10 th American History Unit VI – Looking Toward the Future Chapter 23 – Into the Twenty-First Century Section 4 – Looking Ahead

Looking Ahead The Main Idea The dawn of a new century found the United States facing a new era of opportunity and challenge. Reading Focus How is the face of the American population changing? What promise does new technology hold for the United States? What challenges confront the United States in the future?

Tomorrow’s Population Minority groups make up about 30 percent of the population; by 2050 they will make up 50 percent. Many Americans are reacting to this by resisting affirmative action programs. Regional Changes The South and the West are growing faster that the North and Midwest. The warmer climate attracts people and businesses. Labor costs tend to be cheaper as well. American Population Shifts A Graying Population Americans are getting older. One reason for this is the baby boom—people born between 1946 and An aging population will affect programs such as Social Security.

New Technology ► Genetic engineering is changing agriculture. ► Critics worry about the health effects of genetically modified crops and also about altered genes getting into wild plants. Computers ► Over 60 percent of Americans own a computer and most are connected to the Internet. ► Wireless phones lines surpassed the number of landline phones in ► Information technology (IT) helps businesses work more efficiently. Agriculture ► President Bush laid out the next goal for exploration: building a space station on the moon and sending people to Mars. Exploration

What challenges confront the United States in the future? Health and Health Care ► American life expectancy is rising at a rapid rate due to better medicines and research into the causes and cures of disease. ► The availability of health care, how to pay for it, and what role the government will play in providing it are the big questions. ► HIV and AIDS also represent a major health care challenge. Energy and the Environment ► The United States is the world’s largest energy consumer. ► The gap between U.S. demand for energy and its supply is widening. ► Energy costs include pollution, environmental harm, and depending on foreign suppliers. ► The search for cleaner and more sustainable energy sources continues.

Medical Research Important advances in understanding genetics and illness In 2003, scientists completed the Human Genome Project identifying the genes in human DNA. Scientists continue the fight against AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, as they develop new drugs and treatments. Other Technological Advances Environment In the 1980s, the United States and more than 100 other nations banned the use of chemicals that were harming the ozone layer– a thin layer of gas in the atmosphere that blocks harmful solar rays. Scientists are working to develop better understanding of global warming, climate change affecting the entire world.

Hurricane Katrina ► ► Katrina devastated a large area along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, including parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. ► ► More than 1,000 people died and hundreds of thousands lost their homes and livelihoods. ► ► The economic impact of the storm was staggering; experts predicted that the cost of the storm would be measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (04:42)

Globalization ► ► Globalization– growing connections among economies and cultures all over the world– is an ongoing change in the U.S. economy.   Multinational corporations, companies that do business in more than one country, play an important role.   In 1995 more than 120 nations joined to form the World Trade Organization to promote international trade by removing political and economic barriers among nations. ► ► Americans have different opinions on how globalization will affect the United States.   Supporters believe it will lead to increased U.S. exports, new jobs, and a stronger economy.   Opponents worry that Americans will lose jobs as U.S. companies move operations to countries where wages are lower.

Mechanical Innovation ► ► Concerns about global warming and high oil prices have encouraged development of new transportation technologies.   Development of hybrid cars that use less gas because they run partially on batteries.   Development of vehicles that run entirely on hydrogen, releasing no pollution into the air. ► ► Looking to space   In 2003 NASA landed robotic vehicles on Mars.   Human exploration continues on the International Space Station and through manned shuttle flights.

Main Idea 3: The Americans are a diverse people united by shared ideals. ► ► American population will continue to grow and change through the 21 st century.   U.S. Census Bureau reports that U.S. population is more ethnically diverse than ever before.   Immigration patterns influence change. ► ► Diversity in America grows ► ► Americans of all backgrounds share belief in many basic ideals.   Commitment to ideals of freedom, equality, and justice   Dedication to responsibilities of citizenship   Hopes and dreams of the future