ERA 7: The Emergence of Modern America (1890–1930)
How the Wilderness Was Won, by Stewart L. Udall
Guiding Questions
Does ‘environmental’ reform require strong executive leadership?
What has been the most serious impediment in the path of “environmental” reform?
Emigrants crossing the plains, by F.O.C. Darley
Teacher-to-Teacher
This is a particularly timely piece and should be cross referenced with contemporary events. Students should consider what obstacles TR and FDR faced and ask themselves which are still operative and how the present government might better address current problems. They must also take into account new or different variables and think about how they might be surmounted. Finally, teachers should inform students that most changes in human behavior occur at a glacial pace and the urge to initiate abrupt transitions, while understandable, is often not realistic.
Literature Connections: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris