Eminent Domain
Date of Graduation
Fall 2000
Degree
Master of Arts in English
Department
English
Committee Chair
Wayne Blackmon
Abstract
The power of eminent domain is granted under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It is the power of the national government to appropriate private property for public use if just compensation is provided to the landowner. In 1964, the United States government, under the Wilderness Act, for the first time appropriated land for recreational use using the power of eminent domain. The Wilderness Act indicated a change in the policy of the United States government from one of land conservation to that of land preservation. One result of the Wilderness Act was the creation of the Ozarks National Scenic Riverways in southern Missouri. This thesis, a work of creative nonfiction, is an account of one family's experiences before, during, and shortly after the National Park Service acquired their property by enforcing the policy of eminent domain.
Subject Categories
English Language and Literature
Copyright
© Kay Lawson
Recommended Citation
Lawson, Kay, "Eminent Domain" (2000). MSU Graduate Theses. 2419.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/2419
Dissertation/Thesis
