APUSH
Environment
Marcelle Gentile B Period
The first to develop a sense of respect for nature was the native inhabitants of america. Native
Americans valued the spiritual aspects of the environment and conserved the beauty of their
surroundings.
Homestead Act
Culture Act
Permitted citizens to buy 160
acres of public land for a low price
after inhabiting it for a long time
In the west this caused wild land to be converted to
farmland
Timber
This gave homesteaders an additional 160
acres of land if they agreed to plant 40 acres
of trees on it
The period of industrialization polluted the air, destroyed wildlife and
ruined ecosystems
The building of the US railroad system lead to the mass decline in the population of buffalo which were
shot for game.Buffalo had dominated the Great Plains before Americans had moved in. Native Americans
had lived off buffalo while sustaining their population. Whites however killed Buffalo for fun and food while
contributing to the decline of their population with the breeding of cattle.
FDR
NEW DEAL
The Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC)
“Roosevelt’s Tree Army,” was open to unemployed, unmarried U.S. male citizens between the ages of 18 and
26. All recruits had to be healthy and were expected to perform hard physical labor. The CCC fought forest
fires, planted trees, cleared and maintained access roads, re-seeded grazing lands and implemented soilerosion controls. They built wildlife refuges, fish-rearing facilities, water storage basins and animal shelters.
To encourage citizens to get out and enjoy America’s natural resources, FDR authorized the CCC to build
bridges and campground facilities. This paved the road for future conservation programs nationwide.
FDR NEW DEAL CONSERVATION
POLITICAL CARTOONS
Silent Spring By Rachel Carson 1960s
“In nature nothing exists alone”
Her writing protested the contamination of air,
land, and water, through the use of pesticides
This novel started a new wave of ecological
awareness
1970s Ecology Movement
Hippies of the 70s originally promoted the conservation of nature however the movement went mainstream
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Santa Barbara Oil Spill.
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Nixon also supported the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
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Clean Air and Water Acts
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National Environmental Policy Act- Signed by Richard Nixon 1970.
Earth Day
Earth Day was founded by Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson April 22, 1970.
Inspired 20,000,000 people across the nation to take to the streets and protest in favor of the environment.
Anti Vietnam War feelings and increased ecological concerns gave rise to Earth Day.
Earth Day left a lasting effect on the US views of the environment and is still celebrated today