Tuesday, September 12, 2017 United States Human Geography Objective: Explain how the United States acquired its geographic boundaries. Examine patterns of immigration to and migration within the United States through the period of westward settlement. Do Now: What are the two main mountain ranges in the US? What is the name for the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world? Can you list all five?! Rust Belt- A heavily industrialized area containing older factories, particularly those that are marginally profitable or that have been closed. Manifest Destiny the 19thcentury doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.
Human Geography of the United States Growth, Division, and Unity Native Americans, descendants of the first waves of migrations, occupied North America until the Europeans began immigrating in the 1500s. The Spanish explored the southern region setting up farms, ranches, military posts, and missions. The French settled in the Northeast and were involved in the fur trade. After 1670, Britain controlled much of the land along the Atlantic coast, divided into three colonial regions; The New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.
Tea Time & Westward Expansion The Thirteen colonies eventually fought for independence from Great Britain in the American Revolution (1775-1783). During the 1800 s, the country nearly doubled in territory, gaining valuable land and resources. Through war and diplomatic negotiation, the new nation expanded south into Texas and west into California, Oregon, and Washington. Westward expansion sometimes called Manifest Destiny, led to new economic opportunity.
Changes and Challenges In the late 1800s, the government encouraged the movement of people to the Great Plains to speed up the settlement of the United States. Europeans, Chinese, Mexicans, and others immigrated to the United States. Many helped build the railroads. During the 1900 s two world wars spurred economic growth. Assembly lines increased efficiency and improved the standard of living. The population became more mobile and urbanized
Population Patterns More than 315 million people live in the United States. The aging of the population will cause challenges in government and health care costs. Population is increasing in Sunbelt states as manufacturing has declined in the North and Great Lakes region. Today, most people in the United States live in the country s 366 metropolitan areas. A metropolitan area is a city with a population of at least 50,000 people including outlying communities, called suburbs.
Society and Culture Today Pt.1 With its long history of immigration, the population of the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Irish, Scottish, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Mexican, and others have immigrated to the United States to help build railroads, work in the factories, etc. In 2012 the Census Bureau reported that 13 percent of the total U.S. population was foreign born and that more than half of the foreign-born population came from Latin America. This diverse population, coupled with the core value of religious freedom, contributed to the wide range of religions practiced today.
Society and Culture Today Pt.2 At the start of the 1900s, a distinct form of music known as jazz developed in African American communities throughout the United States. Jazz blended African rhythms with European harmonies. With the help of the boom in radio programming, rock-and-roll quickly gained popularity around the country. The blended origins and wide appeal of rock-and-roll music was an early step toward breaking down racial and social barriers that were prevalent in the nation at the time.
Human Geography of the United States The Global Reach of American Culture American culture has had far-reaching influence. From movies and music to art and fashion, elements of American culture have been adopted into and adapted by other cultures around the globe. Technology including radio in the 1950s and the Internet today has played a huge role in the diffusion of American culture. Through this popular media, American fashion, customs, art, and music are made available to the rest of the world. In some places, however, the growing influence of American culture has led to a backlash against Americanization, which is seen as a threat to local customs and ways of life.
Economic Activities Today, the U.S. economy is a free market economy that allows people to profit from owning their own businesses. The number of manufacturing jobs has declined while time efficiency and productivity have increased for most U.S. factories. In the high-tech industry, California s Silicon Valley and cities such as Austin and Dallas, are leaders in software development. In 2008 the United States entered a serious economic downturn caused by an excessive number of ill-advised home mortgage loans. The bad loans led to the failure of some large banks and required large government investments to save many other banks. Because the U.S. economy and financial system are so important to the global economy, many other countries also spiraled into an economic downturn.