Geography plays an important role in any settlement. In the United States, this is evidenced by the location of many major cities in the nation. Most early settlers to the United States arrived from European countries.
Full Answer
How did geography influence the development of the United States?
Geography influenced the early United States from the first colonies throughout its western expansion. Learn about the role of geography in the early settlement of America, traversing mountains and other difficulties with the westward expansion, and the draw of the gold rush in California and other western territories.
What are the settlement patterns in the United States?
Settlement patterns. Although the land that now constitutes the United States was occupied and much affected by diverse Indian cultures over many millennia, these pre-European settlement patterns have had virtually no impact upon the contemporary nation—except locally, as in parts of New Mexico.
How did pre-European settlement patterns affect the United States?
Although the land that now constitutes the United States was occupied and much affected by diverse Indian cultures over many millennia, these pre-European settlement patterns have had virtually no impact upon the contemporary nation—except locally, as in parts of New Mexico.
What is the overall impression of the settled portion of America?
The overall impression of the settled portion of the American landscape, rural or urban, is one of disorder and incoherence, even in areas of strict geometric survey.
How did geography affect the settlement of America?
Geography caused some colonies to become centers of trade, and others to output huge amounts of crops. Geography controlled every detail of the colonies, as well as the rest of the world, and still does to this day. The Mid-Atlantic colonies used their large rivers, fertile soil and open plains for large scale farming.
How did geography impact early settlements?
The topography of an area was important for early human settlement. Farmers preferred to settle in flat, open areas such as plains and valleys. Large, flat spaces gave farmers room to plant crops. Additionally, the rich soil in coastal plains and river valleys was ideal for growing these crops.
How did geography influence society in the Americas?
The vastness of the northern part of the continent encouraged other indigenous communities to live nomadic lifestyles. These cultures did not establish urban areas or agricultural centers. Instead, they followed favorable weather patterns, natural agricultural cycles, and animal migrations.
How did physical geography influence the development of the United States?
How did physical geography and a spirit of independence influence the development of the US? Middle Colonies - fertile soil, mild winters. and warm summers needed for growing cash crops for export. Southern Colonies - Mild climate, rich soils, and open land of the coastal plain.
How did geographical factors play a role in settling down of ancient people?
Like many ancient peoples, the first people in India most likely chose to settle near rivers. The rivers provided plenty of water, and the fertile soil was ideal for farming. The rivers could also be used for travel and trade. The first known settlements in ancient India were in the Indus River valley.
How did geography impact colonial life in the middle colonies?
The geography of the middle region had a warmer climate with fertile soil, flat land, swift rivers, and wide valleys making it perfect for farming and growing crops. Wealthy farmers grew cash crops and raised livestock. Mining and trading were also important aspects of their economy.
What are three factors that have influenced the cultural geography of the United States?
The cultural geogra- phy of the United States has been influenced by Native Americans, European settlement, and modern industrialization.
What geographic advantages does the US have?
Sandwiched by two oceans, Great Lakes and vast deserts, the United States is insulated from external aggression. Meanwhile, large, navigable river networks and enormous tracts of arable land have allowed the U.S. to grow into the arsenal of democracy.
How geography helped shape the English colonies?
How did geography help shape life in the English colonies? In the colonies, soil and climate determined what they could grow. Living near water gave settlers a way to transport good. New England region - People farmed thin, rocky soil so farming wasn't their main business.
How does geography influence history?
Geography determined Rome's political and social mission. Control of political geography and knowledge of topography, climates, and customs of peoples throughout the inhabited world reinforced the Empire's power.
How did the geography affect the lives of the colonists in New England?
How did the geography affect the New England colonies? Geography affected the New England Colonies in what industries they could pursue and how much farming they could do. Because of the longer winters there was a shorter growing season overall and the soil was very rocky.
What role did geography play in the Civil War?
It would be more and more difficult for reinforcements and supplies to reach Confederate forces. In fact, the Union was so conscious of the importance of geography and of rivers, they named many battles after nearby streams. The Confederacy named the same battle after the nearest town.
How did geography affect Greek development?
Greece's steep mountains and surrounding seas forced Greeks to settle in isolated communities. Travel by land was hard, and sea voyages were hazardous. Most ancient Greeks farmed, but good land and water were scarce. They grew grapes and olives, and raised sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens.
How did the geographic factors affect the location of early river valley civilization?
Rivers were attractive locations for the first civilizations because they provided a steady supply of drinking water and made the land fertile for growing crops. Moreover, goods and people could be transported easily, and the people in these civilizations could fish and hunt the animals that came to drink water.
