National identity should be defined as an individual's sense of belonging to a particular nation. Yet, various aspects, such as race, religion, and language often define one's national identity. But, in the United States, national identity goes far deeper than skin color and language. American national identity comes from the individuals eyes. And because of this American's can take pride in America and use a wide range of things, which can help them call themselves American. As America is a giant melting pot, people whom call themselves American can be any color, any race, have any religious beliefs, and speak any language. Freedom is a defining feature of America, and therefore American's can have the freedom to be whoever they want to be, while still being American.
Since America was established many drastic changes have occurred dealing with national identity. From racism, to gender discrimination, to religious uproars; America has gone through a lot. Depending on the time period American's would associate themselves with different things. For example, during the civil war in 1861-1865 although all were "American," people would associate themselves as part of the Union or the Confederacy. When African slaves first came to America, they were classified as African, not American. But, for today great change has taken place where no matter what color, gender, age, religion, or language, if someone legally lives in America, they are American.
By living in America Americans have all kinds of things which they can associate themselves with. In the late 1800's America's goal was to have places which could be comparable if not better then places in Europe, and those places are now known as national parks. For Europe great cemeteries, churches, and cathedrals stand proud. And America didn't have the same types of great structures which they could associate themselves with. But, what America did have were untouched, natural, pure wilderness environments which stand in the American west. In this paper I will argue why America's national parks were established to give Americans a sense of pride, joy, and freedom. From initial jealousy, the national parks quickly turned into some of the greatest places known to man, and that is why Americans proudly use the national parks as their own national identity.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's National Parks were established in America. The national parks symbolized more than just American beauty; they symbolized freedom, pureness, and natural elegance. These reasons helped make Americans proud of their public space and encouraged them to have something to be proud of in comparison to Europe. In Europe this idea of preserving natural land was already common, "Finally, the natural preserves of European royalty gave way to a greater public use. In 1852, for example, Napoleon III began the transformation of Paris's popular Bois de Boulogne- a 2,000-acre woodland on the city's western outskirts [1] ." Thomas Jefferson was not fond of the idea that Europe had things which the rest of the world envied; and he wanted America to be that place which everyone else envied. After the American Revolution, Jefferson wrote, "Just what had America achieved, he was also forced to ask himself. What would France-indeed the rest of Europe-admire and respect? So far, there was nothing distinctive about American architecture; the United States had few painters whom Europe envied. In truth, the country was as raw as its independence, and that independence was still much in doubt [2] ." Jefferson was in a sort of panic, and felt that something great had to either be preserved or created in America.
Before the west became the scene for some of America's most beautiful landscapes, the east was where the original "natural park" concept evolved. Once Niagara Falls was developed the falls became a very popular place for European tourists. The falls were something that the Europeans did not have, and Niagara Falls was exactly what Jefferson wanted for America. But, not after long in the 1830's, European tourists noticed that the falls began to disappear behind buildings, fences, and industrial plants [3] . Because of the lack of preservation for Niagara Falls the falls became almost a laughing stock for the Europeans. A young European political scholar named Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in 1831 to his mother when he stayed in America, to "hasten" to Niagara if she wished "to see this place in its grandeur. If you delay," he warned, "your Niagara will have been spoiled for you. Already the forest round about is being cleared… I don't give the Americans ten years to establish a saw flour mill at the base of the cataract [4] ." As word got out the excitement for the falls sonly vanished. America blew it and let the Falls become an unworthy site, "the Yankees put an ugly shot tower on the brink of the Horseshoe," and "what will they do next in their freaks it is difficult to summarize [5] ." Those quotes from European travelers helped summarize the shame they felt for America, and the shame they felt for Americans not preserving their most beautiful natural landscape.
