Using the Environmental History of the Commonwealth to Enhance Pennsylvania and U.S. History

Abstract

Why teach Pennsylvania environmental history? How can teachers use it to improve students' understanding of the history of the state, the region, and the nation? I have found through my teaching at West Chester University that environmental history grounds American history in the physical realities upon which human history unfolds: the natural resource bases, both renewable and nonrenewable, that all societies use to construct their economies, cultures, and political systems. Recognizing this grounding, students can better understand the complex world in which they live, and thus better respond to the challenges they will face as citizens and consumers.