CHAPTER SIXThe Greatest Country In the

World:

The United States of America

A. Resource Rich1. 4th largest country in land area2. 3rd most population in the world3. 1st in GNP

B. WHY?1. Abundance of natural resources2. Excellent transportation and

communication3. Very high work ethic4. Supportive political system

C. Abundance of Natural Resources

1. Farming: The prairie grasslands of the Midwest are some of the richest soils in the world!a. Over $50 Billion per year from

farming2. During the early days of our

Republic, large tracts of land were given to people who promised to farm the land.

D. Forests1. First cleared for farmland, and lumber

for construction of homes.

2. As more immigrants arrived, more lumber was required.

3. After the forests of the East-coast were used up, the lumber companies headed towards the Rockies

4. Recently, the forests of the East Coast have grown back to the point that lumbering is now possible.

E. Underground1. Coal: Mined in PA, WV,

OH, IN and ILa.Used a fuel for heating

homes, and production of steel.

b.Most important use today is for generation of steam to produce electricity.

E. Underground2. Oil: First found in PA

3. Huge reserves were discovered in OK and TXa. Originally used for lubrication

b. Later used as fuel for heating homes and industry.

c. Cheapness of this energy-source grew our (U. S.) economy.

4. The U.S. also has large deposits of copper, gold, lead, titanium, uranium and zinc

a. The California/Alaska gold rush brought millions to U. S.

F. Movement of People, goods and Ideas

1. Travel on water:a. Early on, barges were floated down

river, and pulled back up by teams of mules/horses.1. The round trip took almost six months.

b. By 1850, the steamboat cut travel time down to days, and reduced the cost of transportation.

c. In areas where the rivers were not connected, canals were built.

2. Land Travela. During the early days of our

country, roads were almost nonexistent

b. Transportation was by horse or horse-drawn carriage.By the early 1800s, companies

were building pay-as-you-go roads called turnpikes.

c. By the middle 1800s, steam powered locomotives began to replace steamboats

d. By 1900, most every part of the U.S. was within reach of a railroad

e. The time of the railroad was short-lived.

f. By the 1920s, the automobile began to replace railroads

Land Travel

3. COMMUNICATIONSa. In 1837, Samuel Morse

developed the first successful telegraph.

b. Communication between west and east was reduced from weeks to minutes.

c. Again, this “modern-marvel” didn’t last long

d. By the 1890s, telephones were connecting people in “real-time” communication.

e. Telecommunication: Communication by electronic means

1. Computers 2. Fax Machines 3. Satellites

COMMUNICATIONSCOMMUNICATIONS

G. Rugged Individualism1. The willingness of

individuals to stand alone and struggle long and hard to survive and prosper

2. The promise of prosperity is given to us through our Constitution

3. Individual equality4. Freedom of opportunity

H. Free Enterprise: System where people can own, operate and profit from their own business.

I. A NATION OF CITIES1. Metropolitan area: A large

city surrounded by suburbsa. St. Joseph, Blue Springs &

Independence (Kansas City)

2. Usually with a total area population of over one million people

J. CANALS1. During the 1800s, many canals were built.

2. Erie canal was 363 miles long

3. Ran from Lake Erie to the Hudson River4. By the late 1800s, there were over 4000

canals built

5. They connected Midwest cities with the East-coast

6. Food from the center of the country could now be easily transported to the coast and exported.

K. URBAN AREAS1. Suburbs: Residential areas around of

larger cities.

2. Due to ease of transportation (cars & trains) people no longer had to live close to their workplace.

3. Commuters could drive or take a train to work.

4. Food is now grown thousands of miles away from where it is consumed.

L. Function & Size1. Urban areas are described in

Hierarchy.

2. Hierarchy: Cities ranked by size or function

a. Large cities (New York) serve large urban areas

b. Smaller cities (Springfield) serve smaller areas

3. Hinterlands: Areas that a city serves

M. Metropolitan Areas

1. A major city and its surrounding areas (suburbs)

2. Springfield was once separated from Nixa, Republic…etc.

3. Now they are “growing” together

Reach For A Star ProductionJohn P. LukeJohn P. Lukewww.mrluke.netwww.mrluke.net