John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt: Taking a Stand for National Parks
“Ordinarily, the man who loves the woods and mountains, the trees, the flowers, and the wild things, has in him some indefinable quality of charm, which appeals even to those sons of civilization who care for little outside of paved streets and brick walls. John Muir was a fine illustration of this rule.” (John Muir: An appreciation by Theodore Roosevelt.) John Muir was influential in the fight to preserve nature for future generations because of his ability to convince others about its importance. The first way John Muir convinced others of the importance of nature was by working with President Theodore Roosevelt. As President, Roosevelt had the power to preserve nature for future generations through setting aside lands that would later become the National Parks. According to Patagonia founder and outdoor enthusiast Yvon Chouinard, “It was John Muir who invited Roosevelt out and then convinced him to ditch his security and go camping. It was Muir, an activist, a
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His writings were what pulled people into action. "Any fool can destroy trees. They cannot run away; and if they could, they would still be destroyed -- chased and hunted down as long as fun or a dollar could be got out of their bark hides, branching horns, or magnificent bole backbones... Through all the wonderful, eventful centuries since Christ 's time -- and long before that -- God has cared for these trees... but he cannot save them from fools -- only Uncle Sam can do that." (John Muir, American Forests.) This quote is an example of something he wrote that is very influential to all those who read it. It is designed to make the reader understand that we can’t just expect God to care for this nature when we are being foolish and not trying to care for it ourselves. It is writings like this that makes us realize that nature needs cared