1. Section 1: History and Culture Section 2: Regions of the United States
CHAPTER 8
The United States
Section 1: History and Culture
Section 2: Regions of the United States
Section 3: Geographic Issues

2. Question: What important events occurred in American history?
SECTION 1
History and Culture
Question:
What important events occurred in American history?

3. History and Culture SECTION 1 12,000 B.C. 1500s 1600s 1700s 1800s
Ancestors of American Indians arrive from Asia.
1600s— The British begin to set up colonies in America.
1776 — The American war for independence begins.
1869 — The transcontinental railroad is completed.
1800s — Migrants move west.
1920 — More Americans live in cities than in rural areas.
1619 — Enslaved Africans arrive in the British colonies. South Africa gains independence.
1830 — Settlers moved as far as Texas.
Early 1500s.—
The Spanish explore the Americas.
— U.S. involvement in World War I
1830s — The northeastern United States has begun to industrialize.
1600s and 1700s — Spanish colonists migrate north from Mexico into the American Southwest.
— U.S. involvement in World War II
1848 — Gold is discovered in California.
1945-early 1990s — Cold War
— Civil War

4. Question: What activities make up the economy of the Northeast?
SECTION 2
Regions of the United States
Question:
What activities make up the economy of the Northeast?

5. Regions of the United States
SECTION 2
Regions of the United States
The Northeast
Financial center: New York is the country’s leader in commerce and banking.
Manufacturing industries: Pittsburgh is a steel producer. This industry declined in the late 1900s.
Textiles: New York is a major fashion center.
Trade: Many cities are important commercial centers and ports.

6. SECTION 3
Geographic Issues
Question:
What are some of the environmental issues faced by the United States?

7. Geographic Issues SECTION 3 Environmental Issues in the U.S.
Pollution and acid rain
Decline in population of animals like salmon
Environmental Issues in the U.S.
Creation of “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico
Competition for limited water resources

8. Chapter Wrap-Up CHAPTER 23
1. How did changing perceptions of the Great American Desert lead to changes in society?
2. How has immigration to the United States influenced the diffusion of religions and cultural change?
3. How has competition for water resources from the Colorado River affected California and Arizona? How has the river itself been affected?
4. Which states are part of the Corn Belt, the Dairy Belt, and the Wheat Belt?
5. When did the United States become the world’s only superpower? Why?