How did our ancestors “tame” a continent?

I wrote this piece a few years back, in 2019, over at Teaching United States History. As I get ready for turkey, hash brown casserole, and more, I think it’s a fitting piece to republish today.

Last May, Donald Trump delivered the commencement address at the Naval Academy. There, he stated that “our ancestors tamed a continent,” and he followed this statement up by adding, “we are not going…