| The United States
environmental movement is the result of numerous historical events, many
of which occurred long before the nation was established. These events
help us to trace the roots of the environmental movement in the United
States. Early western european culture had developed a philosophy
toward nature that emphasized materialism and humanity's right to dominate
its environment, by the time the United States was established in 1776.
This attitude was expanded, throughout the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment,
on the basis of either biblical interpretation, particularly the arrival
of Christianity, or scientific reasoning. For God commanded to Noah
that "All the beasts of earth, and the winged things of the sky, and the
creeping things of earth, are to go in fear and dread of you, and I give
you dominion over all the fishes of the sea. This creation that lives and
moves is to provide food for you" (Kline 2). Western society embraced
this theory of man's superiority over nature. It was natural for
humanity to continue its struggle against nature. The technological advancements
of this time also helped people overcome the environment and acquire a
higher standard of living. During the Middle Ages, humans applied
innovation and technology to overcome natural obstacles and to tame nature,
such as plowing, harvesting, chopping trees and butchering pigs.
Western europeans began to seek new lands, because they had the tools and
motivation to escape overpopulated lands. They came to the New World,
and with them, they carried their belief that humanity must struggle to
assert its authority over nature.
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