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'Make of Them Grand Parks, Owned in Common:' Public Opinion and the Democratic Ideal in the Adirondacks, 1864-1894
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ABSTRACT
Scholars have long viewed the creation of public parks in the 19
th
century as a reflection
of American democratic ideals. A commitment to egalitarianism on the one handmeant that natural wonders could be set aside for the use and enjoyment of all people,not just for the wealthy few, or for royalty. Meanwhile, institutions governed bypopular sovereignty reminded lawmakers that growing public demands for forestpreservation should be heeded. Yet according to some environmental historians (suchas Roderick Nash), parks and democracy are more than compatible ideas; they connectin ways that are explicitly causal. This paper explores what might be called the“democracy thesis” through a narrative case study of the Adirondack Park. A contentanalysis of 19
th
century newspaper editorials published in New York between 1864 and
1894 reveals that democratic rhetoric was frequently invoked in support of the creationof a public park in the Adirondacks, but that argument ultimately had little influence onstate legislators. Not only does Nash overemphasize consensus on democratic normsand traditions, he overlooks important class and regional conflicts that continue toshape the tension between conservation and preservation today.
NOTE: This paper is a work in progress, and should be treated as such. Please do notcite or reproduce it without the author’s express permission.
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ABSTRACT
Scholars have long viewed the creation of public parks in the 19
th
century as a reflection
of American democratic ideals. A commitment to egalitarianism on the one hand
meant that natural wonders could be set aside for the use and enjoyment of all people,
not just for the wealthy few, or for royalty. Meanwhile, institutions governed by
popular sovereignty reminded lawmakers that growing public demands for forest
preservation should be heeded. Yet according to some environmental historians (such
as Roderick Nash), parks and democracy are more than compatible ideas; they connect
in ways that are explicitly causal. This paper explores what might be called the
“democracy thesis” through a narrative case study of the Adirondack Park. A content
analysis of 19
th
century newspaper editorials published in New York between 1864 and
1894 reveals that democratic rhetoric was frequently invoked in support of the creation
of a public park in the Adirondacks, but that argument ultimately had little influence on
state legislators. Not only does Nash overemphasize consensus on democratic norms
and traditions, he overlooks important class and regional conflicts that continue to
shape the tension between conservation and preservation today.
NOTE: This paper is a work in progress, and should be treated as such. Please do not
cite or reproduce it without the author’s express permission.
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