The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America [9780060565312]

Overview

From New York Times bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley comes a sweeping work of environmental history and an eye-opening look at the pioneering policies of President Theodore Roosevelt, avid bird-watcher, naturalist, and the founding father of America’s conservation movement.

In this groundbreaking epic Theodore Roosevelt biography, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our “naturalist president.” By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt’s most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906, laying the groundwork for the national parks system. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest.

This definitive account of our naturalist president reveals:

• The Birth of Conservation: Explore the untold story of how Roosevelt, an avid bird-watcher and naturalist, channeled his passion for the American wilderness into a revolutionary political crusade.
• A Presidential Legacy: Discover how his administration set aside more than 230 million acres of land and laid the groundwork for the National Park System, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Antiquities Act.
• Never-Before-Published Materials: Drawing on newly unearthed letters and journals, Brinkley offers a fresh, groundbreaking perspective on the life and achievements of America’s conservationist president.
• Epic American History: A sweeping narrative that captures a pivotal era, detailing perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I.