Chapter 6Shaping an Abundant Land

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Waves of immigrants came to the U.S. in order to find a better life. Push-pull factors were at play.

Immigration is not the only movement of people in the U.S.

Migration-the movement of peoples within the United States.

The first major wave of immigrants to the U.S. were Asians coming as nomads.The second major wave were the Spanish who came looking for gold.The third major wave were the English and French.

The fourth major wave was slave laborers brought to work on cotton and tobacco plantations. The slave trade in America began in 1617 and began a period historians call the Columbian Exchange.

Columbian Exchange – the movement of plants, animals, and diseases between the Eastern and Western hemispheres during the age of exploration.

Great Britain fought a war with France called The Seven Years War. They gained control of everything east of the Mississippi River.

The colonists revolted and the American Revolution occurred from 1775 to 1783. The United States began in 1789.

The new nation grew rapidly and nearly doubled in size in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase.

The Louisiana Purchase-was a purchase made by the U.S. from France in 1803. This area included the vast plains from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains.

In the early 1800s, immigrants from Western Europe arrived in droves and moved to cities in the Northeast where the Industrial Revolution was getting started.

Industrialization in the North and agriculture in the South led to sectionalism.

This led to the Civil War that was waged from 1861 to 1865.

Sectionalism-People placing more loyalty to their region above loyalty to the nation.

During the 1800s and early 1900s, a wave of people began what is known as Westward Movement in US history.

The finishing of the transcontinental railroad speeded up that westward movement.

By 1914, the frontier area of the lands west of the Mississippi were pretty well settled.

Frontier-the free, open land that had been available and suitable for settlement.

Another wave of immigration occurred from 1860 to 1900 as 14 million immigrants came from Western and Eastern Europe.

Urban areas began to expand rapidly in cities such as New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago.

The Industrial Revolution was growing rapidly during this time period.

World Power and Domestic Change

When the 20th century began, the US was a powerful country both economically and politically.

By the end of the 20th century, the US was the sole superpower.

Up until events of the 20th century, the US avoided involvement in foreign affairs. The U.S. had plenty of food and raw materials and was basically self-sufficient. It was also protected by two Oceans. Two world wars and the Great Depression changed things, however.

What caused the US to become a super power?

The world was shaken by two world wars and the Great Depression. The U.S. was the only major nation that escaped physical damage and had a healthy economy.

Since the 1950s, there has been rapid social change. One of those changes was the movement of people. One of the biggest movements was from cities to suburbs. – the communities outside of a city.

One of the strengths of the US is what came out of the U.S. Constitution which was written in 1787. It established a unique form of government.

Representative Government-the people rule through elected representatives. The U.S. is also a federal republic, where powers are divided among the federal and state governments.

What are the three branches of US government?

Legislative, Executive, and Judicial

Even though the US has roughly 7% of the world’s land area and only 5% of the world’s population, it possesses the world’s largest economy. The US economy is a world leader in global trade, manufactured goods, and agricultural products.In fact, the US accounts for slightly more than 10% of the world’s exports.

Exports-goods sold to other countries.

What three factors have contributed to the overall success of the American economy?

1. Available natural resources2. A skilled labor force3. A stable political system which allows the

economy to develop.

The United States’ economy is run mostly on free enterprise.-private individuals own most of the resources, technology, and businesses, and can operate them for profit with little control from the government.

Taken as a whole, the U.S. is an agricultural and industrial giant.

Name three areas and the products which have made these areas famous.1. Detroit-automobiles2. Seattle-aircraft3. Silicon Valley-computers

Service Industry-any kind of economic activity that produces a service rather than a product.

Nearly 3 out of 4 Americans now work in service-related jobs, such as information processing, finance, medicine, transportation, and education.

Our current economic phase is called a postindustrial economy.

Postindustrial Economy-manufacturing no longer plays a dominant role.

Two of the United States’ most important trading partners are Canada and Mexico.

Most American businesses do not confine themselves to doing business in just the United States.

Multinationals-American corporations which engage in business worldwide.

Examples of multinationals• Exxon-Mobile• General Electric• Coke• Pepsi

What are the four US subregions?

1. The Northeast2. The Midwest3. The South4. The West

The Northeast-Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont

New Hampshire,Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut

New England –six northern states of the Northeast

The Northeast

The Northeast is often called America’s Gateway because millions of immigrants came there in order to live in America.

• One of the most heavily industrialized and urbanized areas in the world.

• New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia are international trade centers.

• The nation’s first megalopolis developed in the Northeast. Megalopolis-region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together.

• “Rust Belt”-declining and abandoned traditional industries.

BosWash megalopolis stretches through 500 miles of highly urbanized areas from Boston to Washington, D.C. It contains one-sixth of the U.S. population.

The Midwest

Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas

• Often called the nation’s heartland.

• Also called the nation’s breadbasket

• One-fifth of U.S. land• One-fourth of the population

• Agriculture, trade, transportation, and distribution center.

The South

• Covers one-fourth of the nation’s land and one-third of its population

• Along with the Southwest, this area is known as the sunbelt because of its climate.

• Began as agriculture but industries are moving to the South.

The South

Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland

• Metropolitan Areas-large cities and nearby suburbs and towns.• Miami, Tampa-St. Petersburg, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas-Forth

Worth, Charlotte

The West

Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico

• Covers one-half of the US land and has one-fifth of the population.• The West is the most rapidly growing part of the United States• California is the country’s most populous state• Farming, ranching, food processing, logging, fishing, mining, oil

refining, tourism, filmmaking, and the computer industry

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