The Republic of Nature: An Environmental History of the United States is published with the assistance of a grant from the Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books Endowment, established by the Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, members of the Weyerhaeuser family, and Janet and Jack Creighton.

© 2012 by the University of Washington Press
Printed and bound in the United States of America Design by Thomas Eykemans
Composed in Sorts Mill Goudy; display type set in League Gothic;
courtesy The League of Moveable Type
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Fiege, Mark.
The republic of nature : an environmental history of the United States / Mark Fiege.
p. cm.—(Weyerhaeuser environmental books)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-295-99167-2 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Human ecology—United States—History. 2. Nature—Effect of human beings on—United States—History. 3. United States—Environmental conditions. I. Title.
GF503F54 2012       304.20973—dc23       2011035457

The paper used in this publication is acid-free and meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.∞

FRONTISPIECE Dedication of the Lincoln Memorial, May 30, 1922.
Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division, LC-F81-19718

ISBN 978-0-295-80414-9 (electronic)