Download Social Studies Notes for SAER

Additional Social Studies concepts to be familiar with:
*What was the basis of the American 2 party system? (Understand the different
views of Thomas Jefferson: commoner, Democratic & Republicans compared to Alexander
Hamilton: Wealth equates elitism and Federalists.
*Analysis of graphs that depict populations (cause and effect) production of
crops etc.
*The lasting Roman influence on Europe: What were the contributions things such as:
law, war, art, literature, architecture, technology, religion and language. It is important to
note the major influence on the world still today.
*Florida Economics: How did the greening of swampland near Broward
County affect Florida’s growth?
Human activities have deliberately or inadvertently altered the equilibrium in the everglades.
Human impact on the Everglades is substantial.
Rapid population growth requires massive supplies of freshwater. Water for human consumption
is derived from pumping ground water and diversion of surface water via numerous canals. The
net consequence is diminished flow of surface water through the Everglades drainage system.
Surface water in the Everglades is naturally nutrient poor. However, upstream agricultural
runoff delivers large quantities of fertilizer to the Everglades. Due to Florida's growing
population part of the everglade is turned to houses. Due to human water pumping, humans are
affecting the everglades. In the future there will no everglades national park, because it will turn
to residential areas. Humans can help it in the future, by stop draining freshwater from
Everglades.
AS the population of Florida has grown many thousands of acres of swampland have been
drained for residential and agricultural uses. Much of the remaining wetlands have been polluted
by runoff from farms and urban areas. More than 50% of the original wetlands in the state have
already been destroyed. Human activities have altered drainage patterns, destroyed wildlife and
interfered with natural filtration systems of the wetlands.
The Everglades National Park is one example of a swamp that has been changed significantly by
human activities. More than third of the land area in the Everglades is freshwater marsh and
cypress swamp. Extensive draining and canal building has reduced swamplands and affected the
natural draining and filtering process of the ecosystem. These activities were conducted ever
before the everglades became a National Park in 1947.
The swamp itself provide habitat for a diverse range of wildlife from insects to mammals,
including 15 species of reptiles and amphibians from Florida swamps that are currently listed as
threatened or endangered.
How were the Hawaiian Islands formed?
The Hawaiian Islands are believed to be formed from one such 'hot spot'. As the plate moves
away, the volcano stops erupting and a new one is formed in its place. With time, the volcanoes
keep drifting westward and getting older relative to the one active volcano that is over the hot
spot. As they age, the crust upon which they sit cools and subsides. This, combined with erosion
of the islands once active volcanism stops, leads to a shrinking of the islands with age and their
eventual submergence below the ocean surface.
The Hawaiian Islands are volcanic in origin. Each island is made up of at least one primary
volcano, although many islands are composites of more than one.
The Hawaiian volcanoes were produced by the Hawaiian hot spot, which is presently under the
Big Island of Hawaii.