Bain News Service. John Muir. n.d. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014686853/.
Inspired by this photograph of the man, students will learn about John Muir, often called the Father of the National Parks. They will reflect upon Muir’s conservation work in Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada and read his seminal article, “The American Forests” https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/234/, which helped to persuade Congress to pass a bill in 1890 establishing Yosemite National Park. Students will write a letter to their legislative representatives expressing their views about national support for wilderness areas.
John Muir was an American naturalist whose writings profoundly influenced the growth of the conservation movement. In 1892, he created the Sierra Club, an organization dedicated to the preservation of wilderness areas, serving as its president until his death in 1914. In his early years, Muir made disparaging comments about Indigenous peoples and African Americans, which have been widely decried. In later years, Muir wrote and spoke about the equality of all people regardless of race, creed, or color.
Source: Encyclopedia of World Biographies https://www.notablebiographies.com/Mo-Ni/Muir-John.html#google_vignette
- What do you infer about John Muir’s character from the photograph?
- Why did John Muir dedicate his life to preserving wilderness areas?
- How does experiencing nature benefit humans?
- What can happen to wilderness areas if they are not protected?
- How does the issue of conservation of natural resources continue to play out in the United States?
ELA Standard
Reading standards 6–12, 2. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Social Studies Standard
HSS Standard 11.11. Students analyze the major social problems and domestic policy issues in contemporary American society.
Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.
- Invite students to look closely at the photograph of John Muir posed in front of a giant redwood tree. Have them talk with a partner about the kind of man Muir seems to be based on this image.
- Have students read John Muir’s essay, “The American Forests” https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/234/ (open access), taking notes on how their assumptions about Muir’s character from the photo are confirmed or contradicted. In small groups, have students share their notes and come to a consensus.
- Have students research the history of the conservation movement, the Sierra Club, and national parks legislation, creating a timeline from 1890 to the present.
- Invite students to write a letter to their local legislator explaining their point of view regarding taxpayer support for the national park system.
Highsmith, Carol M. Muir Woods, a National Park Service site named for John Muir in California. 2012. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2013632553/.