APUSH Environment Marcelle Gentile B Period The first

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 1960 s “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

1970 s Ecology Movement Hippies of the 70 s originally promoted the conservation of nature however the movement went mainstream ● Santa Barbara Oil Spill. ● Nixon also supported the Endangered Species Act of 1973. ● Clean Air and Water Acts ● National Environmental Policy Act- Signed by Richard Nixon 1970.

Earth Day was founded by Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson April 22, 1970. Inspired 20, 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 left a lasting effect on the US views of the environment and is still celebrated today