1. A Resource Rich Nation

2. 4 th largest country in area 3 rd most populous GNP is the highest in the world – projected to be over $13 trillion by end of 2006

3. How did this happen? Four Factors: 1. abundance of natural resources 2. development of transportation and communication technology 3. hard work of its residents 4. political system

4. Natural Resources Land- one of the most abundant natural resources –Midwest and Great Plains contain some of the most fertile soil in the world –Early in America’s history pieces of land were given out in exchange for the promise of developing it( i.e. agriculture/livestock) First census in 1790 showed ¾ of population farmed

5. 1862 Homestead Act –Granted 160 acres to settlers who agreed to farm the land –Native Americans - first to cultivate land - lived in permanent and semi-permanent villages

6. -Grew maize, squash, beans, cotton, and tobacco. -Native American dominance in North America came to an end due to the Indian Wars -European settlers waged war with natives -Lasted over 300 years -Resulted in the theft of Native American land

7. Forests - provide lumber for building supplies, paper, artificial sponges, maple sugar… - lumber industry began in colonial New England - used for barrels and ships

8. - after the Revolutionary War the logging industry shifted to the South - because of the mild climate rivers could be used to transport logs year-round - Midwestern forests were quickly logged over by the late 1800s/ Eastern forests by the 1930 both were converted to farmland

9. The lumber industry moved West and today most of our lumber comes from Idaho, California, Oregon, and Washington Conservation – grazing laws, harvesting regulations, better logging techniques, and reforestation programs have all been implemented in order to conserve our forests – 5% of our forests have never been developed

10. Underground Minerals Coal, oil, and natural gas are the fossil fuels found in the U.S. –The U.S. produces 1/5 of the world’s coal supply –Oil and natural gas are located beneath the central and western Plains as well as in Alaska

11. We produce large amounts of copper, gold, lead, titanium, uranium, zinc A nation’s supply of minerals is important not only for trade, but for development of its industries

12. Moving resources, goods, and people The U.S. could not have turned its resources into wealth without innovations in transportation Travel Over Water – in the 1800s travel over water was faster than on land – it took 6 weeks to travel down the Mississippi River and up to another 4 months to travel back up

13. The development of the steam engine revolutionize water transportation Steamboats turned the Great Lakes into important transportation routes Early 1800s canals began to be utilized; the combination of steamboats and canals made water transportation fast and cheap

14. Movement Over Land Steam powered railroads replaced steamboats due to efficiency A transcontinental railroad linking the east and west coasts was completed in 1869. In 1890 the automobile was invented –Mass production, made possible by Henry Ford, allowed the general public to afford automobiles

15. Improving Communication 1837 Samuel Morse demonstrated the 1 st successful telegraph - a telegraph is a pattern of long and short sounds or printed dots and dashes that are later received and translated into corresponding letters and numbers - by the 1860s every major city in the country had telegraphs

16. In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone –By 1915 telephone wires reached from coast to coast -Today we use fiber optics which convert electronic signals into light waves

17. Respecting the Individual Our government was established by the people in 1789 - built on the shared ideals of individual equality, opportunity, and freedom Free enterprise- allows indiv. To own, operate, and profit from their own businesses in an open marketplace Rugged Individualism- the willingness of individuals to work hard on their own in order to prosper