1- History and Government of the US

I) Creating a Nation
A) first nomads came over the Bering Land Bridge from Asia up to 26,000 years ago
a) over the next thousands of years, they spread across the continent and created
somewhat similar yet entirely unique cultures
b) they developed in relative isolation until the 1500s, when Europeans began to
colonize the “New World”
(i) Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch were first
1 Spanish most successful and colonized much of Central and South America,
while exploring and slightly colonizing parts of North America
(ii) French and English soon joined
1 the French focused on developing trade, and established New Orleans and
Canada
2 the English were slow to successfully colonize, and focused on the Atlantic
coastal region of the current US
(iii) both the Spanish and English brought African slaves to work in agricultural fields
1 eventually the English dominated the slave trade, and a majority of slaves in
the New World ended up in North America
c) the interaction of Europeans and Natives led to the Columbian Exchange
(i) this is the transfer of ideas, people, goods, animals, plants, and diseases between
the “New” and “Old” Worlds
B) Establishing and Maintaining the Union
a) the French and English clashed in the Americas
(i) the English won, which expanded their territory into Canada and west to the
Mississippi
b) the American Revolution followed, and with the help of the French (and Spanish), the
English colonies broke away to form the US
(i) quick expansion followed, including the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the
size of the US cheaply and quickly
c) industrialization in the North and parts of the West led to rapid expansion
(i) more water for power
(ii) specialized nature of manufacturing jobs meant they didn’t need slaves
d) South continued to grow agriculturally
(i) better soil for agriculture, needed large unskilled labor- increased slavery
(ii) these changes led to increased sectionalism
1 people became ‘Southern’ or ‘Yankee’, not American
 this, among other things, led to the Civil War
II) An Industrial and Urban Society
A) Westward Movement
 a) development of roads, steam power, and eventually railroads led to increased
expansion westward
(i) railroads allowed much safer and faster travel west
1 built by all sorts of immigrant labor depending on location
(ii) to give land to new settlers, Natives were continuously herded into smaller
regions, most of which were unable to support high populations
b) by 1900, the country was fully settled and the Pacific and Atlantic were fully
accessible
B) Industrialization and Urbanization
a) increased job markets from industrialization led people to move into cities
(i) as cities are located on water, population also expanded due to migration
III) World Power and Domestic Change
A) Looking Beyond its Borders
a) access to resources allowed the US to develop without much need of foreign trade,
which allowed the US to be self-sufficient
(i) this was in large part due to the Monroe Doctrine
b) Spain’s attempt to dominate Cuba led to the Spanish-American War in the early
1900s
(i) our victory there gained Cuba’s independence
c) WWI was fought primarily in Europe, and for years we tried to stay neutral
(i) eventually the US became involved, and within a year the war was over
d) WWII saw us attempting again to stay out of the fight
(i) again we became involved, after which we fought for hegemony status against the
USSR in what we call the Cold War
1 during this time the competition for economic and military influence led us to
see it as a struggle between capitalism and communism
B) A Changing Economy
a) once the Cold War was beginning to resolve, the US saw a quick period of rapid
social change
(i) civil rights, Vietnam War, feminist movements
b) during this period, the US economy boomed
(i) changes in technology altered how goods were produced
(ii) America became more of a service industry than a manufacturing one
c) invention of the Internet revolutionized the workplace, marketplace, and education
d) in 2008, tax, insurance, banking, and housing laws led to a massive recession that
affected markets around the world
(i) 8 million Americans lost jobs, unemployment more than doubled, many people
lost their homes, and many businesses shut down
1 we are still recovering, but some areas have even surpassed where they were
in 2008
 C) Governing the People
a) the US government is a representative democracy
(i) a closer definition would be a democratic republic
1 this means the people vote for candidates, and winning candidates make the
decisions
b) federal system
(i) government is separated into one national and many local levels
1 Federal (national level) and State (local)
 State is further reduced into county (parish) and city
c) three branches of government
(i) Executive
1 President and the Cabinet
2 approves or denies laws through veto power
3 has power over military
 Governor, Mayor
(ii) Judicial
1 Supreme Court
2 determines if laws are Constitutional
3 nominated by President, appointed by Congress
 State Supreme Court, district courts
(iii) Legislative
1 Congress
2 makes laws and sends them to the President for approval
 made of House of Representatives and Senate
 State Congress
 also has House of Reps and Senate

pg. 139 (1, 3)

2- Economy and Culture of the US

I) The World’s Greatest Economic Power

A) despite having only 5% of the world’s population and 7% of the area, the US has the
most powerful economy
a) the US’ exports account for 10% of the world’s trade
(i) most of this is in the form of services today
b) our success is due to available natural resources, a skilled labor force, and a stable
political system
c) economy is free-enterprise with some government regulation (mixed economy)
B) An Agricultural and Industrial Giant
 a) the US is able to feed itself and export food to the rest of the world
(i) 12% of cotton, 9% of wheat, 40% of corn, 19% of cattle
(ii) this is due to having stable, favorable climate
b) advanced technology changed the world’s industry in the creation of electronics
(i) we lead the world in advanced computer systems
c) the US also has large industries in petroleum, transportation, food processing,
consumer goods, lumber, etc
(i) most of our industries were once centered around the Great Lakes, but recently
many have started up in urban areas of the South and the Pacific coast
1 some areas are known for certain products- Detroit, Silicon Valley, etc
C) Postindustrial Economy
a) after the 1950s, the US began to switch to a service industry economy
(i) this includes processing, finance, medicine, transportation, and education
b) the US is the world’s greatest importer
(i) we export many raw materials, which are assembled and shipped back to sell
(ii) our most important trade partners are Canada and Mexico
II) A Diverse Society
A) Ethnicities
a) 65% of Americans trace their lineage to Europe
b) 15% are Hispanic
c) 13% African
d) 5% Asian
e) 1% Native
B) Languages and Religion
a) English is dominant, and is the only official language
(i) secondary is Spanish
b) religious freedom has been a cornerstone of US policy
(i) 1st Amendment to the Constitution includes freedom of religion
(ii) about 75% of Americans are Christian
1 50% Protestant, 24% Catholic
(iii) around 15% do not identify as religious
C) Arts and Popular Culture
a) due to our diverse heritage, our arts are equally diverse
(i) until the 19th century, Americans didn’t have a unique style
(ii) after this, though, American style began to dominate the world’s art
1 this includes architecture (skyscrapers), music (jazz, rock and roll, etc) movies
b) Hollywood is the most recognizable center of art in the world today
(i) almost every high dollar movie is made in Hollywood
III) American Life Today
A) Where Americans Live
 a) about 80% of Americans live in cities or nearby suburbs
(i) this was made possible due to public transportation in the cities and cheap cars in
the suburbs
1 one car for every 1.3 Americans
b) our current population is about 318 million
B) How Americans Live, Work, and Play
a) about 60% of working age adults are employed
(i) almost half are women
(ii) about 75% of working adults are in service industries
1 many require a high level of education
 due to this, all children from 6 or 7-16 or 17 are required to attend school
 9 out of 10 are in public school
b) popular sports include football, baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, tennis, and skiing
(i) easy access to computers and internet allow many people to enjoy video games
c) about 1 in 8 people in America live in extreme poverty

pg. 144 (1, 3bc) R (1, 3) H