Rachel Carson: A Brief Biography Of A Social Activist

Born in Springdale, Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson (1907-1964) was the daughter to Robert and Maria Carson. Robert was a salesman who invested in local land while Maria was a school teacher. Growing up as a kid, she was an avid reader and wrote stories about animals at eight age. At just age ten, she had her first story published in a children’s magazine. She went to Pennsylvania College for Women which is known today as Chatham University. She first went to study for English but changed her study to science after taking a biology class she liked.
In the mid 1940’s, Carson became concerned over the use of synthetic pesticides which were devolved after World War Two. A friend of Carson sent her a letter describing the deaths of birds around her

property due to the spraying of DDT to kill mosquitoes. Carson and other scientist concerns increased over the harmful effects of DDT. She tried to convince numerous magazines to publish a report about the issue. However, none would agree to publish anything about the subject. To take matters into her own hands, she decided to publish her third book Silent Spring, she challenged industrial companies’ right to pollute without considering the effects on the environment. She argued that this kind of pollution would decrease the population of birds and other wildlife.
When support of Silent Spring grew, it had an influential impact on the environment movement. She was also responsible for the rise of ecofeminism on many feminist scientists. In 1967, the formation of Environmental Defense Fund was the first major milestone in the campaign against DDT. Finally in November of 1969, the United States government ruled that the use of DDT must be banned in two years. It was finally banned in 1972. Unfortunately, Carson did not live to see the impact her book had. She died of breast cancer in 1964.