History of the Environment Questions

According to Layzer, why did Senator Ed Muskie eventually propose an air pollution bill (most of which eventually became law) that was significantly stronger than what President Nixon had asked for?

Nuclear weaponFossil FuelsNew MaterialsChanged GeologyFertilizersGlobal WarmingMass Extinction

What are some specific things that railroad companies did to convince elected officials and regular people that national parks were a good idea?

Do you see modern cornucopian values reflected in how Andrew Jackson and other prominent Americans at this time viewed Native Americans? In what way?

Which social-political groups were harmed by homesteading, or were unable to benefit fully from it? In your view, what explains why these groups did not have equal access to benefits from homesteading, or were actively harmed by it?

First wave of environmental policy: What is the general theme of this time period?

Whitaker worked in the White House under President Nixon in the 1970s. According to Whitaker, how was Nixon influenced by changing public opinion on environmental issues?

Carson was one of the first women to attain a leadership position in a federal environmental agency. Do you think that her gender constituted an advantage or disadvantage, or both, to her as an environmental advocate? Why?

In 1897, Congress passed the Forest Management Act, which established the National Forest Service and laid out the purpose of the national forest reserves (this is on p. 137 of Nash's book). Did the Forest Management Act hew more closely to Pinchot's vision for the national forests, or to Muir's?

Muir won some important early battles for his preservationist vision, like getting Yosemite Valley preserved and convincing President Roosevelt to make the Grand Canyon a national park. But he didn't get his way with the national forests. Think about the social-political groups and businesses and organizations who had a stake in the national forest debate. Why do you think that Pinchot's side won?

How did the Morrill Act fund the establishment of land-grant universities in every state?

The Adirondack Forest Preserve was established in 1885 under New York State law. What ends up being the most important and persuasive argument in favor of setting aside large tracts of land in the Adirondacks? Why did this argument carry so much weight?

Nash talks about early Americans' attitudes toward wilderness; Zinn talks about how Americans in the early/mid-1800s viewed and treated Native Americans*. Do you see any similarities between what these two writers have to say about Americans' values during these times? That is, do you see any similarities between Americans' values regarding wilderness, and regarding Native Americans? Any differences?

Bishnoi community takes ______ vows

Great Indian bustard is the state animal of

What was John Muir's basic attitude toward nature, and especially toward wilderness? Why do you think that Muir's views ultimately become known as "preservationism"?

We've talked a lot about modern "cornucopian" values. Do you see cornucopian values reflected in how Americans viewed wilderness in the 1700s and 1800s? In what ways?

This work captures the author's belief that nature and mankind are linked, that divinity could be found in nature if people were not distracted by trivialities of the world- (published 1836)

What was the federal government seeking to accomplish with the Morrill Act of 1862, which established "land-grant universities"? How did this also reflect cornucopian values?

Where would you put Muir on the environmentalist-to-cornucopian scale?