Wilderness no matter where, is very important to people. The wilderness is a natural place or places where plants and animals ruled before human disturbance. Because of this the preservation behind the wilderness is very important. In the American west thousands of acres of natural mountains and plains shined. These places until recent times were only used by Native Americans and wildlife, and because of this, that naturalness is what evokes American pride. According to Roderick Nash author of Wilderness & the American Mind, "Wilderness was the basic ingredient of American culture [6] ." Americans since the beginning have used the wilderness as a tool for living. Before the European settlers came to America, the Native Americans used America's land as a resource for food, shelter, and life. Even in recent times the wilderness is used for the same traditional purposes, for hunting, fishing, camping, relaxing, and enjoying America's naturalness.
Preservation of the wilderness is very important. If development of America's wilderness occurs, then American national identity will be lost. Because preservation is so important for the wilderness a large step took place in America around 1870. A man by the name of Walter Trumball was a member of an expedition which went into what is now known as Yellowstone National Park. The Washburn Expedition led to a lot of excitement and got a lot of government attention. In Trumbull's original journal of his 1870's expedition experience he talked about his journey in the natural, untouched, and pure wilderness. Like most today Trumball found the game and wildlife experience very entertaining, "During the day plenty of small game was killed, and the fishing was found to be excellent. Trout and white-fish were abundant--and such trout! They can only be found in the neighborhood of the Rocky Mountains, and on the Pacific Slope. Few of them weighed less than two pounds, and many of them over three. they had not been educated up to the fly; but when their attention was respectfully solicited to a transfixed grasshopper, they seldom failed to respond [7] ." Trumball found his days in the Yellowstone Territory exciting and glorifying. This expedition was the first to go into the Yellowstone territory and write about it at a national level.
While reading Trumbull's journal, it was very noticeable the amount of excitement behind each word. Evidence of exploration can be found anywhere in the document. The members of the expedition camped, hiked, and fished just like people do these days for recreation and fun. While on the expedition of 1870 a member of the expedition Private Moore drew pictures of the rare sites which he and his men came across. The original sketches were from the expedition's original accounts with sites like the Castle Geyser Cone, the Giant Geyser, Lower Yellowstone Falls, Upper Yellowstone Falls, and Tower Falls to name a few [8] . The original sketches were all done in pencil, yet each sketch was done so well, color was not needed. Moore drew his pictures in a way where the park was brought to life. And because of this his sketches were used as great tools as evidence for why Yellowstone should be preserved for America's future. Below are two sketches which Moore drew on the expedition:
910
Lower Yellowstone Falls, 1870 Giant Geyser, 1870
In 1872 America's first national park was established. Yellowstone started as a large 3,500 square mile park which consisted of rivers, lakes, mountains, trees, wildlife, and clean quality air. On January 29, 1872 America's House of Representatives put out a report for a bill for the establishment of The Yellowstone Park. The report consisted of a bill which, "now before Congress has for its object the withdrawal from settlement, occupancy, or sale, under the laws of the United States, a tract of land fifty-five by sixty-five miles, about the sources of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers; and dedicates and sets it apart as a great national park or pleasure-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people [11] ." This bill was to enforce the preservation of the park and the establishment of America's first national park, Yellowstone. On March 1, 1872 the Act of Establishing Yellowstone National Park was "to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park [12] ." This act followed the bill which, "That said public park shall be under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior, whose duty it shall be as soon as practicable, to make and publish such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the care and management of the same. Such regulations shall provide for the preservation from injury or spoliation of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition [13] ." This was the start of a preservation process which had led to the establishment of the national park. Today there are roughly 62 national parks which share the common goals of preservation, and pureness for the world to enjoy.
