First Along the River A Brief History of the U.S. Environmental Movement

About this book

First Along the River: A Brief History of the U.S. Environmental Movement provides students with a balanced, historical perspective on the history of the environmental movement in relation to major social and political events in U.S. history, from the pre-colonial era to the present. The book highlights important people and events, places critical concepts in context, and shows the impact of government, industry, and population on the American landscape.

Comprehensive yet brief, First Along the River discusses the religious and philosophical beliefs that shaped Americans' relationship to the environment, traces the origins and development of government regulations that impact Americans' use of natural resources, and shows why popular environmental groups were founded and how they changed over time.

The fifth edition includes up-to-date coverage of the environmental movement and developments including an overview of environmental issues since 2012, environmental policies impacted by the Trump administration, the coronavirus pandemic, and the switch back to a more global perspective under the Biden administration.

Contents

Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1

1. Philosophical Foundations 5
2. The 1400s through the 1700s: Inhabiting a New Land 17
3. The Early 1800s: Destroying the Frontier 29
4. The Late 1880s: Building an Industrial Nation 43
5. The 1900s through the 1930s: Beginnings of the Conservation Movement 59
6. The 1940s through the 1960s: Prelude to the Green Decade 79
7. The 1970s: The Conservation Movement Matures 95
8. The 1980s: A Conservative Backlash 113
9. The Early 1990s: Government Retrenchment and Public Apathy 129
10. The Late 1990s: The Institutionalization of
11. The Environmental Movement in the Post-9/11 World: 2000–2010 171
12 A Nation Divided: 2011–2020 189

Conclusion 217
Glossary 221
Bibliography and Suggested Readings 237
Index 245

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Biography

Benjamin Kline is a professor in both the Social Science and Intercultural Studies Divisions at De Anza College.