Chapter 6
Human Geography of the United
States
Shaping an Abundant Land
History and Government of the United
States 6.1
• The Untied States is the third largest country in both size
and population
• The United States is a nation of immigrants
– Nomads crossing Beringia and the Bering Sea
• Native Americans, Athapascans, Aleuts and Inuit
– Spanish arrived in the 1500s: seeking Gold and other treasure
• St. Augustine, FL is the oldest permanent European settlement in the
USA
– France: Came in the 1600s for fish and fur
– England: Came to settle colonies
• European settlement often displaced Native Americans
– With “secret” biological weapons of mass destruction: diseases
First contact of Europeans with the
Americas led to the greatest ecological
events in history
Establishing the Union
• English won land from the French during the
French and Indian War (1763)
– Colonists fought the British efforts to make them
share paying for the war
• Colonists won the Revolutionary War (17751783)
• US expanded with the Louisiana Purchase (from
France) of 1803
– Land west of the Mississippi to the Rockies
• Early immigration was from Western Europe to
the Northeast
Sectionalism
• The different economic systems that
developed in each section of the US led to
competing interests
– Northeast: Industry and trade
– Southeast: Cash crop agriculture based on slavery
– West: Staple crop agriculture, mining and livestock
• One result was the Civil War
– Fought 1861-1865
– North won
In the second half of the 1800s,
millions of Americans were on the
move
• Settlement expanded
westward
• During the same period,
immigrants poured in
from Europe
• During the 19th century,
the USA transformed
from a rural agricultural
nation to an urban,
industrial one
As the 20th century began, the USA
was the most powerful country in the
Western Hemisphere
• Up to this point the US
was practically selfsufficient
• Beginning with the
Spanish American War,
and through World
Wars I & II, the US
became the strongest
world power
The final half of the 20th century was a
time of rapid social change
•
Movement:
– Large numbers of families moved to
suburbs
– Many moved west and south to warmer
climates
– Immigrants continued to flock to the
USA
•
The 60s and 70s
– Civil Rights movement
– Feminist movement
– Students and others protested the
Vietnamese War
•
Technological change
– Computers revolutionized the
workplace
– Providing services and informational
technology surpassed industrial
production in importance
The United States & Globalization
• The US became the world’s
greatest economic power
– The rest of the world
competes with the US as they
develop economically
– Many industrial jobs have
been exported to other
countries
• The USA led the noncommunist nations during
the Cold War
• When communism in
Europe collapsed in 1991,
the US became the world’s
sole superpower
Government: the United States is a
Presidential Federal Republic
• The current governmental form
comes from the Constitution of
1787
– People are governed through
elected representatives
– Separation of Powers between
Legislative, Executive and Judicial
branches
• The president is NOT a member of
the legislature
• Congress (Legislature): House of
Representatives and Senate
• The 50 states also have
legislative, executive and judicial
branches and exercise powers not
specifically granted to the federal
(national) government)
Economy and Culture of the United
States 6.2
• The United States is the
leading economic
power
• The US economy is run
largely on freeenterprise (free market,
capitalist) system
An agricultural and industrial giant
• The US not only feeds
itself, but also helps to
feed the world
• Different part of the US
provide different
products
– Midwest and South: crop
farming
– West: Livestock
The industrial output of the US is
larger than any other country
• Advances in technology
revolutionized industry
and led to new products
and methods
Postindustrial economy
• Service industries (producing a service rather than a
product)
– Nearly three-fourths of American workers work in the service sector
• Information processing, finance, medicine, transportation, and education
• Known as postindustrial economy
• The US leads the world in both exports and imports
– Exports: raw materials, agricultural products, and manufactured goods
– Imports: automobiles, electronic equipment, machinery and apparel
– Our chief trading partners are Mexico and Canada
• Many US corporations engage in business worldwide
and are called multinationals
Because the USA is a nation of immigrants, it is a
nation of different races and ethnicities
• English is the dominant language
• Religious freedom is guaranteed by the
Constitution
Arts and Popular Culture
• Native Americans made pottery, weavings and carvings
• Europeans brought artistic traditions of their
homelands
• Truly American styles developed in the 1800s
– Paintings of the expansive landscape
– Scenes of American life on both the frontier and in the
cities
– Skyscrapers shaped world architecture
– Today: motion pictures, popular music
• Hollywood
• African influence: jazz, blues, gospel, rock and roll, hip-hop
• Southern (European ancestry) influence: country, bluegrass
American Life today
•
•
•
•
•
•
More than 280 million people live in the USA
80% live in cities
50% of American Adults are employed
America has always valued education
Americans enjoy a high amount of leisure time
Not all Americans live well
Subregions 6.3
Subregions of the United States 6.3
• Northeast
– 5% of the land area, but 20% of the population
– Six northern states: Vermont, Maine,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and
Rhode Island make-up New England
– Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey are
known as the Middle Atlantic States
– One of the first areas settled by Europeans
• Served as the “Gateway” for many immigrants
More Northeast
• The first activities were
fishing and farming
• Coastal and inland waters
turned the region into a
heart of trade, commerce
and industry
• Many “rustbelt”
industries have moved to
the “sunbelt” or overseas
• The nations first
Megalopolis developed in
the Northeast: “Boswash”
Midwest
• America’s heartland
– 20% of area and 25% of population of the US
– Mostly flat plains, with numerous waterways
• Great Lakes, Mississippi River and its tributaries
• The nation’s “breadbasket”
– Fertile soils, adequate rainfall, and a favorable climate
enable farmers to produce more food and feed more
people than any comparable area in the world
– Agriculture is the foundation for many of the region’s
industries
• meatpacking, food processing, farm equipment, and grain
milling
More Midwest
• Its central location and
excellent waterways make
the Midwest a trade and
distribution center
– Chicago is the cultural, financial and
transportation “hub”
– Others are also located near large
bodies of water:
•
•
Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee are on
the Great Lakes;
Cincinnati, St. Louis, Minneapolis, St..
Paul, and Omaha developed along rivers
• Changing face of the
Midwest:
– Number of farms is declining;
– Cities are growing;
– Industries are moving to the sunbelt
and overseas
The South
• 25% of area and 33% of population
• 11 of the sixteen states were part of the Confederacy
during the Civil War
• Like the Northeast, the South was an early destination
for immigration
• Its mix of cultures comes from
– early European settlement,
– imported slave labor,
– and later immigration of Mexicans into Texas, FrenchCanadian “Cajuns” and Creoles to Louisiana
• Once a rural, agricultural area, the South is rapidly
changing and its cities growing
The West (Hey, that’s us!)
• 50% of the area, 20% of
the population
• People settle where
landforms and climate are
favorable
– Deserts are sparsely
settled, yet California is the
most populous state
• The West is the most
rapidly growing region
• Los Angeles is the West’s
cultural and commercial
center
Developing the West
• Helped by air conditioning and irrigation
– The Colorado River has been diverted to serve many areas
(except Mexico)
• Las Vegas, Tucson and Phoenix, as well as L.A.
• Economic activities: farming, ranching, food
processing, logging, fishing, mining, oil refining,
tourism, filmmaking and the production of computers
• The West has many good harbors that make foreign
trade—especially with Asia—important:
– Los Angeles/Long Beach, Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego