The Ohio (1830s) John James Audubon

The Ohio (1830s)
John James Audubon
When I think of these times, and call back to my mind the grandeur and beauty of those almost uninhabited shores; when I picture to myself the dense and lofty summits of the forest, that everywhere spread along the hills, and overhung the margins of the stream, unmolested by the axe of the settler; when I know how dearly purchased the safe navigation of that river has been by the blood of many worthy Virginians; when I see that no longer any Aborigines are to be found there, and that the vast herds of elks, deer and buffaloes . . . have ceased to exist; when I reflect that all this grand portion of our Union, instead of being in a state of nature, is now more or less covered with villages, farms, and towns, where the din of hammers and machinery is constantly heard; that the woods are fast disappearing under the axe by day, and the fire by night, that hundreds of steam-boats are gliding to and fro, over the whole length of the majestic river, forcing commerce to take root and to prosper at every spot; when I see the surplus population of Europe coming to assist in the destruction of the forest, and transplanting civilization into its darkest recesses . . . I pause, wonder, and . . . can scarcely believe its reality.
Whether these changes are for the better or for the worse, I shall not pretend to say. . . .
-The changes in society that Audubon refers to are the consequences of

A) the policies of the Democrats.
B) the market revolution.
C) the expansion of cotton production.
D) antebellum reform movements.