1. National Parks in Historical Context, 1890-1920’s

2. 2 Establishment of National Parks and Forests

3. NP system a product of and/or reaction to: Urbanization Industrialization Progressives Professionalization Increased federal gov’t roles and powers New forms of nationalism Cultural changes – Recreation, “the outdoors,” “wilderness”

4. Urbanization Definitions: Incr. percentage or people live in cities and/or Cities getting bigger 1920 U.S. Census milestone: 50/50 urban/rural split (“urban” = 10,000 people)

5. Urbanization Some of densest population in history – 1890, NYC south of Wall Street: 1.5 million people “Urban planning” in infancy – Few municipal agencies in 1890 No blanket coverage of police, fire, sanitation Sometimes private police and firefighters Poor sanitation – NYC in 1900: 100,000 horses » 2.5 millions pounds of manure daily » “Clean” streets = neat piles » Replaced by cars, buses, trains

6. Urbanization “Urban planning” in infancy – Few zoning laws, building regulations Running water, sewer optional Unregulated living conditions Services dependent on neighborhood politicians – Traffic control a novelty 1000’s of deaths annually from horse vs. pedestrian accidents

7. Downtown Chicago, 1909

8. Urbanization and Technological Change Stronger, cheaper steel – Skyscraper architecture Steel stronger, lighter, more flexible than stone Entirely new shapes and scale for buildings – Mass-produced bicycles, automobiles Elevators – Social change: higher floors are better – Before elevators: lower floors are better Electricity – Lights at night = radically transformed sense of time Ex.: baseball games at night

12. Urbanization History of the U.S. West as much about cities as about “wide open spaces” Far West urbanizing in late 19 th C – Growing first, organizing and planning later Seattle fire, 1889 – “Growing pains” nowadays associated with developing countries

13. Urbanization Far West urbanizing in late 19 th C – Rapidly increasing demands for: Water, wood, farmland, space In tension with (and inspiring) new conservation movements – Western cities in late 19 th century more radically engineered than Eastern ones In a sense, less “natural” than E. cities Example: Seattle in early 1900’s

15. Urbanization Urban problems a main focus of the Progressive movement, 1890-1917 To “clean up” the cities, literally and figuratively Sanitation End political corruption Create municipal services

16. The Progressives 16 Ideas and assumptions Progress with a capital P Humans can destroy old social evils: Disease, homelessness, alcoholism, war Improvement through knowledge Rely on experts and professionals

17. The Progressives 17 Ideas and assumptions Improving morality improves society Ex.: alcohol as moral and social problem Largely accepted modern economic system Stop abuses, make system kinder to the most disadvantaged Generally conservative about race, ethnicity, gender, immigration, etc. Watchwords: Order, efficiency, cleanliness, health, experts

18. 18 Women’s organizations at the center of progressivism Often based on Victorian-era gender assumptions: Women cleaner, kinder, more spiritual, more moral Women civilize men, who are “naturally” competitive, dirty, mean, and violent Women “natural” experts on: household issues, children, education, manners, peace, order

19. 19 Suffrage movement = “First wave” feminism = securing basic legal rights, not much questioning of basic gender ideas Idea: Women should vote precisely because women are *different* from men Ex.: If you want society to be kind, clean, and peaceful, women must vote Especially at the end of World War I The bloodiest war in human history = See what happens when men run the world? Assumption: women voters will prevent unnecessary wars.

20. 20 Women’s suffrage in global context By 1918-20, looked moderate, even conservative, compared to revolutionary movements in Europe and the U.S. Big assumption among male American politicians: Women voters would never support revolutions Therefore: Passing women’s suffrage will prevent even more radical changes.

24. 24 18 th and 19 th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution 1919: 18 th Amendment – Prohibition 1920: 19 th Amendment – national women’s suffrage 1/3 of states already allowed women to vote by that point Already common in West, including the PNW Both Progressive achievements Both supported by same groups, same voters

26. The Progressives 26 Greater roles for government in society Food safety and consumer protection Ex.: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Workers’ rights Breaking up monopolies “Blue laws” regulations on alcohol consumption, business on Sunday, etc. Natural resource conservation/preservation Ex.: National Parks system

27. Progressives and Natural Resources 27 Gifford Pinchot – conservation Influential gov’t official under T. Roosevelt Scientifically trained forestry expert “Managed use” Limit damage from private greed NP’s open to business use, as long as businesses acted responsibly “Reclamation” – making natural world useful for humans

28. 28 John Muir – preservation Founder of the Sierra Club At first, exclusively urban professionals Set aside areas for long-term public use Landscape as natural temple, benefits human health and spirit Ex.: NP’s should have hotels, to give “healing power of nature…[for] thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people.” NOT wilderness for its own sake Progressives and Natural Resources

30. 30 Teddy Roosevelt – both and neither Appointed Pinchot, friends with Muir First U.S. president with extensive experience living and working out west National parks to be source of national pride Limit monopoly power of large companies NP’s as much about fighting corporations as preserving nature Outdoor life to restore “manly vigor” Progressives and Natural Resources

31. 31 Under TR as president, US gov’t created 6 National Parks 18 National Monuments 50 bird sanctuaries 150 National Forests Meanwhile: Newlands Reclamation Act (1902) to “conquer” deserts out West and promote population growth Progressives and Natural Resources

32. Conflict over Hetch Hetchy Valley Part of Yosemite National Park Issue, early 1900’s: to dam or not to dam? Partial explanation – a conflict over ideas: conservation/Pinchot (dam) vs. preservation/Muir (no dam) Better explanation – conflict between competing uses: water/power interests (dam) vs. tourism and recreation interests (no dam) NOT simple fight of “development vs. wilderness” NOT simple fight of “greed vs. nature”

34. Conflict over Hetch Hetchy 1890 – Yosemite established as national park 1903 – TR’s secretary of the interior blocked SF’s plan to dam Tuolumne R.; Muir rejoices 1906 – SF earthquake and fire; enormous national sympathy for the city 1907 – TR reversed earlier decision and approved the dam project Then, he designated a redwood sanctuary nearby and named it for Muir

35. Conflict over Hetch Hetchy 1910 – Hiram Johnson and other Progressives sweep into CA state gov’t Issue: Pubic ownership vs. private ownership, not development vs. nature Supported dam project, because: City needs the water, and to prevent private corporation from taking over the project Acc. to Johnson: Muir was a naive “nature faker” or secretly working for a private power company

36. Conflict over Hetch Hetchy 1913 – Raker Act, authorizing O’Shaughnessy Dam, completed in 1923 Wilson’s Sec. of Interior, Franklin Lane, 1913: “The mountains are our enemy. We must pierce them and make them serve. The sinful rivers we must curb.” [Similar to what TR said about the Panama Canal, his favorite project.]

38. Conflict over Hetch Hetchy 1914 – Muir dies, still cursing the “dark damn- dam-damnation” Fight over Hetch Hetchy inspired preservation movement to fight even harder Result: National Park Service Act, 1916 1980’s-present – “restoration ecology” and related movements – Modern environmentalism: dams in the Far West represent extreme human arrogance – Solution: remove dams and return to earlier state