When JFK was President, Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring became a best-seller. It documented the harmful effects of chemical pesticides and helped to launch the environmental movement in the United States.President Kennedy was familiar with Ms. Carson’s book. He established a committee to investigate the impact of pesticides, and its report was critical of many governmental practices and policies. Eventually, the Environmental Protection Agency was created during the Nixon administration. To learn about the history of this agency, go to www.epa.gov/history/index.htm
Do you consider the preservation of America’s natural heritage to be a top presidential priority? Some of our presidents have been more concerned with nature and the environment than others. Thomas Jefferson had a deep understanding of plants and animals. He is even reported to have trained deer living on his estate at Monticello to eat corn out of his pockets! It was Jefferson who set in motion the Lewis and Clark expedition to learn about the unknown land, wildlife and native peoples in the vast new territory added to the U.S. through the Louisiana Purchase. You can read about Jefferson and the expedition on the Monticello web site at www.monticello.org/jefferson/lewisandclark/index.html
Theodore Roosevelt created the first national parks in the United States. No president was more knowledgeable about the natural world and none did more to care for it. Roosevelt’s conservation legacy is detailed at www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/conservation.htm. For historical background on the Department of the Interior, including the national parks, go to www.doi.gov/history.html
NOTE TO TEACHERS: This page is adapted from a curriculum guide that is part of our museum program on the presidency for 7th and 8th graders, “Report Card for the President”. For more information about the program click here: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/For+Teachers/School+Visits.htm