The Populist Movement

As the 19th century drew to a close, America was beginning to experience radical political, economic, cultural, and territorial changes. As the populist movement’s emphasis of the rights and concerns of the everyday American began changing the political priorities of the nation, journalists, authors, reformers, and many politicians began to demand reprieve from the problems which had been created by rapid industrial development. One particular area of improvement was the environment. Due to the rapid westward expansion of industry, many of America’s forests, animals, and natural resources came under attack. Progressives emphasized policies which would protect the natural resources for future generations, and saw large success, especially
Teddy Roosevelt, heavily influenced by the work of private individuals such as John Muir, as well as the work of members of his government, such as Gilfred Pinchot, Chief of Forestry. He passed sweeping legislation to regulate the actions of business, as well as build infrastructure to combat environmental destruction. The Newlands Act of 1902 was intended to create irrigation projects from proceeds gained from the irrigation projects. An area of conservation legislation that was different from other areas of social and political improvement was the idea that the changes were crafted to be lasting and adaptive. While reforms such as the 19th amendment, Clayton Anti-trust act, and the {}{}{}}{}{}{}{}{} were short-term solutions that never aimed to achieve comprehensive, long term solutions, the conservation legislation included such measures as the Inland Waterways Commission, as well as the National Conservation Commission, both of which intended to research and draw up long range plans and conservation initiatives. [3] However, while some would argue that the conservation movement was an inevitable consequence of the shifting political climate, in reality it was a product of a dedicated bottom-up approach to progressivism. The efforts of individuals outside of government raised awareness and gave credibility to the cause. For example, without
Henry David Thoreau is a prime example of this, with such works as his book Walden, an immensely popular work of nonfiction that centered on a theme of the beauty inherent to nature. In more avenues than just novels, Thoreau was an avid advocate of environmentalism, stating in 1851 that “in Wildness is the preservation of the World.” Thoreau’s influence is evident in the motives behind prominent conservationists. John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, as well as one of the most important figures of the conservation movement, had Thoreau’s book with him until death, as well as wrote several times to his wife about inspiring essays from the transcendentalist [1]. Because transcendentalists became some of the most important, and first truly American, philosophers of their time, their ideas became a foundational part of the shifting American identity. Their ideas that nature represents the true spirit of humanity inspired many preservationists and