John Muir and His Contribution to the Environment, Essay Example

John Muir is best known for his contributions and writings regarding the American wilderness. Considered to be a naturalist, he became infatuated with the land’ s natural resources when growing up on a farm in Wisconsin. Muir learned to appreciate the land within his family unit, where hard work and reading the Bible were key elements in his domestic life. Muir was best known for his extremely long-distance walks, which included such journeys as a 1000 mile hike that culminated at the Gulf of Mexico. During his travels, he began to study the terrain of the lands over which he was passing, coming up with theories about how the environment had been formed. For example, he speculated that many areas of land in the United States had been formed by glaciers, a novel idea for the times. In addition, Muir studied the connection between livestock herding and its impact on plant life, as well as the erosion of soil in the fields in which they grazed.

Perhaps Muir’s most valuable contribution involved the eventual development of Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park, and he also worked hard to involve the federal government in the conservation and preservation of forests for public enjoyment. His lasting legacy has been the idea that Americans have the duty to protect the natural resources that we are fortunate enough to have been granted. His enthusiasm and love for the natural world and his commitment to find ways to protect and preserve it were his lasting legacy, and have earned him the reputation of being one of the first and original environmentalists. In addition, he was the founder of The Sierra Club, and is considered to be the originator of the present-day conservation movement.

The Progressive Movement was a reaction to the social problems caused by the Industrial Revolution and its aftermath. The society was plagued by many problems that were the result of the fact that not everyone shared in the benefits accrued by part of the population whose lifestyles had been enhanced. There were efforts to improve society by passing reforms that would improve the conditions of working people as well as special populations such as the mentally ill and people who had been in prison. Some of the goals of the Progressive Movement included eliminating corruption in government, including more regular citizens in the political framework of the society, and the central theme that the government should play a role in improving the lives of its citizens.

This period in American history was characterized by the concept of friendly visitors, an early day version of social workers, who would identify people who needed help and provide what they could. In addition, workplace regulations and health code standards were enacted in order to ensure that the general population had clean and safe food and water for consumption, cutting down on illness and death due to unsanitary conditions. These changes were also involved in improving the housing situation in the cities.