1) Native Americans first arrived in North America around 12,000 years ago via the Bering Strait land bridge between Asia and Alaska. 2) European powers colonized different regions - Spain colonized the Southwest US and Mexico, France explored the Mississippi River region, and Britain established 13 colonies along the East Coast. 3) Through the American Revolution, Louisiana Purchase from France, Mexican Revolution, and negotiations, the borders of the US expanded to the West while Native Americans were pushed onto reservations.

1. Chapter 5 | Barnette | Grade 8
UNITED STATES AND CANADA

3. • Many scientists believe the
1st known settlers (Native
Americans) came from Asia
by a land bridge about
12,000 years ago.
• This would be the Bering
Strait at Alaska today.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Click on the picture for another idea about the
Native American migration.

4. • Spain colonized in what is
today the Southwest (Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona,
California, etc., in the United
States, as well as in Mexico
and other areas to the
South. France explored and
set up trading posts from the
St. Lawrence River inward to
the Mississippi River and
down to New Orleans.
Britain had 13 colonies along
the East Coast and claims in
Canada.
EUROPEAN COLONIALISM
http://homes.chass.utoronto
.ca/~reak/hist/naclaim.htm

5. • Americans had a revolution
and drove out the British.
• They negotiated the
Louisiana Purchase with the
French.
• The Mexicans had a
revolution and drove out
the Spanish.
• The United States won
much of the Southwest by
way of a war and
negotiations with Mexico.
• The U.S. and Britain
negotiated over Oregon
Territory.
REVOLUTIONS, NEGOTIATIONS, AND WARFARE CHANGED
THE POLITICAL BORDERS OF THE UNITED STATES

6. • As all this occurred, the
Native Americans were
pushed Westward, and
eventually placed on
reservations.
http://daphne.palomar.edu/llewis/images/10
1%20Mod6%20Images/IndLndCessions%20185
0-1890.jpg

7. • Both Canada and the U.S.
have high mountain ranges,
such as the Rockies, to the
West. They also have plains
in the central area, and
lower mountains in the East.
• A Continental Divide is
along the Rocky Mountains.
It is known as the Great
Divide.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

8. • The Great Lakes are on the
border between the U.S.
and Canada.
• They were formed by
glaciers. This is evidenced by
striations in the rocks.

9. • Erosion is a factor in the look
of places like Monument
Valley out West and the
worn peaks of the
Appalachian Mountains in
the East.
http://auburn.edu/research/
appalachians-vs-himlayas-
thunderdome-2010/

10. • Effects on climate:
• Latitude
• Elevation
• Distance from the equator
Another phenomenon is the rain
shadow, which occurs to the east
of the Rockies. The mountains
block rain coming in from the
West.
CLIMATES

11. • The U.S has 301 million
people, and Canada has 31
million. That’s almost 10
times as many.
• ¾ live in cities, or urban
areas, but there is a trend
toward moving to suburbs.
• Language, political beliefs,
and legal systems that
began in our colonial times
help shape our culture.
PEOPLE AND CULTURES

12. • Standard of living based on:
• Education
• Housing
• Health care
• Nutrition
A higher standard of living suggests that
we have a greater responsibility to our
environment.(IMHO-Mrs.B)
• We have a movement in our economy
toward high-tech industries.
• We are trying to make better use of
our resources to provide energy and
transportation, as well as reduce our
use of landfills.
ECONOMICS, TECHNOLOGY, AND
ENVIRONMENT