Under An Open Sky William Cronon Summary

William Cronon is an environmental historian who was born on September 11th, 1954 in New Haven, Connecticut. Environmental history is the study of human interaction with the natural world over time. One of his most successful books, Changes in the Land, was first published in 1983 by Hill and Wang publishing press. The version that was assigned for this class is the 2003 first revised edition, which was also published by the same publishing press. This version contains a three-page foreword by John Demos, a preface by Cronon, and an Afterword by Cronon. The actual literature is divided into 3 parts, which contains 8 Chapters, creating a total of 167 pages. One of Cronon’s other books is Under an Open Sky: Rethinking America’s Western Past which was published in 1995. It is about the American West during the early 20th and late 19th centuries and the relationship
Cronon notifies the reader that the earliest sources of information from the settlers are restricted to the coastline of the Northeast. This chapter also starts the narrative of the Native American and European Settler relationship. The early settlers were confused at the fact the Native Americans had so many natural resources surrounding them, but they still lived as if they were in poverty. This would only be the commencement of a difficult relationship between the Native Americans and the Settlers.
Chapter 3 starts by describing the colonists steep learning curve upon arriving to America. They had to learn the new seasonal patterns and new ways to survive. The Indians on the other hand had a clear understanding of the land. They were mobile, and decided on where to live based on the agricultural benefits of different areas based on the seasons. The colonists on the other hand, believed in required permanent settlements. This caused a direct conflict in the ecology and property rights between the Natives and the