Environmental History: An Overview
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
MATES
Chapter 2
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Key Concepts
Four Major “Revolutions”
in Human Culture
U.S. Environmental History
Tribal and Frontier Era
Early Conservation Era
The Environmental Era
Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Cultural Changes and the Environment:
Hunter-Gatherer Culture
 Hunter-gatherers
 LEAVERS VS. TAKERS
 Nomadic: seasonal
 Homo sapiens 60,000 years- 12,000 years ago
movement
 Limited and local environmental impact
 Less than 50 people
 Generally work with natural processes
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1600
1700
1800
1900
Dominated by the frontier
attitude Early Settlers
Conquer the wilderness for
human use. Resources are
inexhaustable
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Cultural Changes and the Environment:
The Agricultural Revolution
Agriculture 10,000-12,000 years ago
 NE Africa SE Asia
Slash and burn/
shifting cultivation (See Fig. 2-2 p. 23)
 Sustainable left a plot alone for 30 years
Essentially sustainable resource use
Started to Increased environmental
impact
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1750
1800
1900
John James Audubon
Henry David Thoreau
George Perkins Marsh
Some conservationists were influential in raising
environmental concerns later in this period.
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Henry David Thoreau
• Massachusetts
• Wrote Life in the Woods
• Alarmed at the loss of wildlife in his home
state
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
George marsh
• Man and Nature
• Scientific case studies to show past misuse of
resources led to the rise and fall of
civilizations.
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
John James Audobon
• Hunter and painter
• Catologed numerous
birds
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Cultural Changes and the Environment:
The Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution (mid-1700’s)
 Started in England shifted to US
Shift to dependence on non-renewable
resources
 Wood to Fossil Fuels
Dramatic increase in environmental
impact Lung Ailments, Sun Blocked out, SMOG!!!
 Even changed Evolution Industrial Melanism
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1850
Yosemite and
Sequoia National
ParksLincoln 1864
1900
1950
General Revision Act
Several presidents,
particularly Theodore
Roosevelt, used this Act to
st
1 National Park:
establish 43 million acres
Yellowstone
of forest reserves.
Ulysses Grant
1872
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Cultural Changes and the Environment:
The Information Revolution/Globalization
Information
Revolution
Rate of information increase and
speed of communication
Globalizatio
n
Decrease in cultural diversity
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1850
Different worldviews
•Theodore
Roosevelt utilitarian
John Muir preservationist
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
1950
John Muir
• Founded Sierra Club
• Preservationist Movement
• Called for the protection of public lands from
exploitation
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Theodore Roosevelt
• 26th President
• The Golden Age of
Conservation
• Created wildlife reserves
• 1905 US Forest Service
Established
• 1916 National Park
Service
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of the United
States: The Tribal and Frontier Eras
 Tribal Era: Native Americans “Leavers”
 Native Americans generally low-impact
hunter-gather or agricultural societies
 Frontier Environmental Worldview:
European Settlement (1607-1890)
 Significant impact as wilderness frontier
was “tamed”
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of the United
States: The Early Conservation Era
Period: 1832-1960
Concern over resource use
Preservation of public lands
Public health initiatives
Environmental restoration projects
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1950
1900
Franklin Roosevelt
establishes CCC
Aldo Leopold’s
A Sand County Almanac
published posthumously
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
2000
Dirty Thirties
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Dust Bowl
1930-1936 Franklin
Roosevelt
• Crop Rotation
• NRCS
• CCC planted 200 million
trees
• Changed the face of the
Area forever. Many left
Never to return.
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Great Depression
• Hoover wanted to sell all public lands to
developers “depression lack of funds”
• Franklin D. Roosevelt:
• Persuaded Congress to create jobs and restore
the degraded environment
• Civilian Conservation Corps; Plant trees care
for parks 2 million employed
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1950
Wilderness Act of 1964
government to protect
undeveloped tracts of land
2000
First Earth
Day 4/20/70
Sen. Gaylord
Paul Ehrlich published Nelson
The Population Bomb 20 mill took
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
to the streets
Environmental History of the United
States: The Environmental Era
Period: 1960-2000
The environmental movement “Silent
Spring”
The science of ecology
Spaceship Earth worldview 1969 Apollo
1980’s Anti Environment
1990’s: environmental awareness
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1950
2000
Rachel Carson
published Silent
Spring
SPRAGUE ENV MATES
Important Figures During The
Environmental Era – Part 1
Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962)
(See Individuals Matter on p. 33)
Richard Nixon: EPA 1970; CWA 1972
ESA 1973
Jimmy Carter: DOE lower
dependence on foreign oil, Superfund
SPRAGUE ENV MATES