Theodore Roosevelt -
Environmentalism
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Difference between Conservation and
Environmentalism
President Theodore
Roosevelt was an ardent conservationist during the
Progressive era. His political goal was to prevent
unscrupulous Robber Barons
from exploiting and squandering the natural resources of
America. He believed that natural resources and nature
should be protected from the devastation and destruction
wreaked by these uncaring and uncompassionate men. The
basis of his belief in conservation was that the natural
resources of America should used in an efficient,
orderly and planned manner to avoid waste, pollution and
exploitation. Advocates of environmentalism adopted a
more extreme philosophy believing that all nature was
sacred and that man were intruders, who should be able
to look, but not to interfere with the environment.
Environmentalism History: President Theodore Roosevelt
President
Roosevelt walked a fine line between Conservation and
Environmentalism. He sought to regulate big businesses
associated with the natural resources of America,
without destroying their economic efficiency.
His progressive
reform programs led to his "Square
Deal" domestic policy in which he pledged not to
favor any group of Americans but to be fair to all. His
intention was to "substitute a planned and orderly
development of our resources in place of a haphazard
striving for immediate profit." To this end he
implemented progressive and aggressive political
reforms, including the heavy regulation of business as
well as supporting the conservationists and
environmentalists by preserving the untouched wilderness
and establishing nature reserves.
American Environmentalism History for
kids:
The Early Environmentalism History - Causes
The Early Environmentalism History - Causes were caused by man's
interference to the natural habitat of
animals, birds and fish, man's destruction of plants and
trees, changes to natural water supplies and air pollution.
The following table describes the
early Environmentalism History - Causes which led to the philosophy
of Environmentalism:
Environmentalism History for kids:
Early Environmentalism History - Causes
Environmentalism History - Causes:
The Exploitation of Natural Resources
in America without planning or foresight
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Soil erosion, and the mass movement
of land and environmental degradation caused by the
depletion of natural resources for profit
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Man's interference to the
natural habitat of
animals, birds and fish and the extinction or decline of
wildlife
Environmentalism History - Causes:
The intrusion of man led to the near
extinction of the buffalo that were killed for sport
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Human destruction of plants and
trees, changes to natural water supplies and air
pollution
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Changes to water supplies such as the
damming of rivers for mills cut off natural water
supplies and disturbed the natural habitat of animals
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Forest clearance resulted in further
changes to river and stream flows that led a decrease in
bird population which helped control insects and other
pests
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Environmental degradation caused by
the application of new inventions and advanced
technology leading to pollution of the air and water
Environmentalism History - Causes:
Environmental degradation caused by
the increase in human population increasing pollution,
poverty and poor sanitation resulting in deadly
epidemics
Environmentalism History for kids:
Early Environmentalism History - Causes
American Environmentalism History for
kids
The history of Environmentalism was responsible for alerting the American public
to the consequences of American policies and industries that were
destroying the 'Land of the Free". The causes and reasons for
Environmentalist movement have their roots in the
history of the United States.
The events in Environmentalism
History start with the policy of Westward Expansion and the notion
of the Manifest Destiny.
American Environmentalism History for
kids:
Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny
The United States
acquisition of vast tracts of land,
the sheer size and enormous potential of the North American
continent led policy of continuous
Westward Expansion.
America
offered a range of different features; trees, vegetation,
animals and raw materials. The potential of the new resources and
the massive areas of free land motivated Americans to move west.
The early settlers were inspired by the belief that the
Manifest
Destiny of the United States was God's will and
a divine right of the American people.
American Environmentalism History for
kids:
Transportation Systems
Westward Expansion would not have been achieved at such a fast rate
had it not been for new transportation systems. The era of
road building
enabled the first settlers to travel along
the
Cumberland Road and pioneers established the
Santa Fe Trail
and the
Oregon
Trail, the major gateways to the west.
The lands once occupied by Native American Indians and Fur Traders
saw the influx of new settlers.
The economic policy of the 'American
System' was adopted that created a subsidized transportation
infrastructure of new roads and canals.
The
Erie Canal
linked the Atlantic coast and New York to the Great Lakes and
allowed the passage of boats inland carrying produce and passengers.
The invention of steam engines result in
Steamboats appearing on western rivers. And then the era of the
Railroads began.
The
Transcontinental Railroad was completed
in 1869 joining the
eastern and western parts of the United States. The
transportation systems that developed in the United States had
a massive impact on the environment and played an important part in
Environmentalism History.
American Environmentalism History:
The Industrial Revolution
The new forms of transport would not have
been possible without the
Industrial Revolution
Inventions.
The Industrial Revolution inventions had a massive impact on the
environment.
America was brimming with natural resources but needed mills and
factories to make manufactured goods.
