Carson, Rachel (1907–1964)

Early Life and Career

Born in Pennsylvania, Carson was fascinated by nature and the ocean since childhood. At an early age, she developed a strong respect and adoration for nature. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Pennsylvania College for Women in 1929. After her senior year of college, Carson received a fellowship with the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory. In 1932, Carson graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a master's degree in zoology.

A mentor at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries helped her secure a part-time position as a writer. As Carson climbed the government ranks to become an editor and writer for professional journals and consumer publications, she also freelanced, contributing articles and book reviews to the Baltimore Sun, Collier's, Reader's Digest, and the Atlantic.

Her 1937 Atlantic article, “Undersea,” jump-started her interest in professional writing. The first book she wrote, Under the Sea-Wind in 1941, was a critical success, and the second book, The Sea Around Us, was a best seller. Following the success of The Sea Around Us, Carson retired from the federal government and wrote her third book, The Edge of the Sea, an exploration of different seashores and sea animals.

Origins of Silent Spring

The idea behind the Silent Spring project had percolated within Rachel Carson for years. In the mid-1940s, she learned about the dangers of DDT. What prompted Carson to write about these chemicals was a 1957 to 1958 lawsuit to block the aerial spraying on DDT on private property.

According to her contracts with Houghton Mifflin and the New Yorker, Carson was to serve as the editor for a book regarding the impact toxins had on the environment and have her chapter appear in the magazine. As the research ensued, she realized that the book should come from a [Page 115]single author and that she should write that book. That book was Silent Spring. Originally titled Man Against the Earth, Silent Spring focused on the toxic side effects of commonly used chemical pesticides and the irresponsible, dangerous use of these insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

In 1962, Silent Spring was published as a series of New Yorker articles and as a Houghton Mifflin book. Before the article was first serialized and before the book was published, a counter campaign, launched by the chemical industry, targeted Carson's credibility and that of Silent Spring. Chemical companies sent informational pieces to legislators, editors, publishers, and influential citizens. Houghton Mifflin and the New Yorker were pressured not to publish Carson's work, and the opposition attempted to control and massage the media coverage of the issue.

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