Although closely associated with the 1960s, the environmental movement has a long history in the United States. In this book, Leslie Paul Thiele describes this history, particularly environmentalism as a social movement, tracing it from its beginnings in the mid-1800s to its broad role in the culture today. With a dispassionate eye, the author presents the key stages in environmentalism's development and the concerns which have driven it. The volume touches on issues in philosophy, political science, and sociology, and can serve as a general introduction to the field or as a textbook for courses in environmental ethics, environmental politics, or American social history.