There were enormous changes in agricultural and manufacturing
processes that led to the mechanization of industry and the
Industrialization of America.
American Environmentalism History:
Industrialization
The
Industrialization
in America
saw a huge impact on the environment and
played a major role in the pollution of the country. The economic
system of Free Enterprise and Laissez-Faire resulted in the
accumulation of massive wealth by the
Robber Barons
and the
Rise of Big Business and Corporations. The natural resources of America
were exploited by men who cared nothing
for the environment or conservation, they were driven purely by
profit. They developed a "tradition of
waste" that was devoid of proper planning or foresight. The Mining Industries
extracted natural resources such as coal, iron, copper, gold,
silver and oil. The mining companies used inefficient and wasteful mining practices devoid of government
regulation. The timber and
logging industries used unplanned and destructive methods,
often leading to uncontrolled forest fires. The railroad
companies and land speculators purchased vast tracts of lands and forests
that they destroyed in their quest for wealth.
Factories and the Factory System was
established to produce all types of goods and Americans moved from a
rural, agricultural environment to an urban, city environment during
the Industrialization of America which in turn led to terrible
pollution during the Urbanization of the United States.
American Environmentalism History:
Urbanization
The
rapid
Urbanization in
America,
sparked by the process of Industrialization, led to
the development of cheap
accommodation in dark, crowded, unpleasant and unhealthy
living conditions. Pollution and poor sanitation led to
deadly epidemics in the towns an cities. There was a lack of
adequate waste disposal systems resulting in large amounts of
untreated waste and raw sewage. The lack of adequate sanitation led
to the contamination of the water supply and triggered deadly
epidemics of cholera and typhoid fever. Pollution was a major factor
of Urbanization as horse waste was left in the streets and the smoke
that belched from the factories polluted the air. The problems of
pollution were largely ignored and the ever increasing demand for
cheap labor saw the unprecedented rise in Immigration.
American Environmentalism History:
Immigration
Between 1881 and 1890 a total of 5,246,613 immigrants
arrived in the United States. This explosion in the population
due to the unprecedented
Immigration levels impacted the environment and the lack of
planning added to the problems of over crowding and pollution. The
harmful aspects of increased population and human activity led to
pollution, degradation of the environment, and the depletion of
resources. In 1890 people started to clamor for reform which saw the
beginning of Environmental Problems.
American Environmentalism History for
kids:
The Progressive Movement
The problems in America led to the
Progressive Movement
(1890 - 1920) that encompassing many
pressure groups and reform movements including the Conservation
Movement and the Environmentalists.
American Environmentalism History:
The Conservation Movement and the Environmentalists
The members of the Conservation
Movement and the Environmentalists, with their philosophy of
Environmentalism, were galvanized into action by the realization
that the America they knew and loved was disappearing before their
eyes. The Environmentalists responsible for awakening the conscience
of Americans and promoting the philosophy of Environmentalism are
detailed in
Famous
Environmentalists.
American Environmentalism History Timeline for kids
The
Environmentalism History provides interesting facts about
American Environmentalism History. The
information on the Environmentalism History is told in
a factual, date sequence consisting of a series of
short facts providing a simple method of relating
the history and events in the Environmentalism
History.
American Environmentalism
History Timeline for kids
Environmentalism History Fact 01:
1800: The start of the First
Industrial Revolution in America
Environmentalism History Fact 02:
1811: Construction of
Cumberland Road that begins in Maryland
Environmentalism History Fact 03:
1807: Steamboats revolutionized river
travel and river trade.
Environmentalism History Fact 04:
1816: The American System creates a
subsidized transportation infrastructure of new roads
and canals in America
Environmentalism History Fact 05:
1821: Santa Fe Trail opens stretching
900 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe (now
New Mexico)
Environmentalism History Fact 06:
1825: Erie Canal opens stretching 363
miles and inspires a canal-building boom
Environmentalism History Fact 07:
1830: The American railroad era begins
Environmentalism History Fact 08:
1832: Hot Springs Reservation was the
first area to be designated for government protection.
Environmentalism History Fact 09:
1836: Ralph Waldo Emerson defines the
ideals of American conservation and Environmentalism in
his 1836 essay entitled "Nature".
Environmentalism History Fact 10:
1840: The first settlers and wagon
trains travel west on the 2000 mile Oregon Trail
Environmentalism History Fact 11:
1841: George Caitlin publishes
Manners, Customs, and Condition of the North American
Indians
Environmentalism History Fact 12:
1849: Policy of Westward Expansion is established
together with the belief in Manifest Destiny
Environmentalism History Fact 13:
1850: The Hudson River School
American art movement is established
Environmentalism History Fact 14:
1851: Henry David Thoreau delivers a speech declaring that "in Wildness is the
preservation of the World."
