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Environmental history isn't just about trees and rivers—it's about understanding how Americans have continuously reshaped the land to build wealth, expand territory, and fuel economic growth. On the AP exam, you're being tested on your ability to connect environmental changes to larger themes: the market revolution, westward expansion, industrialization, and the rise of reform movements. These aren't isolated events; they reveal patterns of exploitation, unintended consequences, and eventual pushback.
Don't just memorize that the Dust Bowl happened in the 1930s—know why it happened (agricultural overproduction, market pressures, drought) and what it revealed about the limits of unchecked development. The best FRQ responses connect environmental change to economic systems, government policy, and social movements. That's the thinking that earns you points.
When profit-driven farming meets fragile ecosystems, the land eventually pushes back. These examples show how market demands led Americans to prioritize short-term yields over long-term sustainability.
Compare: Southern soil depletion vs. the Dust Bowl—both resulted from market-driven overfarming, but the Dust Bowl prompted federal intervention while Southern planters simply moved west. If an FRQ asks about continuity in environmental exploitation, these pair well.
Westward expansion wasn't just about land—it was about transforming ecosystems to serve an industrial economy. These changes devastated Native American communities whose survival depended on intact ecosystems.
Compare: Colonial deforestation vs. buffalo destruction—both eliminated resources Indigenous peoples depended on, but buffalo hunting was explicitly weaponized as federal policy. This distinction matters for questions about government's role in environmental change.
The same factories that built American wealth also poisoned American cities. Industrial pollution created new public health crises that would eventually spark reform movements.
Compare: Industrial pollution vs. agricultural degradation—industrial damage was concentrated and visible in cities, making it easier to organize reform movements. Agricultural damage was dispersed across rural areas with less political power.
The American Dream of homeownership came with hidden environmental costs. Postwar prosperity reshaped landscapes in ways that created new long-term challenges.
By the 1960s, accumulated environmental damage sparked a new reform movement. These developments show how grassroots activism can translate into federal policy.
Compare: Progressive Era conservation vs. 1970s environmentalism—both responded to industrial damage, but 1970s movement focused on pollution and public health while Progressive Era emphasized resource management and efficiency. Know this distinction for periodization questions.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Market-driven land exploitation | Southern soil depletion, Dust Bowl, colonial deforestation |
| Expansion and Indigenous displacement | Buffalo destruction, westward deforestation |
| Industrial pollution | Factory emissions, river contamination, urban health crises |
| Postwar consumption patterns | Suburban sprawl, automobile dependence |
| Reform movements and federal response | Silent Spring, Clean Air/Water Acts, EPA creation |
| Continuity in environmental exploitation | Colonial clearing → Southern monoculture → Great Plains overfarming |
| Government intervention shifts | Dust Bowl → New Deal conservation; 1960s activism → 1970s regulation |
Which two environmental changes were most directly caused by market pressures for agricultural exports, and how did government responses differ between them?
Compare the environmental consequences of industrialization with those of westward expansion—what types of damage did each cause, and which communities were most affected?
How does Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" connect to the broader pattern of 1960s reform movements, and what does the federal response reveal about changing attitudes toward regulation?
If an FRQ asked you to trace continuity and change in American environmental exploitation from 1600 to 1900, which three examples would you choose and why?
Compare the Progressive Era conservation movement with 1970s environmentalism—what problems did each address, and how did their solutions differ in scope and approach?