An engaging, personalized look at the interplay between people and nature in the northeastern and midwestern United States, from prehistory to the present. The Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States provide a fascinating case study for the emergent field of environmental history. These regions, with their varied resources, were central to the early economic success of the nation. Consequently, the early industries in these regions altered and depleted the landscape as people changed their locations and occupations. Fishing and whaling on the northeastern coast have given way to tourism and sailing. The great stands of timber around the Great Lakes have been replaced by farms and dairies. The textile mills, powered by the falls of the Piedmont and once yielding wealth, now stand empty. That humans shape their environment and, in turn, must respond to the consequences is broadly obvious. Using the voices of historical figures, both notable and obscure, this book brings to life the interaction between humans and their environments and illustrates the consequences of those interactions. Part of ABC-CLIO's unique Nature and Human Societies series, this book enables readers to better understand humanity's effect on the environment. Maps and photographs show environmental regions, population movement, and changes to the environment by humans Separate listing of primary sources for all chapter topics, along with a bibliography and glossary

This book is a study of the impact of industrialization and urbanization on the environment of New England in general and the Connecticut River Valley in particular - and of the varied public responses to the change engendered by the impact. Part One begins with a look at the early ways of life in the valley: the struggle is to extract a living and the transformation away from settled agriculture. Part Two looks at the responses to these changes and into the roots of emerging social, economic, and political conflicts in the region, and Part Three argues that out of these conflicts emerged the idea of the state as mediating influence.

From Abolition to Rights for All The Making of a Reform Community in the Nineteenth Century John T. Cumbler "This study demonstrates the breadth and continuity of nineteenth-century reform in the U.S., all too easily obscured by the cataclysm of civil war."--"Choice" "A fine book that should be high on the reading list of anyone interested in American social movements."--"Journal of Social History" The Civil War was not the end, as is often thought, of reformist activism among abolitionists. After emancipation was achieved, they broadened their struggle to pursue equal rights for women, state medicine, workers' rights, fair wages, immigrants' rights, care of the poor, and a right to decent housing and a healthy environment. Focusing on the work of a key group of activists from 1835 to the dawn of the twentieth century, "From Abolition to Rights for All" investigates how reformers, linked together and radicalized by their shared experiences in the abolitionist struggle, articulated a core natural rights ideology and molded it into a rationale for successive reform movements. The book follows the abolitionists' struggles and successes in organizing a social movement. For a time after the Civil War these reformers occupied major positions of power, only to be rebuffed in the later years of the nineteenth century as the larger society rejected their inclusive understanding of natural rights. The narrative of perseverance among this small group would be a continuing source of inspiration for reform. The pattern they established--local organization, expansive vision, and eventual challenge by powerful business interests and individuals--would be mirrored shortly thereafter by Progressives. John T. Cumbler is Professor of History at the University of Louisville and is the author of several books, including "Reasonable Use: The People, the Environment, and the State, New England 1790-1930." 2007 256 pages 6 x 9 ISBN 978-0-8122-4026-9 Cloth $49.95s 32.50 ISBN 978-0-8122-0382-0 Ebook $49.95s 32.50 World Rights American History

Business, Politics, and Work in Trenton (Class & Culture)