Theodore Roosevelt's Conservation As A National Duty

What really caused the sudden upsurge in concern for preserving America’s environment at the beginning of the twentieth century? To what extent was this concern motivated by nostalgia for an older America, and to what extent by a desire to preserve nature and natural resources for future generations?

In his Inaugural Address, Roosevelt recognized America becoming a highly capable nation. As its influence spread, Roosevelt declared that America must become the force that establishes peace around the world. He states in his speech that the him and the American people have duties to ourselves and other people which are both of utmost importance. Because of this, Roosevelt wanted to make it known that a nation’s sense of justice and hospitality truly matter and are

Roosevelt was a true conservationist at heart. The Theodore Roosevelt Association stated, “As a boy, Theodore Roosevelt wanted to be a naturalist, a scientist who revels in and examines nature,” and he was “…an avid adventurer and lover of nature, dedicated himself to protecting both wildlife and natural resources” ("The CONSERVATIONIST"). As the President, he never forgot his dreams as a child, and he set out to preserve an immense amount of US regions so all Americans could enjoy. He especially had the future generations in mind ("The CONSERVATIONIST"). He realized something must be done for he believed at the rate of deforestation, and harvesting of other recourses, it wouldn't take long for it all to vanish. To fight the recourse of losing all the rich natural resources and splendorous landscape across the US, he created national parks and landmarks to preserve and protect these beautiful natural miracles. “Roosevelt provided federal protection for almost 230 million acres of land,” for national use, so these majestic places were protected from harm due to commercialism ("The CONSERVATIONIST"). He established 150 national forests, 5 national parks, the 1st of 51 federal bird reservations, 24 reclamation, and 4 national game preserves, including 18 national monuments in his time. By establishing these parks and landmarks, it allowed Americans and tourists, alike, the

In fact, he was the leader of the progressive movement. He continuously wanted there to be a happy balance between capital and labor so he founded his policy called the Square Deal. He was a liberal and became an advocate for prosecuting monopolies that violated antitrust law, otherwise known as “trust busting”. He kept these monopolies from controlling entire industries across the country. He worked hard to guide the United States into world politics. Roosevelt also aimed for Promotion of Anti-Trust suits. He was also a conversationalist. Some of his policies for conservation were creating the National Conservation Commission to record the nation’s resources and manage their use more efficiently, Delegate two hundred million acres as national forests, mineral reserves, and waterpower plants, as well as an addition of five national parks and eighteen national monuments to the list of protected lands. Roosevelt worked very hard to try and keep the economic issues of his time intact.

Conservation was the most important reform, from this time period, since it worked towards protecting the United State’s physical environment which leads to obtaining the essential resources of nature, preserving the naturality of the planet, and living a higher quality of life.

The Progressive Era was a period of social activism and political reform that grew from the 1890s to the 1920s. Social reformers and journalists, like Jane Addams, Jacob Riis, and Ida Tarbell were some of the powerful voices for progressivism. “They concentrated on exposing the evils of corporate greed, combating fear of immigrants, and urging Americans to think hard about what democracy meant.” Many progressive reformers wanted to end corruption in the government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions. It was also an era of conservationists. Conservationists are people who protect and preserve the environment and wildlife. Throughout the Progressive Era, there were many conservationists who wrote and described nature, but the most well-known figure in conservation was John Muir. John Muir worked to protect Earth’s beauty by traveling and exploring nature, co-founding the Sierra Club, and by influencing others through his writings and by showing some of the most important people how the wildlife was magnificent.

“Timber!” is a word that engulfed Woodrow Wilson in fear, as a loving, determined environmentalist he was the driving force behind the Organic Act of 1916. Wilson’s Organic Act set grounds for the founding of the National Park Service, which sets and enforces regulations that protect National Parks. Woodrow Wilson’s determination, conveyed by his adamant support for the Organic Act, was evident throughout Wilson’s lifetime. Wilson realized how important it was to protect America’s land and took action to protect it. Through the Organic Act, Wilson was able to save the current thirty-five national parks and land for hundreds of future national parks throughout the United States. The founding of the National Park Service was a major part of Wilson’s plan to preserve and protect America 's natural land. Wilson’s idea of preservation of the United States’ land has lived throughout the years through the National Park Service. The National Park Service today continues with the same responsibilities along with a multifarious collection of others. The actions taken in the Organic Act of 1916 have helped eternalize the ideas proposed by President Wilson by preserving the scarce remaining natural land of America.