For the world to enjoy the parks, tourism needed to be established. Unlike most tourist places around the world, the early national parks were often in far off places which made travel often very difficult. Prior to the car, railroads were the only way to access the early parks. Often it was the railway companies which did a lot of promotions for the parks. One of the first advertisements of its type was a publication from the Harper's New Monthly Magazine in April 1894. The magazine had a page dedicated to the Northern Pacific Railroad, which said "The scene above is one of the beautiful spots in the YELLOWSTONE PARK. As the tourist leaves the GOLDEN GATE he enters a lovely mountain valley: in the distance are rugged mountains, in the foreground a tiny lake-behind, a land of grim rocks and cliffs [14] ." The advertisement also says, "Be Patriotic-Be An American!" and "Stay Away From Europe This Year" and 'This Is My Own, My Native Land'? [15] " All of these quotes have the same meaning. As mentioned earlier in this paper, the National Parks were created to grab the world's attention and to compete with Europe. By doing that the idea of the national parks was to create something that Americans could be so proud of, they wouldn't ever need or want to leave. The parks early advertisements sure got that point across because most of the early publications included wording and pictures which often were very direct. Below are some of the original advertisements which were created to bring people from all over the world to see the parks:
1617
Advertisement to see America, 1890's Advertisement about how National Parks Preserve Wild Life, 1890's
Because of the initial tourist response, the national park concept quickly grew. It didn't take much time before the concept took over the western part of the United States. Before 1920 parks such as Acadia, Crater Lake, Denali, Glacier, Haleakala, Lassen Volcanic, Mesa Verde, Mount Rainier, Rocky Mountain, Sequoia, Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion were all established by the United States Government [18] . All of the parks shared a common goal, and that was to help preserve America's most spectacular natural sites, and bring the rest of the world in to see what America has in her backyard. For American's this idea of establishing national parks wasn't such a bad idea. Because of the parks popularity the increase in national parks was immense.
Yosemite National Park was soon to follow after Yellowstone. Yosemite was a place which was popular because of its true beauty, "As I looked at the grandeur of the scene a peculiar exalted sensation seemed to fill my whole being, and I found my eyes in tears with emotion [19] ." That quote from Ansel Adams is a perfect example of how important the parks were to the American eye. Beyond the cities and loud noises were the quiet and vibrant mountains in Yosemite. Before European influence Yosemite was the home to the Native Americans. The natives lived in Yosemite's wilderness for centuries before the United States Government ever stepped foot in the park. The name of Yosemite was developed from the word "Uzumati" which meant "grizzly bear" to the natives whom were taken out of the area.
For the Native Americans a lot of struggle took place. The true American national identity took place way before Yosemite or Yellowstone, it took place when the Native Americans were the only humans in the North American Region. The Native Americans felt the same emotions about the scenic views, the fishing, the camping, the hiking, as did the people from the 1870 Washburn Expedition, the European tourists, and even myself and people who experience the parks today. But, that is what makes the national parks so great, no matter what timer period, or who is in the park, the parks are so significant that they draw emotion to any visitor. And because of that, American's find themselves using the parks as a source for finding their national identity. As John Muir put it, "One touch of nature makes the whole world kin [20] ." John Muir spent most of his life exploring in the west. He found himself often one with nature, and spending a lot of alone time in the wilderness. His actions towards preserving the wilderness in the west led to a lot of drastic changes.
The Yosemite Valley was one of Muir's favorite places in the world. In an original letter that Muir wrote to a lady by the name of Emily Pelton on the 29th of January 1870, he wrote about his time in the valley, and how special that place was to him. Below is the first part of the letter:
21
Muir spent six years in Yosemite. He was living there because of a conservation movement that he was a part of. He often wrote letters to his friends at home, including Emily, who he wrote many letters to over the six year period. By reading the original letter it's quite obvious that he was very happy with his time in the wilderness. With quotes like [22] , "I had lived in flowery summer and I longed to see the snow and ice.." and "I longed too to hear the deep harmonies of the storm wind, and the torrents- and I knew that I should find all of these pleasures," and "perhaps longer for I can hardly tear myself away." The way he words his sentences shows how content he was living along the bears, trees, and mountains.
The plan while establishing the national parks was to conserve and preserve public land for anyone to use at any time. But, there were others who felt different about this concept. The Leopold Committee in 1963 once said, "The biotic associations in many of our parks are artifacts, pure and simple. They represent a complex ecologic history but they do not necessarily represent primitive America [23] ." After the turn of the twentieth century, preservation of natural environments was an afterthought. Ongoing battles between conservationists and congress took place, including one in Olympic National Park. [24] In Olympic National Park conservationists asked congress to protect the trees, which were being threatened by the logging industry. With President Roosevelt on the parks side, he granted the park more acreage covering areas which were threatened by the ax. Instances like this one were often too common.
