Lesson 2: Conservation and the Environment

President Theodore Roosevelt was a passionate outdoorsman who made protecting nature a central goal of his presidency. In 1903, he went on a legendary camping trip in Yosemite with the naturalist John Muir. During their time in the wilderness, Muir convinced the President that the federal government had a moral duty to protect America's natural wonders from destruction.

This partnership changed the American landscape forever. Inspired by Muir, Roosevelt set aside millions of acres of forests and monuments. Their collaboration laid the essential groundwork for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, an agency dedicated to conserving scenery and wildlife for the enjoyment of future generations.

While Progressives agreed nature mattered, they debated how to handle it. Preservationists like John Muir believed wilderness should be left untouched for spiritual renewal. In contrast, Conservationists like Gifford Pinchot (head of the U.S. Forest Service) believed natural resources should be managed scientifically and used for the "greatest good for the greatest number."

This conflict exploded over the Hetch Hetchy Valley in California. The city of San Francisco wanted to dam the valley to create a water reservoir. Muir fought to save the valley, while Pinchot supported the dam as a public necessity. Congress eventually approved the dam, a bitter defeat for preservationists, but the controversy awakened the nation to the importance of environmental protection.