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Land Ordinance and Northwest Ordinance
These ordinances gave the federal government the right to manage unsettled (wild) lands. -
Homestead Act
Citizens could claim 160 acres of public land. After living on it for five years, they could own it for a fee of $16. -
General Mining Law
The act provided land for $5 per acre and allowed mining to occur as long as it was in accordance with local customs. This law did not require any government oversight. -
National Park Service
Congress created the National PArk Service to manage the growing number of national parks and monuments. -
Emergency Conservation Work Act
President Franklin Roosevelt signed this act during the Great Depression. The act gave unemployed men jobs planting trees, fighting soil erosion, and improving wildlife habitats throughout the country. -
Silent Spring
In this book, Rachel Carson, a writer and scientist, awakened the public to the negative ecological and health effcts of industrial chemicals and pesticides such as DDT. -
National Environmental Policy Act
This act declared that the federal government, in cooperation with state and local governments and the public, would act "to create and maintain conditions under which mand and nature can exist in productive harmony." -
Earth Day
The first Earth Day, founded by Senator Nelson of Wisconsin, consisted of about 20 million Americans demonstrating their desires for a healthier environment.