Environmentalism History Fact 15:
1854: Henry David Thoreau publishes
'Walden' or 'Life in the Woods'
Environmentalism History Fact 16:
1860: The start of the Second
Industrial Revolution and the Industrialization of
America
Environmentalism History Fact 17:
1860's: The Rise of Big Business and corporations and
the Robber Barons
Environmentalism History Fact 18:
1868: The
Transcontinental Railroad was completed
Environmentalism History Fact 19:
1872: Yellowstone National Park is
created by an Act of Congress
Environmentalism History Fact 20:
1875: John LeConte publishes his
'Journal of Ramblings through the High Sierra of
California'
Environmentalism History Fact 21:
1880's: The Urbanization of America
Environmentalism History Fact 22:
1881: Immigration - Between 1881-1890 a total of
5,246,613 immigrants arrived in America.
Environmentalism History Fact 23:
1887: The Boone and Crockett Club is
founded by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell.
Its goal is to stem the loss of the nation’s natural
resources and to conserve wildlife habitat
Environmentalism History Fact 24:
1890: Congress passes legislation
establishing Sequoia National Park and Yosemite and
General Grant National Parks
Environmentalism History Fact 25:
1890: The start of the Progressive
Era and increasing support for Environmentalism
Environmentalism History Fact 26:
1891: Congress passes the Forest
Reserve Act
Environmentalism History Fact 27:
1892: John Muir founds the Sierra
Club that is dedicated to the preservation of
wilderness.
Environmentalism History Fact 28:
1893: Frederick Jackson Turner
publishes "The Significance of the Frontier in American
History."
Environmentalism History Fact 29:
1898: Gifford Pinchot is appointed
chief of the Division of Forestry in the Department of
Agriculture
Environmentalism History Fact 30:
1899: Conservationists and
Environmentalists join the Harriman Alaska Expedition
Environmentalism History Fact 31:
1900: The Lacey Act becomes the first
Federal law protecting game
Environmentalism History Fact 32:
1901:
Theodore Roosevelt becomes president
and announces his goals of forest conservation
and preservation
Environmentalism History Fact 33:
1902: Congress passes a bill
establishing Crater Lake National Park, Oregon.
Environmentalism History Fact 34:
1902: Congress passes the Alaska Game
Act protecting animals in Alaska
Environmentalism History Fact 35:
1903: The first Federal Bird
Reservation is established on Pelican Island, Florida
Environmentalism History Fact 36:
1903: Congress passes a bill
establishing Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota.
Environmentalism History Fact 37:
1904: President
Roosevelt announces his Square Deal Policy
Environmentalism History Fact 38:
1904: Law passed that
leads to the establishment of Sullys Hill National Park,
North Dakota.
Environmentalism History Fact 39:
1905 The American Bison Society is
organized
Environmentalism History Fact 40:
1905: The American Forest Congress in
Washington to discuss issues relating
to natural resources to leaders of lumbering, mining,
grazing, and irrigation industries
Environmentalism History Fact 41:
1906: The Game and
Bird Preserves Protection Act is passed
Environmentalism History Fact 42:
1906: The
National Monuments
Act ( Antiquities Act) authorizing the President to establish national
monuments for the preservation of historic, prehistoric,
and scientific interest
Environmentalism History Fact 43:
1906: President Roosevelt establishes
the Devil's Tower
National Monument, Wyoming, as the nation's first
National Monument
Environmentalism History Fact 44:
1906: Law
establishes Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, and
Platt National Park, Oklahoma
Environmentalism History Fact 45:
1906: Congress passes by "An Act For
the control and regulation of the waters of Niagara
River, for the preservation of Niagara Falls, and for
other purposes"
Environmentalism History Fact 46:
1907: Cinder Cone National Monument and Lassen
Peak National Monument, California established
Environmentalism History Fact 47:
1908: The National Conservation
Commission is formed
Environmentalism History Fact 48:
1908: Muir Woods National Monument,
California is established
Environmentalism History Fact 49:
1909: Congress passes "An Act To
create the Calaveras Bigtree National Forest"
Environmentalism History Fact 50:
1909: President Roosevelt issues a
Proclamation establishing Mount Olympus National
Monument, Washington.
American Environmentalism
History Timeline for kids
American
Environmentalism History Timeline - President Theodore Roosevelt Video
The article on the Environmentalism History provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important
issues during his presidential term in office. The following video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the life of
President Roosevelt.
Early Environmentalism History in
America
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Facts about the Environmentalism History for kids and schools
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Summary of Environmentalism History in US history
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The Environmentalism History, a major
event in US history
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Environmentalism History
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Fast, fun facts about the Environmentalism History
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Domestic
policies of President Roosevelt - Environmentalism History
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