Wilderness and John Muir Essay example

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Rose Rowe

Directions: Read chapters 2 and 3 in American Realities, “The Rise of Andrew Carnegie” and “John Muir and the American Wilderness” and answer the following questions. Your responses should be one to two paragraphs in length for each question. Save your responses as a Word Document file and e-mail the document as an attachment at catherine.rokicky@tri-c.edu. The assignment is due by Tuesday, January 27 at 11:59 p.m.

1. Explain the contributions of Andrew Carnegie to American life. (3 points)
Andrew Carnegie made numerous contributions to American life. He organized the Keystone Bridge Company and built crossings to Mississippi at Saint Louis and Missouri at Omaha. He also spent a lot time acquiring different businesses in his work with iron. He also did the same in working in the steel industry. He built Carnegie Steel Company which in 1900 accounted for one-fourth of the nation’s steel output. He was also a philanthropist and gave a lot of his wealth away.

2. What contributions did John Muir make to American life? (3 points)
John Muir is considered as a preservationist. His contributions to American life are important. He wrote articles in magazines so that the American people could understand that nature and animals were very important to life. He founded a wilderness protection society, and fought for the protection of wilderness areas. He was an explorer and observer, he wanted people to appreciate nature not destroy it. His articles were influential in Yosemite becoming a national park.

3. Do you believe that Andrew Carnegie or John Muir contributed more to American development? Explain. (2 points)
I think that John Muir contributed more to American development. He was always learning and exploring. During these trips he wrote about his findings and he shared them through his articles. I think that he helped people by giving them

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