Saving America’s Treasures

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question: Why are natural resources important?

2. List Vocabulary
Share some of the challenging vocabulary words in the article (see below). Encourage students to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• abundance (p. 18)
• stewards (p. 19)
• extolled (p. 19)
• dispossession (p. 20)
• sustainable (p. 21)
• diverted (p. 21)

3. Engage
Ask students to share whether they enjoy the outdoors and nature and whether they think protecting natural areas from development is important. Revisit the discussion after the lesson. 

4. Read and Discuss
Ask students to read the Upfront article about the national park system. Review why the article is a secondary source. (It was written by someone who didn’t personally experience or witness the events.) Then pose these critical-thinking questions:

• What factors led to a movement to protect natural areas in the U.S.? (White settlers expanding west, and later the Industrial Revolution, led to the destruction of natural areas. Transcendentalists, who valued nature, pushed for protective measures, though none were implemented at the time. Later, entrepreneurs who planned to make money from tourists visiting natural sites joined forces with preservationists to advocate for the protection of natural areas.)  

• How did the creation of national parks affect Native Americans? Cite text evidence as well as your own inferences about likely effects. (As Mark David Spence explains in the article, the park system was “predicated on the dispossession” of Native Americans. They were forced out of areas where they had lived for generations and barred from hunting on the land or using its resources. This forced removal likely led to financial hardship, a loss of community, and a lost sense of history.)

• How were the goals of preservationists and conservationists in the early 1900s similar and different? (Both groups had the goal of protecting natural areas from development so that the beauty of the area would be preserved for the future. Preservationists believed in leaving natural areas untouched, while conservationists believed you could use the resources in a sustainable way.)

• President Theodore Roosevelt viewed the protection of nature as “a democratic movement.” How is he using the word democratic? Do you agree with his point of view? Explain. (He is using the word for its lowercase d meaning—of and for the people and treating all people equally. He is not using the word for its capital D meaning—a political party. Opinions will vary.)

5. Use the Primary Sources
Project, distribute, or assign in Google Classroom the PDF The Conservation President, which features an excerpt from a speech President Theodore Roosevelt gave in 1903 calling for the protection of the Grand Canyon. Discuss what makes the speech a primary source. (It provides firsthand evidence concerning the topic.) Have students read the excerpt and answer the questions below (which appear on the PDF without answers)..

• How would you describe the tone and purpose of this excerpt from Roosevelt’s speech? (The tone can be described as earnest and imploring but also inspirational and admiring. The purpose is to convince listeners that the Grand Canyon should be protected from unnecessary development.)

• Why does Roosevelt want to protect the Grand Canyon? Who does he want to protect it for? (Roosevelt wants to protect the Grand Canyon because he sees it as a natural wonder “unparalleled throughout the rest of the world.” He thinks nature has perfected it and humans can do nothing to improve it, only “mar it.” He wants to protect it for future generations.)

• What does Roosevelt mean in the section where he says we are past the stage of being pardoned? (He means that we have to stop stripping an area of its natural resources for profit with no thought of what we leave behind. Instead, we have to start thinking about how to use the natural resources of an area so that the people benefit, not companies, and so the area can be used and enjoyed by future generations.)

• The article states that Roosevelt was a conservationist not a preservationist. Which details in his speech show this? Do you agree with his approach about how best to protect the Grand Canyon? (The section about being past the stage of being pardoned helps show this. Also, the details about handling a natural resource properly so that future generations can benefit from it and the details about how to best implement irrigation show that Roosevelt was a conservationist. If he had been a preservationist, he would have argued for leaving natural areas alone. Opinions will vary but should be supported.)

• Based on the Upfront article and the excerpt from Roosevelt’s speech, do you agree that the national park system was America’s best idea? Explain. (Students’ responses will vary, but they should be supported with evidence from both texts.)

6. Writing Prompt
Research how being in nature affects a person’s mental and physical health. Then write a brief essay summarizing what you learned about the connection between nature and one aspect of human health.

7. Quiz
Use the quiz to assess comprehension.

8. Classroom Debate
Should national parks close for the next five years to help restore the health of the parks?

9. Job Connections
Have students explore the Youth Conservation Corp website and then discuss in small groups the types of opportunities the program offers, the likely skills gained from participating in those programs, and how possessing those skills could lead to future job opportunities.