Browsing by Subject "American History"
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Item Picking up Where Thoreau Left Off: John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, an Unlikely Partnership Bringing Thoreau's Vision to Life(Texas A&M International University, 2015-01-06) Maldonado, Annette; Broncano, Manuel; Thompson, Jerry D.; Niemeyer, Paul; Dean, John EmoryIn American history, views of nature have changed over time to fit the needs of the society interacting with the wilderness. The literature of each period reflects the shift in attitudes towards wilderness as it progresses from fear of evil lurking in nature to a need to dominate and exploit it for its useful resources. Over the course of time, the need to conquer and exploit nature was rivaled by an urge to protect it. Ideas of wilderness protection were scarce early in the country’s history, but they were not unheard of; however, by the time of Transcendentalism a definite and more visible interest in protecting American wilderness began to take shape. This interest is best seen in the literature of the Transcendentalists. Ideas for wilderness protection existed from the midcentury, but it was not until the environmental reform movements of the turn of the century that Transcendentalist thought, particularly that of Henry David Thoreau, began to be widely appreciated and realized. This was no easy task, but through the work of many environmentalists the efforts culminated in the eventual creation of the National Park Service. John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, two pioneers of the environmental movement, were two of these individuals, and their partnership is worth special attention for the unlikely pairing and the influence Henry David Thoreau had on both men.Item Unity, Justice and Protection: The Colored Trainmen of America's Struggle to End Jim Crow in the American Railroad Industry [and Elsewhere](2012-10-19) James, ErvinThe Colored Trainmen of America (CTA) actively challenged Jim Crow policies on the job and in the public sphere between the 1930s and 1950s. In response to lingering questions concerning the relationship between early black labor activism and civil rights protest, this study goes beyond both local lure and cursory research. This study examines the Colored Trainmen's major contributions to the advancement of African Americans. It also provides context for some of the organization's shortcomings in both realms. On the job the African American railroad workers belonging to the CTA fought valiantly to receive the same opportunities for professional growth and development as whites working in the operating trades of the railroad industry. In the public sphere, these men collectively protested second-class services and accommodations both on and off the clock. Neither their agenda, the scope of their activities, nor their influence was limited to the railroad lines the members of the CTA operated within the Gulf Coast region. The CTA belonged to a progressive coalition comprised of four other powerful independent African American labor unions committed to unyielding labor activism and the toppling of Jim Crow. Together, they all worked to effectuate meaningful social change in partnership with national civil rights attorney Charles H. Houston. Houston's experience and direction, coupled with the CTA's dedicated membership and willingness to challenge authority, created considerable momentum in movements aimed at toppling racial inequality in the workplace and elsewhere. Like most of their predecessors, the CTA's struggle for advancement fits within a continuum of successive challenges to economic exploitation and racial inequality. No single person or organization can take full credit for ending segregation or achieving equality. Many who remain nameless and faceless contributed and sacrificed. This study not only chronicles the contribution of a relatively unsung African American labor organization that waged war against Jim Crow on two different fronts, it also pays homage to a few more individuals who made a difference in the lives of an entire race of people during the course of a bitterly contested, never-ending struggle for racial equality in the United States of America during the twentieth century.