1 Read pages (History) Early American History and Westward Expansion

Key events in American history: Earliest inhabitants arrived at least 14,000 years ago from Asia. Europeans began arriving 500 years ago: first Spanish, then English and French. British established 13 colonies. After independence, in 1776, U.S. established a federal system of government and started to expand. Within 100 years the U.S. stretched from Atlantic to Pacific by annexing, purchasing land and war. Section 1 History

Place Names -Settlement History  Named after the group of people that settled the area or place British= East Coast (New York, Richmond) Native Indians= All over (Mississippi, Appalachian) Spanish = Southwest (Santa Fe, San Francisco) French= Great Lakes Area, Mississippi River (St. Louis, New Orleans, Detroit)

What is Westward Expansion?

Westward expansion  Obstacles to expansion 1. FALL LINE – point of a river where the river goes from deep, wide, and calm to shallow and rough. The fall line starts were the soft rock of the Atlantic coastal plain meets the hard rock of the Piedmont. a. Piedmont – dense rock and rolling hills at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains b. Navigable river – River that is deep and wide enough for ship to sail

Obstacles to expansion - continue 2. Appalachian Mountains (1 st major) – there were no trains or roads early on. People were exposed to the weather and could get killed by a winter storm. 3. Mississippi River - there were no bridges or boats 4. “Savage Indians” – Most people could not tell a peaceful Indian Tribe from a more violent tribe. Many colonist were simply too afraid to move.

INDIAN NATIONS

Obstacles to expansion - continue 5. The Rocky Mountain Range a. High elevation and Rugged terrain b. Winter Blizzards are quick, cold, and deadly Donner Party – cannibalism c. AKA the Great Divide or Continental Divide - separates the eastward and westward flowing rivers 6. Death Valley to Sierra Nevada Mountain Range

11 Natural Environments of North America Section 1: Physical Features Section 2: Climates and Biomes Section 3: Natural Resources CHAPTER 7

Manifest Destiny

Reasons for expansion 1. Manifest Destiny – It was a common belief that it was a divine plan that the United State should span from coast to coast 2. The government sold land cheap and often gave it away if people would settle in the west + Sooners (Oklahoma Land Rush) 3. Fertile Farm land in Great Plains Region Gold Rush to California

Reasons for expansion  Gold Rush – Ways to get to California a. Walk/Wagon Trail – cheapest way to travel - there was power in numbers - took a minimum 4-6 months (often more) b. Sail through the Caribbean to Panama walk across and get another ship on the Pacific side of Panama c. Sail all the way around South America

Old Oregon Trail Through Panama Around Cape Horn Routes to California Gold Rush 1849

What Helped Expansion? Technology…… Railroad expansion (Transcontinental Railroad was completed by 1869) Agriculture Machinery & Irrigation Techniques turned the Great American Desert (Great Plains) into productive farm land.