As the New World emerged, residents from the Old made the voyage over with ideas of what was ahead. Most of the said ideas related to one overarching notion: the land and its inhabitants. Prior to the 19th century, the American response to land and its inhabitants was to maximize area, regardless of Natives; during the 19th century, the idea of increasing land remained, but the desire to make a profit also became apparent. Thus, parks within cities became seen as not only diminishing the border between urban and rural, but also as sources of economic prosperity. The American response to land and its inhabitants, preceding the 19th century, was to maximize area, regardless of who was already there. In 1722, a Puritan minister from Boston justified
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A factor in contributing to such a cause was the rise of Transcendentalism, which saw authors such as Henry David Thoreau speak of nature in reforming manners. In “Walden”, a book written by Thoreau, it is said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 8). Thoreau describes nature as rehabilitating; within it, new ideas and thoughts can emerge and the realities of life can be found. To many, Thoreau’s descriptions of nature encouraged them to diminish the border between urban and rural, specifically by implementing parks in cities. Although, in the process of doing so, the incentive to profit remained. For instance, “property adjacent to Manhattan’s Central Park had appreciated by 1,000 percent in only five years, and that ‘the impulse caused by the park extended to all real estate in and near the city’” (Brechin 81). Along with the hopes found in Transcendentalism, many residents saw parks as an opportunity to reap in the economic benefits, much like cities such as New York had. Thus, the idea of creating profit played a role in the development of parks, as did the writings of Transcendentalists. In turn, the border between urban and rural was
A factor in contributing to such a cause was the rise of Transcendentalism, which saw authors such as Henry David Thoreau speak of nature in reforming manners. In “Walden”, a book written by Thoreau, it is said, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 8). Thoreau describes nature as rehabilitating; within it, new ideas and thoughts can emerge and the realities of life can be found. To many, Thoreau’s descriptions of nature encouraged them to diminish the border between urban and rural, specifically by implementing parks in cities. Although, in the process of doing so, the incentive to profit remained. For instance, “property adjacent to Manhattan’s Central Park had appreciated by 1,000 percent in only five years, and that ‘the impulse caused by the park extended to all real estate in and near the city’” (Brechin 81). Along with the hopes found in Transcendentalism, many residents saw parks as an opportunity to reap in the economic benefits, much like cities such as New York had. Thus, the idea of creating profit played a role in the development of parks, as did the writings of Transcendentalists. In turn, the border between urban and rural was