Unit 1: The Land of New York Fourth Grade Social Studies Final 2017 Review Sheet Chapter 1: The Geography of New York Geography has 5 themes. The 5 themes are: Movement Region Human-Environment Interaction Location Place Studying maps and developing map skills allow us to analyze the geography of New York. New York State is located in the Northeast region of the United States, in the continent of North America and in the Western hemisphere. New York State has 5 regions: Northern New York, Western New York, Central New York, the Hudson Valley/Catskills Mountains Region and New York City/Long Island. Each region has different resources that contribute to the state s economy. The capital of New York State is Albany and shares boundaries with Canada and Vermont. New York has major land and water forms. The biggest land form is the Adirondack Mountain range. The Hudson River has always been an important part of New York. Cities have been built along this river. President Theodore Roosevelt established national parks, forests and monuments to preserve the natural resources of New York and the rest of the United States. We contribute to taking care of our state by conserving the natural resources in our everyday living. Describe New York based on the 5 themes of Geography. What are some of New York s natural resources? Chapter 2: New York Weather and Climate Weather and Climate are two different things. Weather describes the air conditions at a specific time and place. Climate is the long pattern of weather in a region. The regions in New York have different climates. Three geographic factors affect the regions climates in New York State: First is New York s distance from the equator. New York is located north of the equator and quite far from it so the climate here is generally cold. Second is New York s elevation. Usually, the higher a place is, the colder the climate will be. Places in the Northern region of the state are the coldest. And third, are the large bodies of water in the state. The temperature in these water form change slower than air, thus, they stay cool even during the summer months. Why does New York generally have cold weather? What are the factors that affect the climate in New York?
Unit 2: New York Long Ago Chapter 3: The First New Yorkers During the Ice Age about 30,000 years ago, scientists believe that people and animals travelled across from Asia to North America. Scientists think that the first people in New York arrived 11,000 years ago. The early people relied on their environment to meet their needs. They hunted animals, and collected plants for food. They ate fish from the river and lakes. Sticks, rocks and animal bones were used as tools and weapons. Children helped their elders by gathering nuts and berries, chasing away birds that picked on the crops and watching over the band s hunting dogs. By the year 1200, New York had become home to the Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands who lived off mainly from the natural resources of the forests. While the Algonquians settled mostly in the southern part of the state, the Iroquois settled in the central region. Archaeologists have dug up artifacts from this early period in New York. The Algonquians lived in wigwams, engaged in trade in neighboring villages, and built canoes from tree barks to fish in and travel through the lakes. The Iroquois lived as clans in long houses and relied on their women to run their villages. They used stories and legends to pass on their history from one generation to the next. The Iroquois built The Iroquois Trail to stay in touch with each other. Wampum were small beads made from sea shells that were made into belts and used to send messages. It was also used to design special meanings and symbols. In the late 1500s, Deganawidah founded and formed The League of Five Nations or The Iroquois League to end the battles among the Iroquois tribes and to bring lasting peace. The Five Nations are: The Mohawk Onondaga Oneida Seneca Cayuga. The sixth nation, the Tuscarora, joined the Iroquois League in 1720. How did the early people of New York rely on the natural environment? Why was The Iroquois League formed? Chapter 4: Europeans Come to New York The European Age of Exploration began in the late 1400s. Explorers led by Christopher Columbus were looking for the Northwest Passage, a water route to Asia through North America. In 1492, Columbus reached an island off of the coast of North America. Henry Hudson arrived in 1609 and helped claim land in behalf of the Dutch located along what is now called the Hudson River.
