Social StudiesChapter 3-Lesson 1

The Land of Plenty

Main Idea: North America’s rich resources have drawn many people to the continent and to specific regions of what today is our country.

VOCABULARY WORDS

1. technology-the development and use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems. (p. 70)

2. rural- in small towns or farms. (p.71)3. urban-in the city (p.71)

A Land of Riches * When the first Americans came to North America, they arrived at a place full of natural resources.( game animals, fish, fertile soil, wild plants.) * Many people continued to move and spread across North America because different resources were available in different regions.

MOVING WESTWARD• By the 1700s, European settlers realized that

the greatest resource available in North America was the land.

• The settlers themselves were another great resource because they cleared trees, set up farms, grow crops and animals, and sell or trade extra farm products to others.

• 1700s-1800s people continued to come to America.

• Cities along the Atlantic coast became crowded so people moved westward.

The West is growing…• Settlers moved westward to find more land.• They moved into places in the Midwest where

they carved out farms on the plains.• They moved into the Southwest where they

raised sheep and cattle.• In 1848, a man in California found gold in the

stream running through the land of his employer.

• Within months, 10,000 of excited people were heading to this area to “strike it rich!”

REVIEW QUESTIONS1. What were some of the resources that

convinced the first Americans to stay in North America?

2. Why did agriculture become the main economic activity in America?

GROWTH OF INDUSTRY• While settlers were moving steadily westward,

industries were rapidly growing in other parts of the country. America was found to be rich in iron and coal, the raw materials necessary for industry.

• By 1870, railroad workers had laid train tracks from coast to coast.

• By the 1900s, steel plants began turning out the steel frameworks that made skyscrapers, cars, and other products possible.

More Growth• New ways to produce electricity were

developed.• People learned how to drill deep underground

for oil. This provided another source of power to run machines.

• Coal, electricity, and oil were used to run engines and new machines were being invented.

• The rapid growth of industries changed the way people lived and worked in the U.S.

Still more Growth• People came to the cities to find work.• Many farmers left the land to look for better

jobs in factories.• In 1870 the United States was a rural nation.• By 1920, the United States had become an

urban nation with most of the people living in cities.

LESSON SUMMARY• America’s resources have attracted people

from different countries and enabled many to build better lives.

• The growth of agriculture contributed to the movement of people from one region to another.

• Our economy has changed from an agriculture economy to an urban industrial economy in the centuries since the founding of our nation.

QuestionsAnswer each question in a turnaround sentence and

cite your answer using evidence from the text.You do not have to write the question.

1. Why did the first Americans come to this country?

2. What causes Americans to decide to move westward in the 1800s?

3. What happened in the late 1800s to change the way people lived in the United States?

LINK TO WRITING

Write a Diary Entry. Suppose you are with some of the first Americans traveling in search of food. You stop every night to rest, but each new day the journey begins again. Write about some of the adventures, dangers, and challenges you might face.