Founding the American Commons

As the push to develop the interior reaches of the United States surged in the nineteenth century, a few visionary citizens advocated for identifying and protecting lands with superior scenery, abundant wildlife, and unique resources. Today, almost one-third of the nation’s land base constitutes the American Commons, a designation that refers to our shared national resources, managed under a doctrine of public trust and manifest in the ideal of democratic governance.

Founding the American Commons traces the early history of public lands using primary source documents, allowing the actors themselves to share their opinions and motivations regarding the establishment of a “higher use” of environmental resources and the protection of our nation’s natural and cultural heritage. Included are original documents from environmental pioneers including John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Chief Joseph, and Rachel Carson, as well as lesser-known individuals like Israel Ward Raymond, Franklin Hough, and Rosalie Edge. The book also includes documents representing diverse groups that have contributed to, or in some cases been significantly impacted by the American Commons, including women, African Americans, and Indigenous peoples. Founding the American Commons guides readers through this collection of documents and key actors, providing historical context for the extraordinary events that shaped what environmental historian Alfred Runte referred to as “landscape democracy.”