Today the national parks are being threatened even more. Today with the rise in population and tourism, the national parks have turned into very populated tourist savvy places. Roads have been built, power lines have been put up, buildings have been constructed, and most importantly wildlife have died or been pushed out. Because of the public demand for the parks, the parks are turning into destination spots, which means less preserving and more destroying. An example of this is found in Rocky Mountain National Park located in Colorado. For research purposes I went into Rocky Mountain National Park for a day trip. During my exploration of the park I saw fencing, paved roads everywhere, buildings with satellite dishes, new buildings, telephone poles, and even a golf course. To me this was not preservation of the park. I interviewed a Rocky Mountain park ranger over the phone about my concerns with the preservation of the park, and below is some of the interview:
Kyle- "I have noticed all kinds of new structures being built, poles put in, and fencing by the paved roads, not to mention almost every building having a new satellite dish. Why are these changes happening?"
Rainey- "Well, there is a long story about each thing which you mentioned. For the satellite dishes… Unfortunately, the buildings with them are private cabins. The park nor the government owns those structures, so unfortunately we have no say when it comes to the satellite dishes.
Kyle-"How do people get private cabins in a national park?'
Rainey-"There are a few ways. One being grandfathered in, or having the cabin being passed down in someone's will…Another way is if a cabin goes up for sale because it's not willed, and the park cannot afford to buy it, then the cabin will go on the market like any other house… This has only happened once since I've been here, which is roughly six years."
Kyle-"Interesting. But what about the fencing around the river going through the park? That doesn't seem to make sense?"
Rainey-"That fencing is actually brand new. The reason why we installed the fencing was because of the elk. The elk have been eating near the river a lot lately and have been mysteriously dying. After a lot of research we found there was something in the plants which were located off of the water. So in order to help keep the elk numbers up, we installed the fencing…"
After analyzing the entire interview it was clear that Rocky Mountain National Park is doing "modern" preservation efforts to keep the park in stable condition. Because of the modern era the park installed paved roads, telephone lines, buildings to please the common tourist. When looking at the parks and national identity, the reason the two go hand in hand is because the parks are for public use, and American's can use the parks as if they are their own. But, with the increase in American's finding their national identity, involves the increase in "modern" preservation efforts, which is destroying the parks.
The original idea of the national parks was contradicting in a way, "it is said that the national parks are our best idea-that their idealism defines America [25] ." The reason for the idea to be contradicting is because of two main things. One is that the national parks were to be preserved to their fullest, so that the ecosystem could naturally evolve and run on its own, "the Natural beauty of the parks defines America, and as America stands, so should the originality of the wilderness [26] ." But, the other original idea of the national parks was to save public land for American's to use for recreation and for tourism. In the beginning these two things seemed to go hand in hand, and the original concept of the parks worked. But, when the 1930's came around, the original concepts became separate, and the parks began to become destination places with hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Conclusion
National identity rang throughout America when the national parks were fist established. People from all over the world were coming to see the magnificent natural wonders which had America preserved. And because of this American's wore their britches high because they finally had something proud of in comparison to Europe. From the 1870's through the 1930's the national parks meant a lot to the American public. Finally, there were places to visit without shipping off to see Europe or Asia; places which were as natural as anywhere else in the world, places where wildlife roamed free, and places where the air was as pure as the visitor's souls. Finally, Americans could forget about the new skyscrapers in the large cities, and go see the mountains which seemed to reach the blue sky.
Tourism was on the rise once the word of the parks got out. Between the railways and cars, it became easier and easier for the public to access the parks. Today the parks see a much larger increase in tourism due to the rise in population and development of transportation. Because of this rise, the parks are slowly becoming a thing of the past. The initial purpose of the parks was to preserve public land, which could be accessed by anyone at any time. But, as time went on, the act of preservation has lost its purpose. But, preservation or no preservation, the national parks still stand tall and shine, and to this day they help people identify themselves as Americans…
