Peck R. Land of the Eagle: A Natural History of North America

Summit Books, 1990. — 296 p.Peck pulls no punches with his detailed overview of how North America has been developed over the past few hundred years, showing us first how the colonial powers happened across the continent, in their futile quest to discover a clear western passage to the trade centers of India and the Pacific, and then detailing how, convinced they were settling a land of limitless bounty, the first colonies failed miserably as they failed to provide for themselves.More successful colonies further down the Eastern seaboard flourished eventually, and the native tribes found themselves steadily becoming exiles in their own lands.We are shown how changes in the Europoean political climate vastly determined how this new continent was to be divided, with borders fluctuating wildly over the first century of exploration and colonization. Eventually we see the United States win their independence and join the competition for territory, as the settlers push inexorably across the continent, upsetting the delicate balance of nature wherever they turn, blinded by the conviction wildly held that theirs was a god given right to subjugate the lands and force them into an image of the pastoral landscape which they remembered from their homelands.A small glimmer of hope is seen as the first ever national park is created to preserve the natural beauty of Yellowstone, but it has come too late for a great number of species and their habitats, and there are very few who have not been forever affected by this new and unbeatable presence, including the last remainders of the native tribes, and the great bird that watches over the lands.Land of the Eagle provides us with an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past - and celebrate some of the few triumphs that have been made also. It is punctuated throughout with drawings from history to illustrate its points, as well as excerpts from the journals of those who observed the impact of settlement firsthand, offering us a glimpse of how life was on the frontiers.A must have addition to the reference library of any who dwell in the Land of the Eagle itself, I believe, as well as for any who, like myself, are interested in an honest examination of the best and worst of human idealism at work when unleashed upon an unsuspecting environment.