Process Paper
John Muir: Taking a Stand for National Parks
Name: Alka Rao
Type of Project: Website
Division: Junior Division
Word Count: 394
Name: Alka Rao
Type of Project: Website
Division: Junior Division
Word Count: 394
My history day project is about John Muir. I decided to make my History Fair project about National Parks because ever since I was a little girl, my family has always visited national parks. It has now become a tradition for my family to visit at least two parks every year; so national parks are very special to me. The first place I ever went camping was Yosemite National Park. This was when I began learning about John Muir and the Sierra Club. This was a critical juncture in American history because pollution and deforestation had begun to rapidly spread across many large wildlife habitats. John Muir had the courage to not only protest this but also send a letter to the president asking him to protect Yosemite.
I found most of my research using the books The National Parks, America's Best Idea and John Muir: A Passion for Nature. These books were very helpful because they contain both primary and secondary sources. A Passion for Nature also included snippets of text from John Muir’s autobiography and was especially resourceful because of its pictures.
There were a few people that were very helpful. My father was very helpful because it was his suggestion to me to consider using the national park theme. My mother helped me find sources and gave me tips on writing. My librarian, Ms. Hirsch, gave me tips on how to cite my sources. My Social Studies teacher Mr. Donegan justified my choice of John Muir and encouraged me to make it more specific.
I encountered a few problems during my research. One of the problems was that there were only a few books about national parks. I also had several occasions where I could not find any primary documents on John Muir. Another time I had a problem was when another group took the only John Muir book. Basically all of my problem were associated with the unavailability of resources.
My topic fits into this year’s contest theme because it shows how John Muir takes a stand for National Parks. This is extremely important because John Muir helped inspire President Roosevelt's to begin conservation programs, including establishing the first National Monuments, and Yosemite National Park by congressional action. He cared so much about the wilderness he devoted most of time to nature. He helped save America by saving the national parks.
I found most of my research using the books The National Parks, America's Best Idea and John Muir: A Passion for Nature. These books were very helpful because they contain both primary and secondary sources. A Passion for Nature also included snippets of text from John Muir’s autobiography and was especially resourceful because of its pictures.
There were a few people that were very helpful. My father was very helpful because it was his suggestion to me to consider using the national park theme. My mother helped me find sources and gave me tips on writing. My librarian, Ms. Hirsch, gave me tips on how to cite my sources. My Social Studies teacher Mr. Donegan justified my choice of John Muir and encouraged me to make it more specific.
I encountered a few problems during my research. One of the problems was that there were only a few books about national parks. I also had several occasions where I could not find any primary documents on John Muir. Another time I had a problem was when another group took the only John Muir book. Basically all of my problem were associated with the unavailability of resources.
My topic fits into this year’s contest theme because it shows how John Muir takes a stand for National Parks. This is extremely important because John Muir helped inspire President Roosevelt's to begin conservation programs, including establishing the first National Monuments, and Yosemite National Park by congressional action. He cared so much about the wilderness he devoted most of time to nature. He helped save America by saving the national parks.