Environmental History Final - IDs

sup bitchez

Charles Darwin

1809-1882

• English naturalist that developed On the Origin of Species as a direct result of urbanization. Completely rethought how the natural world works, as opposed to being fixed, harmonious, and God-given.

• Geology was a new field during this time period, and it gave him the idea that species also operate on large time scales

George Perkins Marsh

1801-1882

• One of the first environmental activists. Posited that ancient Greece and Rome were lush because of their hybridity with nature, and that too much human impact on the world would lead to extinction.

• Wrote ‘Man and Nature’ in 1864

• “Nature is inherently in balance until it is disturbed by humans”

Gifford Pinchot

1865-1946

• Conservationist and forester whose ideas were adopted by President Roosevelt: both wanted the “greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time”

• Spearhead of conservation, which led to the famous ‘midnight forests’

John Muir

1838-1914

• Preservationist. Established the Sierra Club, one of the first conservationist societies, and is credited with the creation of the National Park Services

Aldo Leopold

1887-1948

• Part of the generation after Muir and Marsh; disapproved of the mass tourism at national parks. By 1921, theorized that wilderness was different from national parks; thinks of it as almost a a game preserve

• “Wilderness - in contrast with those areas where man dominates; where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man is a visitor who does not remain”

John Wesley Powell

1834-1902

• Self-taught geologist and interested in Environmental Studies; almost an antithesis to Muir. His “report on the lands of the Arid Regions of the US, 1878”, became the blueprint for the geological survey

• Noted that the 160 acres given to settlers in Arid America would not be enough; proposed irrigated water districts

Paul Ehrlich

1932 -

• Author of “The Population Bomb”, published in 1968. Picks up on the use of war imagery and apocalyptic scenarios to scare people into sterility. Very racist; claims that humans will run out of resources to feed themselves with. Coins the term ‘spaceship earth’

• Dead wrong. Didn’t account for technological advancements

Sublime

A Romantic version of nature that instills a sense of awe/wonder. In art, looks like high contrast; although historically non-human, technological advancements like dams and railroads can also be sublime

Pastoral

A Romantic version of nature that instills a sense of peace. In art, looks like pastels; a version of nature that incorporates humanity into a gardenlike environment

Things to look for while reading a primary source

• Intended audience

• Actual audience

• What are they arguing for?

• Unconscious bias

• What can it say about the time it was produced?

• What does this confirm/challenge about the past?

• How is it uncanny or jarring to you?

Social Darwinism

Term coined by Herbert Spencer; the idea of applying natural competition and ‘survival of the fittest’ to human populations. Equity, in this idea, is a hindrance to the natural order. Leads directly to eugenics

Apocalypticism

Declensionist idea that human interference with nature will lead to apocalyptic scenarios

Laura Martin

Proposed ‘restoration’ as a new type of conservation; says that humanity should treat nature with a ‘light touch’, which acknowledges that human interaction is necessary but should not be heavy-handed

Arid America

The western third of the US characterized as being to the west of the 100th meridian line and gets 20 inches or less of rainfall a year

Riparian Rights

‘streamside rights’ - a way of managing water in the west that involved people being able to use water for irrigation as long as it eventually led back into the river. I.E. not interfering with others with riparian rights

Prior Appropriation

a first-come, first-serve way of managing water in the west. Users with prior appropriation who showed up to the river first could use it in any way they liked and didn’t need to think about the other users

Dirty thirties

Period of time from 1932-1941 where dust storms swept across the Great Plains and led to ‘black blizzards’.

Adversarial 70s

1970s era where Republicans were trying to restrict environmental legislation and democrats were pushing for more

Gutting-in 80s

1980s era where Republicans slashed environmental legislation and cut half of the EPA’s budget