Conservationism, the preservation and protection of natural resources, is something that Roosevelt frequently stressed the importance of during his presidency. Roosevelt believed that the government had a responsibility to take care of the nation’s environment, so he worked to create many parks, agencies, and acts to do so ("The Theodore Roosevelt Administrations."). The President even said, “…natural resources are not limited by the boundary lines which separate nations, and that need for conserving them upon

He was the youngest candidate to become president. He was the leader of the progressive movement. He was our twenty sixth president, he served from 09/14/1901 to 03/4/1909. He was a writer of thirty five books. He was New York 's thirty third governor. He was a naturalist. He was a war hero in the Spanish-American War. He was a member of rough riders. He trust busted forty corporations. He made pure food and drug act, and meat inspection act. He got the government to set a side forty two million acres for wildlife reverses, and national parks. He toke over the Panama Canal project after the french gave up on the Panama Canal project, and finish the Panama Canal project. He face is on Mt. Rushmore. He was a historian and an explorer. This amazing man was the great Theodore Roosevelt, which in fact was my favorite president by far.

Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson are two of America’s most celebrated presidents during the 20th century. Theodore Roosevelt who was a Republican had a military background and created the American conservation movement. Theodore Roosevelt was also once shot by an would be assassin and still managed to give his speech. Roosevelt was famous by his quote “It takes more than one to kill a moose.” On the other had Woodrow Wilson who is a Democrat formed the idea of preserve peace. The stories about these men are the stories that are taught in our

“Conservation laws” (document 8) positively impacted the environment, especially the National Conservation Commision (1909) which was put in place to conserve US natural resources. The National Reclamation Act raised money from the sale of public lands which funded irrigation programs in western states. This Act was installed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 “to increase” the land’s “usefulness” (document 6), the irrigation systems allowed crops, animals, and people to prosper. In addition, perhaps the most important act, the National Park Service Act which was enacted in 1916 by Woodrow Wilson after he expressed that “we have not stopped to conserve the exceeding bounty of nature (document 2). The Act was put in place to conserve “scenery”, “natural and historic landmarks”, “wildlife therein” and to “provide enjoyment for future generations”(The National Park Service Act). Environmental issues in the Gilded Age such as resources depletion, ecosystem destruction, air pollution, and public land exploitation all lead to the environmental reforms of the Progressive

The primary source that I chose to document was on Professor Karl’s suggested list of primary sources. The article was titled Theodore Roosevelt on Conservation and can be found on the website http://www.sageamericanhistory.net/progressive/docs/TRonConserv.htm . It is President Theodore Roosevelt’s address to the Seventh Annual Message to Congress which took place on December 3, 1907.

Americans have become used to politicians who will not go against their party’s line. Instead of having numerous free thinking elected officials who come together to ensure the welfare of society, we have two parties that control almost everything. This was not how Theodore Roosevelt led our country. He was a visionary and ethical leader. This paper explains why by describing Theodore Roosevelt’s use of visionary leadership to protect America’s natural resources by being an emotionally flexible leader and using his inspirational motivation. Theodore Roosevelt was an Ethical Leader because he put service before self by resigning from the position of Assistant Secretary of the Navy to fight in the Spanish American War and was a free thinker who went against his party to protect the welfare of society. Theodore Roosevelt has personal relevance in my development as a leader by modeling service before self and allowing me to see how I can improve my inspirational motivation. In order to understand Theodore Roosevelt as a leader, you should first know the impact of his visionary leadership.

To begin his conversation, Stegner conveys that conservation is not just about recreation, but nature is our measurement of where we are as a society. He compares wilderness to “a scientific yardstick” that measures the “natural balance” of nature and industry. This statement conveys the Stegner view and also lays the groundwork for his letter. He also writes “We need wilderness preserved . . .because it was the challenge against which our character as a people was formed. The reminder and the reassurance that it is still there is good for our spiritual health (Stegner, Wilderness Letter).” The idea of what nature we have left is an undisputable fact of the direction mankind is heading towards. Theodore Roosevelt agrees with this notion

“To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed” is a famous quote by President Theodore Roosevelt. The quote itself explains the importance of preserving the natural resources for the future generation. Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their fairly unchanged form. A nation's natural resources frequently regulates its wealth and status in the world economic system by defining its political influence. President Theodore Roosevelt, the only president with the goal of protecting natural