Most
Americans know the major roles George Washington and Thomas Jefferson played in
the foundation of the United States. Fewer Americans know much about John Adams
and his presidency. When it comes to James Madison, the majority of Americans
hardly anything about him except that he was a Founding Father, served as the 4th
President, and his wife’s name was Dolley. Ironically, Madison was every bit as
influential as the first three presidents and his brilliant legal mind was an
integral component to the Constitutional Convention and early days of the
United States. Madison was a visionary who saw the broader picture of the
United States and its future. In the areas of agriculture, natural environment,
and conservation of the forests and wildlife Madison was far ahead of his time
for a politician. Madison was perhaps America’s first environmentalist
President whose ideas and conservation plans can be seen today.
Andrea
Wulf provides an in-depth overview of Madison’s agricultural interests in her
book Founding Gardeners. Madison was
elected president of the Albemarle Agricultural Society, as he believed
agriculture was vital for American independence and success (Wulf 204). As an
intellectual farmer and politician, Madison researched and studied farming
innovations, plants, and ecology to improve farming production and
environmental quality. Madison was very concerned about the future and
longevity of America’s wildlife, forests, and soil conditions. One of his
primary concerns regarding the agricultural future of the nation was the
inevitable destruction of forests due to the population growth theories
presented by Thomas Malthus (Wulf 205). Madison feared that overpopulation of
humans would create an imbalance within the natural wildlife and forests. He
feared this imbalance would threaten the natural resources available to humans
in the future if Americans did not take implement preventative farming
techniques and preserve existing timber sources.
In
an address given to the Albemarle Agricultural Society in 1818, Madison
expresses his concern for the deforestation of American forests and
overpopulation of various plants. He believed preserving the forests and
wildlife would prove to be difficult in future generations due to man’s heavy
use of timber and growing population. Madison expressed his concern for
maintain a balance within in natures natural population of species. He
recognized that man’s development and overproduction of plant species would
have tremendous effects on the future food and plant availability for the
future’s population growth (Madison 64-80).
Today’s
environmentalists are often concerned with the destruction of trees due to the
limited number of untouched forests left in the world. To Madison, it was
purely a matter of natural balance between man and nature. He knew that the
United States was a new country of endless possibility and that its success
relied on the country’s virtually endless land and farming capabilities. If
farmers did not immediately begin to implement new cultivating techniques, the
food production could become a serious concern to the growing nation. Madison’s
speech addressed issues of soil rotation, soil chemistry, and timber
preservation that are still seen in today’s environmental law and wildlife
conservation organizations.
Today,
many of Madison’s ideas have been put into action by way of the Federal
Government. We have thousands of state and national parks, which prevent
further destruction and preserve thousands of acres of trees and wildlife. The
United States Government has extensive laws on timber production, logging, and
deforestation. International organizations have set extensive regulations on
timber trade, particularly in regards to rare and exotic woods. These
regulations insure the security and sustainability of plant and wildlife with
our growing population.
Madison’s
desire for forest conservation still remains a primary concern for the United
States today. Since the time of Madison’s presidency, we have experienced more
growth in population and destruction of forests than Madison could have even
imagined. A 2006 census revealed that 21% of forests were privately owned, 35%
were family owned, 33% owned by the Federal Government, and 10% were state and
locally owned (American). Much of the
privately owned land belongs to companies and timber producers.
In
1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act in order to protect and preserve the
areas of the United States designated as “wilderness areas”. The Wilderness Act protects the existing “wilderness” areas
for future generations from human abuse and destruction. Unfortunately, the
government can only protect public and government owned land areas, which still
leaves private owners responsible for their own property. Section 2 (a) of the Wilderness Act of
1964 states:
“In order to assure that an increasing population, accompanied
by expanding settlement and growing mechanization, does not occupy and modify
all areas within the United States and its possessions, leaving no lands
designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition, it is
hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress to secure for the American
people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource
of wilderness.” (“The Wilderness Act”)
This is, perhaps, the exact vision that
Madison desired for the American people. Madison believed that nature had a
natural balance that prevented overpopulation of species, but man’s farming
overproduction and overuse of natural resources created an imbalance in nature
(Wulf 207). Madison was clearly a visionary beyond his time whom many may have
considered radical or eccentric in his agricultural viewpoints. However, as the
19th century environmentalist movement progressed, more and more
farmers, botanists, and scientists began to hold the same viewpoint as Madison.
