scientific interest such as
pre-historic ruins and artifacts
Historical context: Pure Food and Drug Act passed this year, Theodore Roosevelt wins a nobel
peace prize for negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth, San Francisco earthquake destroys approx.
80% of city.
Author’s point of view: The majority of Congress, whom passed the law, was Republican, and
therefor had a majority support for Theodore Roosevelt.
Doc.6
Source: “New Nationalism” written by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910
Intended Audience: Conservationists, American public, American government
Purpose: To persuade the American public that the conservation of nature is as important as
their ”vitality” and it is the key to the survival of the nation. Also, it is written as a call to the
government to seek its support in the conservationist movement.
Historical context: The Boy Scouts of America was created, providing the oppurtunity for
young boys to develop an early sense of patriotism. Mann - Elkins act was signed into law,
which was an example of the progressive reforms being passed at the time that favored the
individual over the corporations.
Author’s point of view: Roosevelt had strong feelings toward the conservation of the natural
resources of the nation and was a nationalist. Also, he had a reputation for trust busting.
Doc.7
Source: A political cartoon by Robert Minor
Intended Audience: American Conservationists, American government
Purpose: to demonstrate the Ballinger- Pinchot controversy in which William H. Taft replaces
Pinchot with Ballinger.
Historical context: The Ballinger - Pinchot controversy in part caused the split of the
Republican party during the 1912 election, in which Roosevelt broke off and formed his own
“Bull Moose” party, causing the election to have four candidates: the Democrat Woodrow
Wilson, Republican William H. Taft, Socialist Eugene Debs, and Roosevelt himself.
Author’s point of view: Taft aggressively replaced Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of the
Interior, Pinchot, with his own cowardly Ballinger, replacing Theodore’s conservationist
policies.
Analysis of outside examples to support thesis/argument:
Possible examples of information not found in the documents that could be used to support the
stated thesis or a relevant argument could include the following.
 “Pot hunters”
 Devils Tower National Monument
 National Conservation Commission
 Withdrawal Act
 John Muir
 Alaska Game Act 1902
 Newlands Act 1902
 American Forest Congress 1905
 Antiquities Act of 1906
 Agriculture Appropriations Act of 1907
 Hetch Hetchy Controversy
 Public Lands Commission
 John Wesley Powell
 Richard Achilles Ballinger
 Yellowstone, Sequoia, and Mount Rainier national parks
 Manifest Destiny
Contextualization:
Students can earn a point for contextualization by accurately and explicitly connecting historical
phenomena relevant to the argument to broader historical events and/or processes. These
historical phenomena may include, but are not limited to, the following.
 Progressivism
 Split of the Republican Party
 Conservation vs. preservation
 Expansion of federal power
 Industrialization
 Expanding democracy
 State Reforms
 Trust busting by McKinley
 Theodore Roosevelt’s Trust Busting
 Rise in immigration
Synthesis:
Essays can earn the point for synthesis by crafting a persuasive and coherent essay. This can be
accomplished providing a conclusion that extends or modifies the analysis in the essay, by using
disparate and sometimes contradictory evidence from primary and/or secondary sources to craft a
coherent argument, or by connecting to another historical period or context. Examples could
include, but are not limited to, the following.


The manner in which William Taft both continued T.R’s conservationist efforts and
modified his policy during his presidency.
The change in attitude of the federal government from previous environmental policies
(or lack thereof) that viewed America's nature as a potential resource to be exploited for
profit rather than something that should be preserved.




The role played by Manifest Destiny in shaping American behavior towards the
environment prior to Roosevelt’s administration.
Parallels to the environmentalist movement in the 1960s, including the effects of Rachel
Carson’s Silent Spring.
The industrial era of the Market Revolution.
Jeffersonian ideals of less industrial influence
Lily Gardner
Gabi Hacker
Ryan Silver
Srishti Goswamy
Sample Essay
With the death of William McKinley in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest
president in the nation’s history. Roosevelt brought this sense of youth and change to his
administration, which reflected the Progressive belief in government intervention to promote
positive social and economic progress. One area where Progressivism was particularly apparent
in Roosevelt’s policy was his attitude towards the environment. Prior to President Roosevelt’s
administration, the government placed business concerns above environmental considerations,
but Roosevelt’s conservationist efforts shifted the government’s stance to one that took legal
action to protect the environment both as a moral effort to preserve its beauty and a pragmatic
effort to preserve its natural resources for future generations.
