During the 1920s in the United States, farmers were suffering from depression due to debt caused by the overproduction of many crops during the First World War. In the 1930s, the Great Depression destroyed the American economy and was ultimately halted by World War II, when the agricultural industry was once again heavily relied upon to supply the war. It was around this time – 1939 – that dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane or DDT was found to be an effective pesticide for preventing insect-borne diseases and crop damage. Its use spread rapidly for several decades until it was found to be harmful to the environment. Much of this knowledge came to light through Rachel Carson's book, Silent Spring, published in 1962. Today, 55 years later, many people wonder what direct effects Silent Spring had on the growth of the environmental movement in the United States. UNITED STATES. Silent Spring is widely believed to have raised concerns about the United States' use of pesticides, particularly DDT. It also helped introduce the environmental movement to America by sparking political reform regarding humans' interactions with the natural world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Farmers have used different forms of pesticides to stimulate plant growth for centuries, and they fall into four main categories: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides. . With the discovery of DDT as an insecticide in 1939, pesticide use in the United States grew exponentially. DDT was first synthesized in 1873, but was not used for almost 70 years, until Swiss chemist Paul Hermann Müller realized that it could be an effective pesticide. For his achievements, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, and DDT was available for sale in the United States beginning in 1945. By 1957, 4.9 million acres of land were sprayed with DDT each year. It became integrated into the lives of Americans and no one suspected that any harm could come from it. Families set off DDT bombs in their homes, children ran after machines that sprayed it in the streets, and the product was highly valued for its effectiveness as well as its relatively low cost. Initially, DDT was used to target the gypsy moth, but once its versatility was recognized, it was pressed into service for many other uses. It was especially popular during World War II to rid Allied soldiers of lice. In its powder form, DDT is said to have saved millions of lives from typhus and other bacterial diseases. Its power was so widespread that it began to be known as the "killer of all killers" and during its 30 years of production, 1,350,000,000 books were used in America alone. The country also began exporting DDT around the world, particularly to Africa to fight malaria. The Agency for International Development and the United Nations purchased large quantities of DDT from the United States in an attempt to control insect-borne diseases. DDT exports increased from 12% in 1950 to 67% in 1969. Initially, the benefits of pesticide use outweighed the problems, but the opposite soon occurred. When Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was published in 1962, there was an immediate outcry over its implications. . 500,000 peopleread the book and 10 to 15 million watched a CBS broadcast of Carson explaining its meaning and its connection to society as a whole. The first chapter, aptly named A Fable for Tomorrow, tells the story of an American town like any other, but pesticides have killed all the people and animals who lived there. Carson admits that the effects of pesticides may not be seen for several generations, but emphasizes that the threat still exists. This described silent city is the book's namesake and also serves as the ultimate pathos as it taps into the emotions of readers imagining themselves and their children growing up in this world. In Silent Spring, Carson references pesticide spraying as a "chain of evil" and explains that when plants are sprayed, any other organisms that eat those plants or infected insects will also be poisoned. She expressed her belief that man-made chemicals and radiation are altering the Earth's natural state and that this human activity could have deadly consequences. These beliefs were supported by evidence suggesting that little testing had been done to discover the true effects of DDT on the environment, despite claims by the Stauffer Chemical Company (the nation's largest producer of DDT in 1962). Despite Silent Spring's strong support from environmentalists, others worried about the toxicity of pesticides on the human body, the book received national criticism because it was very biased. Critics argued that Carson ignored the benefits of DDT and pesticides in general. The Manufacturing Chemists' Association called the whole thing a "disappointment" and argued that Carson was misrepresenting their industry. To defend his ideas and the environment, Carson testified before Congress in 1963 that pesticides affected Earth's air, soil, water and vegetation and that it was humans' duty to protect it. She acknowledged that pesticides have some benefits for humans, but cautioned that they should be used in moderation. At that time, many studies showed the negative effects of DDT and more and more people spoke out in favor of environmental protection. A particularly discouraging discovery was that of DDT-resistant mosquitoes in Greece in 1949, three years after spraying there began. In 1956, there were five species of mosquitoes in the world that were resistant to DDT and by 1960, this number had increased to 28 species. In response to growing public concern, Congress initiated a plan to phase out the use of DDT in agriculture. The 4.9 million acres sprayed in 1957 became just under 100,000 acres in 1967 and zero acres in 1968. To continue this regulation of pesticides, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA conducted extensive testing of common U.S. pesticides and began its work to protect the country's natural beauty and diversity. In addition to enacting the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Clean Water Act in 1972, they launched an annual Earth Day, garnering support from 20 million people in the first year alone. The creation and export of DDT was completely banned in the United States in 1972 due to concerns about its environmental impact, the existence of new, safer pesticides, and increased insect resistance to the toxins. This ban sparked more controversy, with many people accusing him. Carson and Silent Spring for the deaths of millions of African children from malaria. Without U.S. exports of DDT, outbreaks of disease transmitted by, 2013.