As the first New York colonists, the Dutch named their colony New Netherland and their settlement, New Amsterdam (Manhattan Island) which they bought from the Lenni Lenape. They also formed the Dutch West India Company and engaged in fur trade with the Native Americans. The company s profit made the colony thrive. Peter Stuyvesant became the first governor of New Netherland and imposed strict laws. In the 1664, the English King Charles II sent ships to New York to make the Dutch surrender. The King named what is now called New York after his brother James, Duke of York. By the early 1700s, England, Scotland and Wales were now known as Great Britain and had 13 colonies on the east coast of North America. Slave ships carried enslaved people from Africa to the 13 colonies. The slaves built buildings and ships that were in high need as trading expanded into lumber and grain. New businesses grew such as oil manufacturing. How did the Europeans benefit as colonists? Chapter 5: Life in Colonial New York During the early 1700s, people from other countries also settled in New York such as the French and the Germans. The French escaped religious persecution in Europe for being Catholics versus the British being Protestants. Children during Colonial New York lived differently from the children in New York today. Since most went to school only for 3 months then worked the rest of the year, they continued reading and writing practice at home. They completed tough errands such as drawing heavy buckets of water from the streams, collecting eggs from chickens and milking the cows. Later, children became apprentices to master work skills or worked with their relatives. Nobody attended college until 1754. What were the differences between children s lives during colonial New York and in New York today? Unit 3: New York and the New Nation Chapter 6: New York and the American Revolution In 1754, Britain and France went to war over land in the West Appalachian mountains of New York that they both claimed as theirs. France and its Native American allies lost to Britain. After the war, the British Parliament passed law that did not allow colonists to move anymore to the West Appalachian mountains. To make up for the costs and damage from the French-Indian War, the British also voted for the Stamp Act of 1765 which meant all people in the colony should pay for stamps needed on official papers. In the succeeding years, the British imposed tax on paper, cloth, glass and tea. This angered the people of the 13 colonies. They started showing rebellion. On April 19, 1775, British soldiers aimed to seize weapons hidden by the people of the 13 colonies in Concord, a town near Boston, thus, the American Revolution began. The people of the 13 colonies fighting for their freedom became known as the Patriots, while the ones who sided with the British were called Loyalists.
As the Revolution went on, leaders of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia for the Continental Congress. General George Washington led the Continental Army. Later, they signed the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. James Forten was a free African-American who joined the Patriots. Many enslaved African-Americans gained freedom by joining the American Army. The patriots victory of the Battle of Saratoga in New York was a turning point in the Revolution because the British were not able to take over New York and the Americans were able to assess their huge chance of winning the Revolution. The Battle of Yorktown in Virginia was the last battle that finally made the Americans win the Revolution. On October 19, 1781, the British were forced to surrender. In 1783, the Americans and British signed a peace agreement at the Treaty of Paris. Why did Parliament decide to tax the colonists? Why did France become an ally of the Patriots during the American Revolution? What were the main events that led to the end of the Revolution? Chapter 7: Constitution and Statehood After the Articles of Confederation failed to lead the new nation after the Revolution, the United States Constitution was drafted then signed once again, in Phildalphia in 1787. This was known as the Constitutional Convention. All 13 colonies had to approve the U.S. Constitution by at least 9 over 13 before its laws were applied. Alexander and Hamilton and Joh Jay were supporters of the Constitution. A New York state constitution was also drafted. The preamble of the U.S Constitution states its goals: - To form a strong nation - To protect people s freedom - To improve people s lives The U.S. Constitution describes the 3 branches of government: - Executive: President Commander-in-Chief; Head of State; Makes treaties - Legislative : Congress- Law-making body; In- charge of budget and taxes - Judicial: Federal Courts- Interprets laws The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791. This bill contains the 10 basic rights of all people in the United States. George Washington became the first U.S. president and held office in New York City which was the country s capital right after the Revolution. Today, the capital is Washington D.C. Review Questions: Why is the U.S. Constitution important? Chapter 10: Growth and Change (Immigration) An immigrant is a person who decides to live permanently in a new country. Beginning in the late 1700s to late 1800s, a huge population of the Irish migrated to New York because of the Potao Famine in Ireleand. A plant disease caused the potato crops to die and starved many to death. Immigrants from Germany, Italy and Russia also migrated in huge numbers. The main causes were poverty and religious persecution.
Ellis Island was the port of entry where immigrants registered and were given health exams. After passing this procedure, they began their lives as new immigrants in New York. Their early years in New York were difficult. They lived in small, crowded sets of rooms called tenements. They had to endure working in sweatshops that had poor ventilation and very small work spaces. Children had to stop going to school to help their parents work just to survive. The streets of New York city were infested with gangs. The progress that New York has today would never have been possible without the hard work and sacrifice of the early immigrants. The men built roads, bridges and canals. They also helped build the electricity and telephone lines as well as the railroads and later, the subway system. Meanwhile, the women and children made garments and other products in sweatshops and factories. Review Questions: What caused the huge influx of immigrants in the 1800s? Why were the early years of immigrants in New York difficult?