Essential Questions
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- What is one way of grouping the 50 states?
-
There are 7 geographical regions in the United States.
- Northeast
- Southeast
- Southwest
- Midwest
- Rocky Mountains
- Pacific
- Noncontiguous - What are some examples of cities that historically have had political, economic, and/or cultural significance to the development of the United States?
-
- New York, Boston, Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia
- Washington D.C., New Orleans, Atlanta
- Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit
- San Antonio, Santa Fe
- San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle
- Juneau, Honolulu - What major events took place in American history prior to 1877 and what was their impact on American history?
-
- Native American period
- Exploration by Europeans
- Establishment of British Colonies
- Slavery
- Declaration of Independence
- Revolutionary War
- The Constitution
- Manifest Destiny and Settling the West
- Civil War and Reconstruction - How did people's perceptions and use of the Great Plains change after the Civil War?
- New technologies allowed people to see potential in the Great Plains, not as a "treeless wasteland" as they had before.
- How did people on the Great Plains adapt to challenging environments?
- They used new inventions and adaptations including: barbed wire, steel plows, dry farming, sod houses, beef cattle raising, wheat farming, windmills, and railroads.
- Why did westward expansion occur?
-
1. Opportunities for land ownership (Homestead Act)
2. Technological advances, including the Transcontinental Railroad
3. Possibility of wealth (mining)
4. Adventure
5. A new beginning for former slaves - What inventions created great change and industrial growth in the United States?
-
- electricity
- telephone - What created the rise of big business?
-
- national markets
- captains of industry (Rockefeller, Carnegie, Henry Ford)
- advertising
- lower-cost production - What factors caused the growth of industry?
-
- access to raw materials and energy
- availability of work force
- inventions
- financial resources - What challenges faced Americans as a result of those social and technological changes?
-
- Rapid industrialization and urbanization led to overcrowded immigrant neighborhoods and tenements
- Discrimination against immigrants (Chinese/Irish) - Why did cities develop?
-
- Specialized industries (steel- Pittsburgh, meat packing- Chicago)
- Immigrants from other countries
- Movement of Americans from rural to urban areas for job opportunities - What challenges were faced by cities during the time of industrialization and immigration?
-
- Tenements and ghettos
- Political corruption - What efforts were made to solve immigration problems?
-
- Settlement houses were established (Hull House, founded by Jane Addams)
- Political machines gained power by attending to the needs of new immigrants (eg. jobs, housing) - Why did immigration occur?
-
- Hope for better opportunities
- Religious freedom
- Escape from oppressive governments
- Adventure