How did the geography affect the New England colonies?
Climate and Geography Colonists in the New England colonies endured bitterly cold winters and mild summers. Land was flat close to the coastline but became hilly and mountainous farther inland. Soil was generally rocky, making farming difficult. Cold winters reduced the spread of disease.
How did the geography affect the lives of the colonists in New England?
How did the geography affect the New England colonies? Geography affected the New England Colonies in what industries they could pursue and how much farming they could do. Because of the longer winters there was a shorter growing season overall and the soil was very rocky.
What were the major factors that affected the West Coast?
Oil was also a major factor, as was iron ore and coal. Beyond the hardships of the deserts and mountains, people found more fertile land along the coasts, with pleasant climates. To this day, the West Coast of the United States remains heavily populated.
Why did people move to the colonies?
When people first tried to colonize what is now the United States, they moved there for many reasons: a chance at a new life, the desire for their own plot of land, escape from religious persecution, and others. But life in the early colonies was hard.
Why was it important for the colonies to have access to the sea?
This is because having access to the sea was important to bring in supplies, especially in those early days. Once the U.S. could produce its own goods, this wouldn't be needed, but for a long time, the colonies were tethered to the sea.
Why did the first colonies fail?
Many of the first attempted colonies failed because of disease, starvation, lack of resupply, war, or conflict with Native Americans. When colonies were finally established, they were mostly along the East Coast. This is because having access to the sea was important to bring in supplies, especially in those early days.
What were the natural resources of the United States?
There was also the attraction of the natural resources of the United States, especially iron, coal, and later, gold and oil. But the further west people expanded, the more difficulties they encountered. The Great Plains in the Midwest were especially fertile for farming, but they were also dry. Irrigation was difficult.
Why did people head west to the Great Plains?
The Great Plains in the Midwest were especially fertile, having been originally a sea bed millions of years ago, and so it was prime land for farming. This was plenty of reason to head west. More remote areas also lacked competition, so you could claim a lot of land for yourself. The government even encouraged it, giving away 160 acres of land to those adventurous enough to head west. But there were difficulties, too. The Great Plains might have been fertile, but they were also dry. Irrigation was difficult, but necessary. Without water, there would be no crops.
What was the challenge of moving west?
Moving west became extremely challenging beyond the plains. It might have taken a long time for Americans to find their way to the Pacific Ocean, if it wasn't for one further natural feature: the presence of gold.
How does geography affect history?
Geography affects every aspect of history as it is responsible for determining the winners of wars, the prosperity of people and the formation of cultures. To quote the Bradley Commission on History in Schools, "...geography is by nature the constant companion of historical studies; it is hardly possible to grasp the one without the other." Because the events of history take place on the stage of the world, they are inevitably influenced and even determined by geography.
What can geography explain?
So, geography can to some extent explain the basic development patterns for the original American Colonies, as well as a few facets of American culture.
How did New England become industrialized?
Also, in New England, most of the rivers were not very navigable, but they were fairly fast moving, which made them ideal for water wheel powered industry. This provided an ideal location for early industry, allowing for New England to become industrialized fairly early on. Because of mercantilist practices imposed by the UK, it really took decades for the industrialization to really pick up steam, because of restrictions preventing that. The geography really helped to overcome some of those problems. Initially, this resulted in a development pattern similar to that in the South, but there was some degree of road construction and interconnected settlements.
Why is teaching in a US centric style important?
It will probably be where they stay. The average American never leaves the US because there is significant scenery and diversity here. Therefore, teaching in a US-centric style makes the material more relatable to students who may not me interested.
What were the influences of the Mississippi River?
Rivers allowed the Vikings to raid far into inland Europe, and the Mississippi River made it far easier for Europeans to explore North America. Moreover, other geographic features, such as mountains and plains, have had an equally strong impact on history, like when 300 Spartans used the mountain pass at Thermopylae to hold off thousands of Persian soldiers. [ 1]
What are the barriers to human movement in Africa?
The Sahara desert is the most significant of these. The eastern highlands and the central rainforest are the other two most significant obstacles to human movement. However, the Bantu speakers found paths. One was through a narrower band of rainforest near the coas
What made it difficult to migrate beyond the alluvial plains?
The Appalachian Mountains made it difficult to migrate beyond the alluvial plains. The Cumberland Gap made it possible for people to get to Kentucky. The Erie Canal (1825) opened up western NY, PA, and the Ohio Valley.
What factors have affected the changing geographic patterns of the United States over its short history?