New farming methods, such as the soil rotation suggested by Madison, began to
be implemented nationwide. While the agricultural society in America had begun
to adopt more sustainable methods of farming, Madison’s fear of deforestation,
destruction, and overuse of timber was more prominent than ever before. That
would change in the 20th century with the help of the United States
Government.
In
1900, the United States passed the Lacey Act, which made it a crime to poach an
animal in one state with the intention of selling it in another. The Lacey Act
helped preserve animal populations throughout the United States, keeping the
balance of various natural environments regulated and stable. In 2008, Congress
amended the Lacey Act by adding a policy that extended the poaching crime to
include the illegal logging of timber. This amendment adds further restrictions
on timber logging crisis by preventing private and family owned forests from
being used as a logging source (“U.S. Lacey Act”). With the current
restrictions under the Lacey Act and the Wilderness Act of 1964, the forest and
wildlife population in the United States are far more secure for future
generations. These two recent congressional policies address James Madison’s
fear of the America’s overuse of plant and wildlife resources.
In
recent years, Madison’s visionary concerns for the planets environment have
become a global concern. Environmentalists, conservationists, and scientists
worldwide have researched the planet’s environmental condition and future.
Global Warming, deforestation, wildlife preservation remain central issues
around the globe. Deforestation kills millions of plant and animal species and
is a primary catalyst for global warming and climate change. Essentially,
deforestation of trees dies up the soil underneath the removed trees and
creates an increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which causes global
climate changes (“Deforestation”). While the validity of the entire Global
Warming theory is highly debated among scientists worldwide, the harmful
effects of deforestation are undeniable. Regardless of the correlation with
timber logging and climate changes, deforestation affects the natural balance
of all living elements of a forested area and current timber rates cannot be
sustained. This is precisely what James Madison feared in his Albemarle Society
address in 1818. Fortunately, nearly all current large corporations are
implementing modern methods of sustainability, which will hopefully continue to
improve the environmental impact of our industrial society.
James
Madison is undoubtedly one of least appreciated Founding Fathers, political
philosophers, and presidents in United States history. Madison’s efforts in the
sustainability of American agriculture and natural environment are even more
underappreciated by historians and the general public. His address to the Albemarle Agricultural Society in 1818
displays his deep concern for the American people’s future regarding food
production and independence through efficient agricultural production. In a
time of endless agricultural potential in the new nation, Madison took
advantage of his position as a political leader to emphasize the importance of
farming methods and forest preservation. His efforts made the general public
view the vast undeveloped wilderness and farming as integral elements of
American patriotism and pride. Nearly
two centuries since his Albemarle address, farming has continued to reform and
improve, deforestation has been regulated and reduced, and thousands of acres
are protected from any further destruction and abuse. James Madison was
definitely not the first environmentalist, but he was arguably the first
environmentalist to bring environmental and agricultural concerns into the
national politics and civic duty of the American people. For that, he deserves
to be recognized and remembered.
American Forest
Foundation. N.p.. Web. 9 Dec 2013. <https://www.forestfoundation.org/conserve-america-private-forests>.
"Deforestation." National
Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview/>
Madison, James. Letters
and Writings of James Madison. Volume III. New York: R. Worthington, 1884.
eBook. <http://books.google.com/books?id=hzxLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA63&lpg=PA63&dq=james+madison+address+albemarle+agricultural+society+1818&source=bl&ots=rFmq-HbXi1&sig=aEVqsAIYNU2oMyj6RNUVW0xajZg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i0CmUrf2EpD7kQes9YGQAQ&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=james%20madison%20address%20albemarle%20agricultural%20society%201818&f=false>.
"U.S. Lacey Act." Environmental
Investigation Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. <http://eia-global.org/lacey/>.
"The Wilderness Act of 1964."
Wilderness.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. <http://www.wilderness.net/nwps/legisact>.
Wulf, Andrea. Founding Gardeners:
The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation.
New York: Vintage, 2012. Print.
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