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Vanishing America: Species Extinction, Racial Peril, and the Origins of Conservation
Putting a provocative new slant on the history of U.S. conservation, Vanishing America reveals how wilderness preservation efforts became entangled with racial anxieties―specifically the fear that forces of modern civilization, unless checked, would sap white America’s vigor and stamina.
Nineteenth-century citizens of European descent widely believed that Native Americans would eventually vanish from the continent. Indian society was thought to be tied to the wilderness, and the manifest destiny of U.S. westward expansion, coupled with industry’s ever-growing hunger for natural resources, presaged the disappearance of Indian peoples. Yet, as the frontier drew to a close, some naturalists chronicling the loss of animal and plant populations began to worry that white Americans might soon share the Indians’ presumed fate.
Miles Powell explores how early conservationists such as George Perkins Marsh, William Temple Hornaday, and Aldo Leopold became convinced that the continued vitality of America’s “Nordic” and “Anglo-Saxon” races depended on preserving the wilderness. Fears over the destiny of white Americans drove some conservationists to embrace scientific racism, eugenics, and restrictive immigration laws. Although these activists laid the groundwork for the modern environmental movement and its many successes, the consequences of their racial anxieties persist.
Nineteenth-century citizens of European descent widely believed that Native Americans would eventually vanish from the continent. Indian society was thought to be tied to the wilderness, and the manifest destiny of U.S. westward expansion, coupled with industry’s ever-growing hunger for natural resources, presaged the disappearance of Indian peoples. Yet, as the frontier drew to a close, some naturalists chronicling the loss of animal and plant populations began to worry that white Americans might soon share the Indians’ presumed fate.
Miles Powell explores how early conservationists such as George Perkins Marsh, William Temple Hornaday, and Aldo Leopold became convinced that the continued vitality of America’s “Nordic” and “Anglo-Saxon” races depended on preserving the wilderness. Fears over the destiny of white Americans drove some conservationists to embrace scientific racism, eugenics, and restrictive immigration laws. Although these activists laid the groundwork for the modern environmental movement and its many successes, the consequences of their racial anxieties persist.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published November 14, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 11, 2024
It's a little hard to judge a book that I read for a class and didn't necessarily choose. For a book I didn't pick, it was pretty good! I'm definitely someone who gravitates toward easily consumable, prettily written, or hyper-engaging text. I would say that this book wasn't the hardest to read, but it certainly wasn't the easiest. Most of the narrative is told through the lens of various conservationists and naturalists of the time, which also isn't my favorite way to learn history. I do think this is a really good book to get an illuminating take on the racists origins and beliefs underpinning our modern day conservation movement. His thesis that white American's racist beliefs about who belongs in the wilderness, species and racial extinction, and the notion of the wild as a panacea of modern ills was very interesting and clear throughout.
April 3, 2017
The movement to conserve natural resources in late 19th and early 20th centuries was driven by complex motivations. Miles Powell's Vanishing America focuses on the role of race and the corresponding fear of racial extinction that permeated the thinking of elite Anglo-American men.
Chapter one examines views of race and progress that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century. Remember, that both the concept of extinction and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution were new ideas. Progress was defined as evolving towards more advanced forms of civilization with industrial society at the pinnacle of progress. Races that did not progress ran the risk of extinction because they remained wallowed in a primitive state. It was commonly assumed that the advance of American civilization across the west would necessitate the extinction of both the Native Americans and the bison because it was believed they could not co-exist with farms, ranches, cities, and railroads.
Chapter two chronicles how elite Anglo-American men came to empathize with the imminent extinction of the Native Americans and the bison. They saw a parallel in their own existence, which they were convinced was threatened by a rising wave of immigration from southern and eastern Europe. The closing of the frontier in 189o, the rise of industrial society with its emphasis on money-making at the expense of morality, and the intense pace of urban life, a growing number Anglo-Americans feared that over civilization was weakening their race. At its worse, this presented an existential threat.
Chapter three examines the solution to this perceived problem of over civilization, which was to protect wilderness as place of renewal. Powell uses the phrase "white racial uplift" to describe why wilderness protection was deemed so important (p. 84). But, there was a fine line to be walked when interacting with nature. One could not over-indulge in shooting wildlife, or run the risk of losing the virtues of civilization. Therefore, restraint, as characterized in the sportsman's code, was the order of the day. Powell takes a deep dive into the interaction of wildlife conservation with the Anglo-American fear of their own extinction. Invasive species, for example, were stand-ins for hoards of immigrants. Just as invasive species like the sparrow overpowered numerous species native to America, southern and eastern European immigrants were viewed as threats to Anglo-American civilization. Not surprisingly most of the conservationists Powell looks at were proponents of immigration restrictions and eugenics as a way to "cull the heard."
Chapter four is aptly titled the "The Last of Her Tribe" and looks at how the deaths of the last known passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, and heath hen played into fears of racial extinction. There was a human analogy, as well, in how the last Indian became a cultural icon of sorts. Idealized in art, fiction, and even Ernest Thompson Seton's Woodcraft League of America, the last Indian was considered a noble being, exhausted by the struggle. Ironically, Ishi, who was portrayed as the "last wild" Indian in 1911 didn't fit the pre-conceived notion that Americans expected. In other words, he failed to act the part. Ishi died of TB in 1916.
