21. Progressivism from the Grass Roots to the White House, 1890

Quiz for Making Historical Arguments: Progressives and Conservation: Should Hetch Hetchy Be Damned or Saved?

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question 21.6

1. For what purpose did John Muir and the members of the Sierra Club want to preserve wilderness, such as the Yosemite Valley, in the early twentieth century?

To ensure that the United States' natural resources could be used efficiently through measures like livestock grazing and building hydroelectric power

To protect land that had historical significance to local Native American tribes from being developed by American businessmen

To provide a place where urban Americans could escape the bustling cities and restore their health and wellness while surrounded by nature

To create a designated space in which American men could safely and responsibly enjoy hunting and fishing all year round

Question 21.7

2. Why did public opinion regarding San Francisco’s plan to get water from Hetch Hetchy change in the years following 1903, when the U.S. Secretary of the Interior forbid the city from doing so?

After the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco, Americans felt compassion for the city that had been so destroyed.

Popular support for John Muir’s preservation efforts peaked in 1903, but waned in the years that followed.

Californian Progressives revealed that the Secretary of the Interior’s 1903 decision had been influenced by PG&E lobbyists.

The president’s chief forester, Gifford Pinchot, argued convincingly for conservation of Yosemite rather than preservation.

Question 21.8

3. California progressives were dismissive of John Muir’s attempts to preserve Hetch Hetchy from commercial use, arguing that the real enemy in the fight over Hetch Hetchy was not the city of San Francisco but

President Theodore Roosevelt.

the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Secretary of the Interior Franklin Lane.

the National Park Service.

Question 21.9

4. Although John Muir did not succeed in preventing San Francisco from damming Hetch Hetchy in 1907, his fight to save it resulted in what positive outcome for preservationists less than ten years later?

The establishment of the National Park Service

Yosemite’s designation as a national park

The designation of Muir Woods in California

The Raker Act passed through Congress

Question 21.10

5. This essay supports which of the following historical arguments about the environment in the early twentieth century?

Most of the gains for environmental protection at the national level that were made under President Theodore Roosevelt were reversed soon after he left office in 1909.

Progressives’ efforts to protect the natural landscape concentrated most heavily on land in California, leaving the East Coast and Midwest extremely vulnerable to development.

History has proven that California progressives were correct about PG&E’s motives, for this company gained a monopoly over San Francisco power even in spite of Hetch Hetchy.