Final answer:
Yellowstone National Park was the first US national park established in 1872, which not only preserved significant natural beauty and resources from private exploitation but also initiated a broader national conservation movement fostered by figures like John Muir and later expanded by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yellowstone National Park was the first US national park, established in 1872 by an act of Congress, specifically the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. The establishment of Yellowstone marked a significant policy shift from the transfer of public lands to private ownership to one emphasizing preservation for public use and ecological protection. The park covered over 1.2 million acres and set a precedent for future conservation efforts led by Presidents like Theodore Roosevelt, who was influenced by both the transcendentalist philosophy and conservationist figures like John Muir and Gifford Pinchot. This action laid the groundwork for the expansion of the national park system and the American ethos of conservationism.
While earlier efforts including the Yosemite Grant Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 had protected Yosemite Valley, Yellowstone was the first to be designated a 'national park'. The passion for preserving natural wonders was fueled by artists and writers who inspired national pride and a sense of duty to protect the untamed wilderness. Visionary conservationists like John Muir promoted the spiritual and healing aspects of nature, contributing to the public's support for wilderness preservation and the eventual growth of a nationwide system of parks and protected lands.