American Natural Identity Dbq

Americans Natural Identity In the late 18 hundreds, Americans witnessed the destruction and abuse of their countries nature and resources. This destruction sparked a new age, ready to establish the conservation and preservation of America's backcountry. Legislation, such as newly declared laws and acts, assisted in creating a new sense of American identity and nationality, strongly relating to nature and national parks. Individuals, such as Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, were influential and essential within this movement. Their actions would continue to connect and inspire many leaders to follow in their footsteps by protecting America’s nature. In this way, the of establishment of national parks in the 19th century gave rise to a new

On October 1, 1890 congress passed the law allowing Yosemite to become a member of the small national park family. The establishment of this park was transforming in a different sense than Yellowstone’s was. Being the huge tourist attraction it is, Yosemite served as a prime example of the potential negative impact of humans on nature. The many threats to nature, as a result of tourism, created great frustration within the general public. Two special figures decided to share their findings; Thomas King and Frederick Law wrote letters and captured photographs sharing the destruction Americans were inflicting on nature in Yosemite. This assisted in the passing of the Yosemite Act of 1870. The signing of this act emphasized the needed governmental actions by highlighting the reality of what was occuring to Americas backcountry. Unlike Yellowstone, Yosemite was established as a national park as a result of its need for protection against tourist destruction of its nature. In this way Yosemite represents the larger precedence of what was transpiring in Americas backcountry during the late 18 hundreds and why actions needed to be taken