Randall Balmer Books
Randall Balmer is an American historian and author specializing in American religious history. He is a professor at Dartmouth College and has written extensively on religion and culture in the United States, including works on evangelicalism and the intersection of faith and politics.
Known for: America's Best Idea: A Brief History of the National Parks
Books by Randall Balmer
America's Best Idea: A Brief History of the National Parks
This book offers a concise historical overview of the United States National Park system, exploring its origins, development, and cultural significance. Randall Balmer traces how the idea of preserving natural landscapes for public enjoyment became a defining feature of American identity, highlighting key figures, policies, and moments that shaped the parks into a national treasure.
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Early Preservation Efforts and the Birth of Yellowstone
The impulse toward preservation began in the midst of America’s rapid westward expansion, when economic opportunity often came at the expense of wilderness. By the mid-1800s, landscapes of astonishing beauty were being transformed or destroyed in service of industry. Yet even then, voices arose urgi...
From America's Best Idea: A Brief History of the National Parks
Transcendentalist and Conservationist Thought: Thoreau and Muir
To understand the soul of the national parks, we must listen to their prophets — thinkers like Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, who taught America to see nature as a source of moral truth. Thoreau, writing from Walden Pond, declared that wildness was the essential element of life and freedom. For ...
From America's Best Idea: A Brief History of the National Parks
About Randall Balmer
Randall Balmer is an American historian and author specializing in American religious history. He is a professor at Dartmouth College and has written extensively on religion and culture in the United States, including works on evangelicalism and the intersection of faith and politics.
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Randall Balmer is an American historian and author specializing in American religious history. He is a professor at Dartmouth College and has written extensively on religion and culture in the United States, including works on evangelicalism and the intersection of faith and politics.
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