The government made few conservationist efforts or policies before Roosevelt’s
administration, instead focusing on how the environment could benefit America economically.
William T. Hordnay’s “The Extermination of Bison,” reflected the ideology of Manifest Destiny,
the belief that Americans had the God-given right to settle the land, which led to the
development of the transcontinental railroad (Doc. 3). The railroad caused a sudden increase in
settlement by farmers, miners, and cattle herders, driving the buffalo population to near
extinction. The pre-Roosevelt government supported the development of the transcontinental
railroad due to its economic benefits, such as more trade, largely ignoring its effects on the
buffalo habitat. In addition, there were only a few national parks created before the Roosevelt
administration, possibly due to their cost, which intimidated the economically and not
environmentally focused government. During his presidency,however, Roosevelt established a
series of national parks such as Wind Cave, Mesa Verde, and Crater Lake (Doc. 1). One major
factor leading to the parks’ establishment was Roosevelt’s 1903 camping trip with John Muir, a
leading preservationist and founder of the Sierra Club, who showed the president the natural
beauty of the Sierras and helped persuade him to found Yellowstone National Park, one of the
first of many created during the president’s administration. The conservationist efforts made by
Roosevelt, such as the founding of various national parks, contrasted sharply with the sole
importance placed on economic benefits before his presidency.
President Roosevelt helped change government environmental policy because he
believed he had a moral duty to protect the earth's beauty. In his book New Nationalism,
Roosevelt described conservation as a moral and patriotic issue (Doc 6). As an avid naturalist
and hunter, he appreciated the environment for its aesthetic value rather than just its potential for
human use, which caused him to view conservation from a moral standpoint. Roosevelt also
translated these beliefs into legal policy. The Antiquities Act of 1906 threatened those that
harmed federal land with fines and imprisonment (Doc 5). Partly passed because of the
Republican majority in Congress at the time, the Antiquities Act allowed the government to
protect lands designated as national monuments as well as national parks. This led to the
founding of Grand Canyon National Monument and Devil’s Tower national monument.
Roosevelt’s administration saw an increase in the government’s protection for land based on
moral concerns, such as natural beauty or scientific interest.
Another reason Roosevelt pushed for conservation was because he believed natural
resources must be used carefully to preserve them for future generations. Granger’s cartoon from
the Chicago Record Herald showed President Roosevelt’s history of trust busting by depicting
him blocking lumber trusts from using American land for natural materials and profit. The
cartoon may have been inspired by the Agricultural Appropriations Act of 1907, which resulted
in millions of acres of land designated as national forests, preserving areas of natural beauty or
scientific interest (Doc 4). After Roosevelt’s administration, Gifford Pinchot stated in his book
The Fight for Conservation that Americans disagreed about whether resources should be used for
profit or for preservation (Doc 2) As the first Chief of The United States Forest Service, Pinchot
naturally wanted to continue Roosevelt’s environmental legacy by supporting his preservation
policies, but many officials in government wanted the land to be used for private profit. In his
cartoon, Robert Minor shows the incumbent president Taft supporting Ballinger and the spirit of
Roosevelt supporting Pinchot during the Ballinger-Pinchot controversy, in which the director of
the Forest Service Pinchot accused Secretary of the Interior Ballinger of participating in the
illegal leasing of coal-rich land in Alaska (Doc 7). When Taft sided with Ballinger and fired
Pinchot, the controversy, among other factors, led Theodore Roosevelt to break away from the
Republicans and form his own “Bull Moose” party in 1912. Though the administrations after
Roosevelt’s undid some of his environmentalist efforts,the split of the Republican party marked a
turning point in that environmental conflicts began to cause significant political repercussions.
President Roosevelt helped shaped the government into one that took environmental issues into
consideration in order to use natural resources gradually and wisely.
President Theodore Roosevelt’s environmentalist policies were pivotal in changing the
government’s attitude from one that viewed the earth’s resources as available for unrestricted use
to one that understood natural resources must be conserved both because of their beauty and for
long-term sustenance. This rise in conservationist efforts during the early 1900s, reflected by the
government’s increased legal action, mirrored the later environmental movement in the 1960s,
which was heavily influenced by the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring on the effects
of DDT.