Theodore Roosevelt did some extraordinary things during his lifetime. He was a war hero, environmentalist, and the youngest president of the United States. Of these traits, one of his greatest was the passion he had for preserving the American heritage and country. Theodore Roosevelt was influenced by his naturalist views when he passed the Antiquities Act into law in 1906.
Roosevelt had been “motivated by the looting of archaeological sites in the Southwest in the late 1800s.” (“The Highs and Lows”.), to pass this law. Also, the fact that he had developed a love for nature as a young boy surely affected his decision as well. Roosevelt grew up having a fascination for the world, so maybe he wanted others to experience the same love of
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“President Roosevelt's concern for the environment was influenced by American naturalists, such as John Muir, and by his own political appointees, including Gifford Pinchot, Chief of Forestry.” ( “Con. in the Prog. Era.” ). This meant that he could take ideas and listen to opinions from people who were in the same group that he was. John Muir helped to create conservation organizations and was an author just like Roosevelt. On the other hand, Gifford Pinchot assisted in reconstructing forests in the United States. Overall, Roosevelt had much help, whether it be from other raving naturalists or from from the public.
Roosevelt took dramatic action when the act was in place. While he was president, he set aside almost 230 million acres of land for federal protection. This included parks, animal reserves, and monuments. He was also a realist in doing this. He announced publicly that if we continue destroying the Earth and using all of its resources, than we might have problems when all these resources are depleted. To this day, we still have problems with trying to conserve the land. But, we would have been in deeper water had it not been for