Historical Context
"Twenty centuries of 'progress' have brought the average citizen a vote, a national anthem, a Ford, a bank account, and a high opinion of himself, but not the capacity to live in high density without befouling and denuding his environment, nor a conviction that such capacity, rather than such density, is the true test of whether he is civilized. "
-Aldo Leopold, Game Management, 1933
The American Conservation Movement [1847-1920] was a step in the right direction but was soon overpowered by overuse of resources, pollution, and indiscriminate use of pesticides. However, over time, the harmful effects of uncontrolled human actions on the environment were questioned.