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Environmental History: An Overview
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
MATES
Chapter 2
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Henry David Thoreau
• Massachusetts
• Wrote Life in the Woods
• Alarmed at the loss of wildlife in his home
state
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George marsh
• Man and Nature
• Scientific case studies to show past misuse of
resources led to the rise and fall of
civilizations.
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John James Audobon
• Hunter and painter
• Catologed numerous
birds
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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
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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
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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
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Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1850
Different worldviews
•Theodore
Roosevelt utilitarian
John Muir preservationist
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1950
John Muir
• Founded Sierra Club
• Preservationist Movement
• Called for the protection of public lands from
exploitation
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Theodore Roosevelt
• 26th President
• The Golden Age of
Conservation
• Created wildlife reserves
• 1905 US Forest Service
Established
• 1916 National Park
Service
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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”
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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
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Environmental History of U.S.
1950
1900
Franklin Roosevelt
establishes CCC
Aldo Leopold’s
A Sand County Almanac
published posthumously
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2000
Dirty Thirties
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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Environmental History of U.S.
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Environmental History of U.S.
1900
1950
2000
Rachel Carson
published Silent
Spring
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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
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