Theodore Roosevelt and His Conservation Efforts
In this paper, I have discussed the presidential efforts of Theodore Roosevelt regarding the conservation of natural resources in the United States of America. I have included details of the works done under his presidency concerning the environment preservation. In the last, I have insisted readers to hold this American president in the highest regard for his conservation efforts.
In the American history, Theodore Roosevelt is remembered as the first president of United States who made it the central governmental function to conserve the natural resources of the country. For the reason that he had an exceptional scientific understanding from an earlier age and latest knowledge of wildlife and history of nature, Roosevelt turned out to be the father of the contemporary conservation movement (Gurney 59).
Immediately after taking the office as President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt made a start to encourage the American citizens to realize that it could be disastrous if the consumption and exploitation and utilization of the natural resources present in the country goes unchecked. Leroy G. Dorsey puts the situation at that time in these words that the President Roosevelt "saw the environment under siege. At the time, one-half of the country's timber had been cut, with the annual use rate at four times the new growth rate. . . . Wasteful mining methods wreaked havoc as well. . . . Finally, animals such as the heath hen, buffalo, fur seal, passenger pigeon, alligator, elk, bear, and bighorn sheep were either wiped out or neared extinction due to profit-minded hunters" (as qtd. In Sheffield 93).
This situation was an alarming one for Roosevelt as he observed his dear motherland to convert into a wasteland with inhospitable surroundings, harsh environment and wilderness. Not only this, Roosevelt also managed to identify and highlight the potential economic consequences in case of the exhaustion of country's resources. He even raised the issue of potential economic outcomes during his messages to Congress that held...
He insisted that the failure to conserve the natural environment resources may lead to calamitous and dreadful economic consequences to the whole nation (Sheffield 93).
From the time Roosevelt's administration began to take responsibility to nation's service, he made Pinchot his close consultant and thus the conservation of national resources turned out to be the major part of Roosevelt's political schema. According to Roosevelt, the running down of the natural resources present in the country was one of the most imperative issues. Observing the whole scenario, he concluded that the continuation of the expenditure of resources without considering conservation strategies would eventually result in destruction of the environment in no time. In his addresses to Congress as well, Roosevelt time and again insisted the importance of conservation as a healthy practice to save the country from economic crisis. According to this nature-lover, the usage of all the forests and the flora and fauna they contained could deprive the country of an exceptionally important resource. Thus, Roosevelt was deeply anxious regarding the long-term welfare and interests of the nation. Due to such thoughts, he considered the land as an outstanding natural and economic resource that deserved to protected, preserved and managed. Such steps were necessary for the solidarity of the nation, both politically and economically (Sheffield 95).
According to Roosevelt, his conservation of natural resources was an equivalent of behaving in a moral manner. Roosevelt loved nature since his childhood. Thus, it is not a surprising thing that after coming to the office as President of the United States of America, one of his top preferences was dedicated towards the conservation of the natural resources in the country. Thus, he took off with his team and was able to conserve the natural environment of the country in innumerable ways. As the President, Roosevelt kept an eye on the founding of 4 national parks. In 1906, Roosevelt signed Antiquities Act after which the President was endowed the power to…
