These lessons introduce students to historical perspectives of nature and the environment, drawing on the American Memory collections, other digital resources, readings, and writing exercises. Students examine materials in a variety of formats to understand the contexts of America's concern for the environment. William Henry Jackson and artist Thomas Moran had on the creation of Yellowstone National Park. They explore and analyze images of the area along with legislative records and maps and produce an essay on the relationship between early images of the American West and subsequent ideologies and stories of the West.
Students produce a research paper addressing the history of a local environmental issue.
The unit may be extended with students performing their own historical research in the community.