Whether it's colonization, natural resources, immigration, transportation, or communication , there are many complex factors that have affected the changing geographic patterns of the U.S. over its short history. When people first settled in the United States, life was hard.
What are the factors that affect the geography of the United States?
Explore factors that affect geographic patterns of the U.S., such as colonization, westward expansion, immigration, transportation, communication, and the railroad. Updated: 11/06/2021
Why did the Westward Expansion happen?
At first this progress was slow, but as life got easier, helped by the abundant natural resources in the United States, the westward expansion accelerated. This was spurred on by the government buying more land and natural resources being discovered on that land, particularly coal, oil, and precious metals like gold.
What were the factors that increased the rate of expansion?
In fact, the government of the time encouraged it. And the abundant workers from abroad only increased the rate of expansion. Transportation and communication were other major factors. Telegraphs allowed messages to be relayed over long distances, and railroads allowed goods and people to move faster than ever before.
What was the life like when people first settled in the United States?
When people first settled in the United States, life was hard. Colonies from England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands were set up, but many didn't survive . The death rate was super high. Early colonists included people looking for a new life: adventurers, soldiers, farmers, and tradesmen, people who were persecuted for their religious beliefs, and even outcasts. But eventually stable colonies were established and the English ones became dominant. This led to the original 13 colonies that would eventually become the United States.
What did immigration mean in colonial times?
But all this immigration means filling the land. Population pressure in original colonial towns definitely encouraged people to move west and find their own patch of land. In fact, the government of the time encouraged it.
Why did immigrants help the United States?
Immigrants increase productivity and improve economic growth and were a big part of the success of the United States. Population pressure in original colonial towns encouraged people to move west and find their own patch of land. In fact, the government of the time encouraged it.
How were townships laid out?
Townships were laid out as blocks, each six by six miles in size, oriented with the compass directions . Thirty-six sections, each one square mile, or 640 acres (260 hectares), in size, were designated within each township; and public roads were established along section lines and, where needed, along half-section lines. At irregular intervals, offsets in survey lines and roads were introduced to allow for the Earth’s curvature. Individual property lines were coincident with, or parallel to, survey lines, and this pervasive rectangularity generally carried over into the geometry of fields and fences or into the townsites later superimposed upon the basic rural survey.
How were farms connected to towns?
Successions of such farms were connected with one another and with the towns by means of a dense, usually rectangular lattice of roads, largely unimproved at the time. The hamlets, villages, and smaller cities were arrayed at relatively regular intervals, with size and affluence determined in large part by the presence and quality of rail service or status as the county seat. But, among people who have been historically rural, individualistic, and antiurban in bias, many services normally located in urban places might be found in rustic settings. Thus, much retail business was transacted by means of itinerant peddlers, while small shops for the fabrication, distribution, or repair of various items were often located in isolated farmsteads, as were many post offices.
How much land did farms have in the 1980s?
By the late 1980s, for example, when the average farm size had surpassed 460 acres, farms containing 2,000 or more acres accounted for almost half of all farmland and 20 percent of the cropland harvested, even though they comprised less than 3 percent of all farms.
What was the primary policy of the British government?
government was to promote agricultural and other settlement —to push the frontier westward as fast as physical and economic conditions permitted.
What are the patterns of rural settlement?
Patterns of rural settlement indicate much about the history, economy, society, and minds of those who created them as well as about the land itself. The essential design of rural activity in the United States bears a strong family resemblance to that of other neo-European lands, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, or tsarist Siberia —places that have undergone rapid occupation and exploitation by immigrants intent upon short-term development and enrichment. In all such areas, under novel social and political conditions and with a relative abundance of territory and physical resources, ideas and institutions derived from a relatively stable medieval or early modern Europe have undergone major transformation. Further, these are nonpeasant countrysides, alike in having failed to achieve the intimate symbiosis of people and habitat, the humanized rural landscapes characteristic of many relatively dense, stable, earthbound communities in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.
What are the characteristics of American settlement?
Another special characteristic of American settlement, one that became obvious only by the mid-20th century, is the convergence of rural and urban modes of life. The farmsteads—and rural folk in general—have become increasingly urbanized, and agricultural operations have become more automated, while the metropolis grows more gelatinous, unfocused, and pseudo-bucolic along its margins.
How many states surrendered to the new government?
With the coming of independence and after complex negotiations, the original 13 states surrendered to the new national government nearly all their claims to the unsettled western lands beyond their boundaries. Some tracts, however, were reserved for disposal to particular groups.
