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US History
Chapter 1
Section 1
Thinking Geographically
5 Themes of Geography
• 1. Location- where did it happen
– Exact location
– Relative location
• 2. Place- an area’s physical and human
features
• 3. Interaction- between humans and
environment
5 Themes of Geography cont
• 4. Movement- of people, goods, and ideas
• 5. Regions- unifying characteristics
– Physical- climate or landforms
– Cultural
– Human
Section 2
Lands and Climates
of the United States
Physical Regions of the U.S.
• Pacific Coast- along the west coast
– Important cities- Seattle, Portland, San
Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles
– San Andres fault
• Intermountain Region- east of Pacific
Coast mountain ranges.
– Mountain peaks, high plateaus, deep canyons,
and dry, sandy deserts
– Cities include Phoenix and Salt Lake City
Physical Regions of the U.S.
cont.
• Rocky Mountains- stretch Alaska through
Canada into western US
– Some of the highest peaks in North America;
Elevation above 14,000ft
– Denver
• Interior Plains- between Rockies and
Appalachians
– Large lowland area. Dry western regionGreat Plains. Eastern region- Central Plains
– Major cities Dallas, St. Louis, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Detroit, and Indianapolis
Physical Regions of the U.S.
cont.
• Ozark Highlands- southern Missouri and
northern Arkansas into eastern Kansas
– Thick forests with mountains that rise over
2,000ft.
• Appalachian Mountains- eastern part of
North America from Canada to Georgia
and Mississippi
– Different names in different places. Green
Mountains, Alleghenies, and Great Smoky
Mountains
Physical Regions of the U.S.
cont.
• Canadian Shield- lowland area in eastern
Canada, southern edge extends into
Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota
• Coastal Plains- easternmost region of
North America, fairly flat, lowland area
– Two sub-regions
– Atlantic Plain- between Atlantic Ocean and
foothills of Appalachian Mts- Philly, NYC,
Boston
– Gulf Plain- along Gulf Coast- New Orleans
Physical Regions of the U.S.
cont
• Hawaiian Islands- in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean 2,400 miles west of
California
– Wet, tropic climate and dense
tropical rainforest vegetation
Rivers and Lakes
• Mississippi- Missouri River Systemlongest and most important river system
in U.S
• Colorado River- Forms the border
between Calif. and AZ heading for the
Gulf of California
• Form borders with neighbors
– Rio Grande
– St. Lawrence
Rivers and Lakes cont.
• The Great Lakes- five lakes that form part
of the border with Canada and makeup
the largest body of fresh water in the
world
– Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and
Ontario
– Canals connect them to the St. Lawrence
and Mississippi Rivers
The Tools of History
Section 3
Using Historical Evidence
• Studying the lives of people in different times
and places is the work of the historian.
– Primary source- firsthand information about
people or events.
•Includes official documents- laws/court
decisions, public speeches, eyewitness
accounts- diaries, letters, autobiographies
•Includes visual evidence- News
pictures/video
•May be oral or spoken interviews
Using Historical Evidence
cont.
– Secondary Source- is an account provided
after the fact by people who did not directly
witness or participate in the event.
•Usually based on primary sources
•Textbooks, encyclopedias, biographies, or
books and articles written by historians are
also secondary sources.
• When dealing with a primary source the first job
of a historian is to determine the Authenticitywhether or not the source is actually what it
seems to be.
Using Historical Evidence
cont.
• Once sure of an article’s authenticity, historians
must determine Reliability-whether or not the
source gives an accurate account of the events
being described.
– Must constantly check for bias- a leaning
toward or against a certain person, group, or
idea.
•Cultural background, personal experiences,
economic status and political beliefs may
all contribute
Chronology and Historical Eras
• When you study history you see how the
past is linked to the present. By studying
how people solved problems in the past, we
can apply them to todays problems.
• History is the study of ordinary people, who
do every day things to shape the character of
our country.
– How they lived, where they traveled, and how
they felt about their lives
Chronology and Historical Eras
• History enables you to learn about the
culture of a country.
• History provides you with useful skills.
– As you begin to analyze events you will learn
how to research topics, recognize different
points of view, make connections, and
understand cause and effect.
Section 4
Economics and Other Social
Sciences
Three Economic Questions
• Economics- The study of how people manage
their limited resources to satisfy their wants and
needs.
• Every society must answer three basic economic
questions, whose answers define their economic
system
– 1. What goods and services should we produce?
– 2. How should we produce them?
– 3. For whom should we produce them.
Three Economic Questions cont.
• What Goods and Services Should We
Produce?
– A society’s first economic task is to fulfill
people’s basic needs- food, shelter, and
clothing.
– After the basic needs are met, the society must
make choices about how to use the rest of its
limited resources.
• Decisions on what to produce vary according to
time and culture.
Three Economic Questions cont.
• How Should We Produce Goods and
Services?
– Even when people agree on what to produce,
they must choose how to produce it and how
much
– Technology plays a major role in these
decisions.
• Advances in technology have changes both family
farms and manufacturing
Three Economic Questions cont.
• For Whom Should We Produce Goods and
Services?
– Consumers- users of goods and services
– In past societies, consumers and producers
were often the same people, they consumed
the goods they produced themselves.
– Today we live in a cash economy- economy
where we exchange money for goods and
services. Income and wealth determine the
goods and services you consume.
•In some cases people cannot afford the
basic needs.
The American Free Enterprise
System
• Free Enterprise System- The government
plays a limited role in the economy.
– Businesses are owned by private citizens,
where owners decide what products to make,
how much to produce, where to sell and for
how much.
– Competition is encouraged because it is an
incentive to work harder. Companies compete
for service by making the best product at the
lowest price.
The American Free Enterprise
System
• Americans have long recognized that the free enterprise
system is one of America’s greatest strengths.
• It has helped to create vast personal fortunes and
national prosperity
• Many nations look to our nation as a model economy
• Also allows consumers freedom to make economic
choices.
– Our buying decisions tell the company what to make,
how much, and at what price.
– Therefore the economic system is like a democracy.
Other Social Sciences
• Social Sciences- studies that relate to human
society and social behavior
– Economics, History, Geography, Political
Science, Civics, Anthropology, Sociology, and
Psychology are examples that it includes.
• Political Science and Civics
– Political Science- is the study of government.
•Looks at the ideas behind different forms of
gov’t, how they are organized and work.
•Who should have the most power in gov’t?
How are decisions made? How do gov’t
change?
Other Social Sciences cont.
• Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology
– Anthropology- the study of how people and
cultures develop
•Looks at the ways people thought and
behaved at different times and places.
– Sociology- the study of how people behave in
groups
•Is the society divided into social classes? How
are families organized? How do the roles of
men and women differ? Values and beliefs that
people share.
•The US contains many different social groups
Other Social Sciences cont.
• Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology
– Psychology- study of how people think and
behave
•Linked to history because history is the study
of human beings.
•A person writing a biography about famous
person might look to psychology to
understand why a person acted a certain way.
•It also helps us to evaluate primary sources by
helping us understand people’s views and
biases.