Chapter five carries the story through to the 1950s. Powell argues that Aldo Leopold was just as much influenced by elitist and racialist thoughts as previous conservationists. Powell corresponds Leopold's fear of animal irruptions (like the catastrophic case of Kaibab) and his abandonment of predator control with his Malthusian fear of human population growth. William Vogt was even more strident in these beliefs and fears. Fairfield Osborn had some variations, but, he too supported eugenics and population control.
Chapter one examines views of race and progress that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century. Remember, that both the concept of extinction and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution were new ideas. Progress was defined as evolving towards more advanced forms of civilization with industrial society at the pinnacle of progress. Races that did not progress ran the risk of extinction because they remained wallowed in a primitive state. It was commonly assumed that the advance of American civilization across the west would necessitate the extinction of both the Native Americans and the bison because it was believed they could not co-exist with farms, ranches, cities, and railroads.
Chapter two chronicles how elite Anglo-American men came to empathize with the imminent extinction of the Native Americans and the bison. They saw a parallel in their own existence, which they were convinced was threatened by a rising wave of immigration from southern and eastern Europe. The closing of the frontier in 189o, the rise of industrial society with its emphasis on money-making at the expense of morality, and the intense pace of urban life, a growing number Anglo-Americans feared that over civilization was weakening their race. At its worse, this presented an existential threat.
Chapter three examines the solution to this perceived problem of over civilization, which was to protect wilderness as place of renewal. Powell uses the phrase "white racial uplift" to describe why wilderness protection was deemed so important (p. 84). But, there was a fine line to be walked when interacting with nature. One could not over-indulge in shooting wildlife, or run the risk of losing the virtues of civilization. Therefore, restraint, as characterized in the sportsman's code, was the order of the day. Powell takes a deep dive into the interaction of wildlife conservation with the Anglo-American fear of their own extinction. Invasive species, for example, were stand-ins for hoards of immigrants. Just as invasive species like the sparrow overpowered numerous species native to America, southern and eastern European immigrants were viewed as threats to Anglo-American civilization. Not surprisingly most of the conservationists Powell looks at were proponents of immigration restrictions and eugenics as a way to "cull the heard."
Chapter four is aptly titled the "The Last of Her Tribe" and looks at how the deaths of the last known passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, and heath hen played into fears of racial extinction. There was a human analogy, as well, in how the last Indian became a cultural icon of sorts. Idealized in art, fiction, and even Ernest Thompson Seton's Woodcraft League of America, the last Indian was considered a noble being, exhausted by the struggle. Ironically, Ishi, who was portrayed as the "last wild" Indian in 1911 didn't fit the pre-conceived notion that Americans expected. In other words, he failed to act the part. Ishi died of TB in 1916.
Chapter five carries the story through to the 1950s. Powell argues that Aldo Leopold was just as much influenced by elitist and racialist thoughts as previous conservationists. Powell corresponds Leopold's fear of animal irruptions (like the catastrophic case of Kaibab) and his abandonment of predator control with his Malthusian fear of human population growth. William Vogt was even more strident in these beliefs and fears. Fairfield Osborn had some variations, but, he too supported eugenics and population control.
October 28, 2025
A quick and easy read about how the conservation movement is rooted in racism in many ways. Not what I was expecting when I picked this book up, but an interesting read nonetheless. This book loses a few stars from me just because I felt that the author's argument was pretty broad and not always well substantiated. Nonetheless, I appreciate the examination into why people of color may not feel welcome in natural spaces these days. The conservation movement started as a way to maintain the racial vigor of white people specifically, and people of color, especially indigenous people, were often thrown under the bus in pursuit of this vision. If they weren't thrown under the bus, they were idealized in a way that only romanticized the past and didn't actually foresee a future for people of color on the lands the conservationists were so passionate about. Interesting book, just though it could be argued better!
June 15, 2024
Progresses through changing, complex historical ideas with clarity and nuance. Well researched and plenty of in depth analyses sourced from different media. I wish Powell had ended with a final chapter/epilogue which started to deal with the baggage that accumulated over the course of this book pertaining to “wild” spaces and POC exclusion, however de-extinction certainly touched on those subjects. Nor was is his responsibility to unravel that, and I think it’s just as powerful when that job is left to the reader. Great book that’s a must-read for anyone interested in history, environment, recreation, and conservation.
July 24, 2024
really great primer about the key figures at the foundational moment of conservation movements. moves generally chronologically, while also showing how later figures relied on ideas from their predecessors mentioned elsewhere in the book. if you want to learn more about the pervasiveness of white supremacy in wilderness initiatives and species preservation efforts, this book is for you.
March 1, 2022
very glad this replaced a sand county almanac in NR1 curriculum. gives a less sanitized version of the american conservation movement and addresses the pristine myth of “wilderness”.
February 9, 2025
Had to read for Natural History and Human Ecology 1 & 2. Not the most engaging writing but does a good job of showing the the complex figures of the environmental movement and their motivations.
June 9, 2026
This is why everytime I go on a hike and I’m miserable I say it’s some white people shit bc it’s been designed to be some white people shit!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews