Download Thematic Essay Practice – Geography and United States

Thematic Essay Practice – Geography and United States Government Actions
US History/
Name: __________________
From the June 2004 New York States Regents/ U.S. History & Government
THEMATIC ESSAY QUESTION
Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs
addressing the task below, and a conclusion.
Theme: Geography and United States Government Actions
Geographic factors often influence United States government actions, both foreign
and domestic. Some of these factors include location, physical environment,
movement of people, climate, and resources.
Task:
Identify two actions taken by the United States government that were influenced by
geographic factors, and for each action:
• Discuss the historical circumstances that resulted in the government action
• Discuss the influence of a geographic factor on the action
• Describe the impact of the government action on the United States
Some suggestions you might wish to consider include the Louisiana Purchase (1803),
issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823), passage of the Homestead Act (1862), decision to
build the transcontinental railroad (1860s), acquisition of the Philippines (1898), decision to
build the Panama Canal (early 1900s), and passage of the Interstate Highway Act (1956).
Gathering the Facts:
1- The Louisiana Purchase (1803)
 “The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States
and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles
of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million dollars.
 As the United States had expanded westward, navigation of the Mississippi
River and access to the port of New Orleans had become critical to American
commerce.
 [At the same time] Napoleon’s plans to re-establish France in the New World
were unraveling. The French army sent to suppress a rebellion by slaves and
free blacks in the sugar-rich colony of Saint Domingue (present-day Haiti)
had been decimated by yellow fever, and a new war with Britain seemed
inevitable.
 France could not afford to send forces to occupy the entire Mississippi
Valley, so why not abandon the idea of empire in America and sell the
territory to the United States?” ~ monticello.org
2- Issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
 “In October 1823, President Monroe was concerned about Spain reclaiming
sovereignty in the Western Hemisphere.”
 President Monroe made four basic statements in what is today referred to as the
Monroe Doctrine –
1) The United States would not get involved in European affairs.
2) The United States would not interfere with existing European colonies in the
Western Hemisphere.
3) No other nation could form a new colony in the Western Hemisphere.
4) If a European nation tried to control or interfere with a nation in the Western
Hemisphere, the United States would view it as a hostile act against this nation.
 In his Monroe Doctrine, President said that the peoples of the West ‘are
henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any
European powers.’ ~ americaslibrary.gov
 “The doctrine was an outgrowth of concern in both England and the United
States that the continental powers would attempt to restore Spain’s former
colonies, in Latin America, many of which had become newly independent
nations.” ~ Britannica
3- Passage of the Homestead Act (1862)
 “The Homestead Act of 1862 has been called one of the most important pieces of
Legislation in the history of the United States.
 Signed into law in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln after the secession of southern
states, this Act turned over vast amounts of the public domain to private citizens.
 270 million acres or 10% of the area of the United States was claimed and settled
under this act.
 A homesteader had only to be the head of a household or at least 21 years of age
to claim a 160 acre parcel of land. Settlers from all walks of life including newly
arrived immigrants, farmers without land of their own from the East, single
women and former slaves came to meet the challenge of ‘proving up’ and
keeping this ‘free land.’
 Each homesteader had to live on the land, build a home, make improvements
and farm for 5 years before they were eligible to ‘prove up.’ A total filing fee of
$18 was the only money required, but sacrifice and hard work exacted a
different price from the hopeful settlers.” ~ nps.gov
4- Decision to Build the Transcontinental Railroad (1860s)
 “A railroad linking America’s east and west coasts had been a dream almost
since the steam locomotive made its first appearance in the early 1830s.
 The need for such a link was dramatized by the discovery of gold in California in
1848 that brought thousands to the West Coast.
 At that time only two routes to the West were available: by wagon across the
plains or by ship around South America. Traveling either of these could take
four months or more to complete.
 Although everyone thought a transcontinental railroad was a good idea, deep
disagreement arose over its path. The Northern states favored a northern route
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while the Southern states pushed for a southern route. This log jam was broken
in 1861 with the secession of the Southern states from the Union that allowed
Congress to select a route running through Nebraska to California.
Construction of the railroad presented a daunting task requiring the laying of
over 2000 miles of track that stretched through some the most forbidding
landscape on the continent.
Tunnels would have to be blasted out of the mountains, rivers bridged and
wilderness tamed. Two railroad companies took up the challenge. The Union
Pacific began laying track from Omaha to the west while the Central Pacific
headed east from Sacramento.
Progress was slow initially, but the pace quickened with the end of the Civil
War. Finally the two sets of railroad tracks were joined and the continent united
with elaborate ceremony at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. The impact was
immediate and dramatic. Travel time between America’s east and west coasts
was reduced from months to less than a week.” ~ eyewitnesstohistory.com
5- Acquisition of the Philippines (1898)
 “The Philippines became a territory of the United States after the SpanishAmerican War. Under the December 10, 1898 Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded the
islands to the United States for $20 million.” ~ nationalatlas.gov
 “The westward expansion of the United States during the 19th century was not
limited to North America, but rather included an ongoing push to establish a
stronger U.S. presence in and across the Pacific Ocean. This maritime
expansion, driven mostly by commerce, had important implications for U.S.
foreign policy.
 The appeal of profits to be earned from the China trade served as the initial
impetus to motivate U.S. citizens and officials to enter into the Pacific region.
China was the source of some of the world’s most sought after commodities –
tea, porcelain, and silk – and Western merchants had sought access to this highly
lucrative trade since at least the 17th century. Following U.S. independence, U.S.based merchants continued to seek opportunity in China.
 The Spanish-American War began with a dispute over Cuba, but a rising tide of
interest in overseas empire among U.S. leaders, such as President William
McKinley and future President Theodore Roosevelt, helped expand the conflict
to Spanish possessions in Asia.
 After a swift victory over Spain, the United States set up a temporary military
administration to govern the islands and promote their political, economic, and
social development. The United States established full colonial rule over the
Philippines in 1900 during the Philippine-American War.” ~ history.state.gov
6- Decision to build the Panama Canal (early 1900s)
 “President Theodore Roosevelt oversaw the realization of a long-term United
States goal – a trans-isthmian canal. Throughout the 1800s, American and
British leaders and businessmen wanted to ship goods quickly and cheaply
between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.




Following heated debate over the location of the proposed canal, on June 19,
1902, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of building the canal through Panama.
Within 6 months, Secretary of State John Hay signed a treaty with Colombian
Foreign Minister Tomás Herrán to build the new canal. The financial terms
were unacceptable to Colombia’s congress, and it rejected the offer.
President Roosevelt responded by dispatching U.S. warships to Panama City (on
the Pacific) and Colón (on the Atlantic) in support of Panamanian independence.
Colombian troops were unable to negotiate the jungles of the Darien Strait and
Panama declared independence on November 3, 1903.
The newly declared Republic of Panama immediately named Philippe BunauVarilla (a French engineer who had been involved in the earlier de Lesseps canal
attempt) as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. In his new role,
Bunau-Varilla negotiated the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903, which
provided the United States with a 10-mile wide strip of land for the canal, a onetime $10 million payment to Panama, and an annual annuity of $250,000.
The United States also agreed to guarantee the independence of Panama.
Completed in 1914, the Panama Canal symbolized U.S. technological prowess
and economic power. Although U.S. control of the canal eventually became an
irritant to U.S.-Panamanian relations, at the time it was heralded as a major
foreign policy achievement.” ~ history.state.gov
7- Passage of the Interstate Highway Act (1956)
 “Popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956, the
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 established an interstate highway system in the
United States.
 The movement behind the construction of a transcontinental superhighway started
in the 1930s when President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed interest in the
construction of a network of toll superhighways that would provide more jobs for
people in need of work during the Great Depression.
 But with America on the verge of joining the war in Europe, the time for a massive
highway program had not arrived.
 At the end of the war, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 funded highway
improvements and established major new ground by authorizing and designating, in
Section 7, the construction of 40,000 miles of a ‘National System of Interstate
Highways.’
 When President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office in January 1953, however, the
states had only completed 6,500 miles of the system improvements.
 Eisenhower had first realized the value of good highways in 1919, when he
participated in the U.S. Army's first transcontinental motor convoy from
Washington, DC, to San Francisco. Again, during World War II, Eisenhower saw
the German advantage that resulted from their autobahn highway network, and he
also noted the enhanced mobility of the Allies, on those same highways, when they
fought their way into Germany.
 These experiences significantly shaped Eisenhower's views on highways and their
role in national defense. During his State of the Union Address on January 7, 1954,
Eisenhower made it clear that he was ready to turn his attention to the nation's

highway problems. He considered it important to ‘protect the vital interest of every
citizen in a safe and adequate highway system.’
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 emerged from the House-Senate conference
committee. In the act, the interstate system was expanded to 41,000 miles, and to
construct the network, $25 billion was authorized for fiscal years 1957 through
1969.” ~ ourdocuments.gov
Look at the thematic essay question again. Which two events will you choose?
In addition, in your own words, summarize each suggested Government Action
Influenced by Geographic Factors:
The Louisiana Purchase (1803)
Issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
Passage of the Homestead Act (1862)
Decision to Build the Transcontinental Railroad (1860s)
Acquisition of the Philippines (1898)
Decision to build the Panama Canal (early 1900s)
Passage of the Interstate Highway Act (1956)
Outlining the Thematic Essay:
Government Action: _______
Government Action: _______

Discuss the historical circumstances
that resulted in the government
action

Discuss the historical circumstances
that resulted in the government
action

Discuss the influence of a geographic
factor on the action

Discuss the influence of a geographic
factor on the action

Describe the impact of the
government action on the United
States

Describe the impact of the
government action on the United
States
Additional Notes:
Additional Notes:
Write the Essay:
Introduction:
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Body Paragraph:
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Body Paragraph:
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Conclusion:
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Explain the meaning of the political cartoon.
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Explain the meaning of the political cartoon. _______________________________________