Origin Stories: Department of the Interior

The U.S. Department of the Interior was created on March 3, 1849—but its impact is still unfolding.

Sometimes called the "department of everything else," the Interior Department manages more than 480 million acres of public land—about one-fifth of the United States. Its mission includes stewarding national parks, protecting wildlife, overseeing water resources, and upholding treaty responsibilities to Indigenous nations.

But behind the scenic landscapes is a deeper struggle over who land belongs to—and who benefits.

From the beginning, the Interior Department was central to westward expansion and colonization. It managed forced removals of Native peoples, denied tribal sovereignty, and opened vast areas of land to private exploitation. For generations, oil, gas, and mining companies profited while tribal nations and rural communities were pushed to the margins.

That legacy still haunts the department—but it’s also being challenged.

In 2021, Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo, made history as the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency. Under her leadership, the Interior Department began returning lands to tribal stewardship, confronting the trauma of Indian boarding schools, and embedding environmental justice in federal policy.

But the fight is far from over.

Under Trump-aligned efforts, public lands are once again under threat. Proposals have emerged to sell off national lands, shrink monuments, expand drilling, and roll back environmental protections. These actions serve private industry at the expense of public trust—turning land that belongs to everyone into profit for the few.

At its best, the Interior Department protects the places we share—from the Grand Canyon to sacred tribal lands. At its worst, it facilitates exploitation and erasure. What it becomes next is up to us.

Because land isn’t just land.
It’s identity. It’s power. It’s home.