Internal migration

AMERICAN TRAITS

all immigrants have contributed to the development of some “typical” American characteristics: willingness to take risks, to strike out for the unknown with independence and optimism, patriotism, quick to learn and are open to new experiences.

Kennedy: “… a nation of people with fresh memory of old traditions who dare to explore new frontiers”

Turner: “ frontier experience strengthened the spirit of independence, it demanded self-reliance and self-confidence, encouraged a sense of equality. ”to move on”, “get up and go”.

It is a highly mobile society. Between 1975-1980, 45% of families changed their residence. in the course of one year (1983-1984) some 39mil of Americans moved to a different house.

INTERNAL MIGRATION

The balance of population shifted away from the north to the south and west.

1985 – 26.4 mil people marked by California’s status.

Texas – 16.4 mil the 3^rd most populous

1980-1985 – south and west had 85% of the total us population growth (11mill of 13mill)

Fastest growing states – Alaska (+29.7%), Arizona (+17.2%)Nevada (16.9) Florida (16.6%) … an decreased in massachusets, wisconsin, New York and others.

The increases in population range from 10% (los Angeles) to 46% (phoenix)

Urbanization

Urbanization – gradual but definite movement from rural farms and small towns to the cities and the suburbs. 77% of the population lives in or near cities, only 1.9% lives on the farms.

Metropolitan area – the entire cluster of urban population about one centre. In 1988, in the US 10 metropolitan areas of over 1 mill people, and 175 cities with 100,000 people.

The metropolitan area of New York City (population 18.1 mill) – the nation’s largest, Los Angeles second (pop 13.7 mill), Chicago third (8.181 mill).

Suburbs – residential areas within commuting distance to large cities. Since 1930 have grown faster than the cities.

Megapolis (a term of French geographer Jean Gottman) – metropolitan areas that have grown so large that they have overlapped and have began to merge. The largest – Bosnywash (more than one sixth of US population) – an area on the Atlantic seaboard from North of Boston, through NY, south to Washington D.C.

Urban villag es – found outside the central cities, among the suburbs. They act as small city centres, with businesses grouped around a large shopping mall.

New Frontier

People made voyage to America for many reasons – 1) sought adventure, 2) wanted gold/silver, 3)be free to practice their religion, 4)find living space. Areas of New England (Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode island, New Hampshire, Vermont) – shallow soil. Winters harsh, growing seasons short. So, many people sold their farms and moved westward.

South – (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia) – the soil richer. Warm climate, ideal for certain cash crops (tobacco, rice, corn, cotton). Plantation owners often dealt with the problem of worn out soil by expanding – by buying and using more land for their cash crops. Plantations spread to thewest.

Spirit of the Frontier

A small settlement might be hundreds of miles from other settlements. A family might be a day’s journey from another family. This pattern of settlement created frontier communities that had to rely on their own resources. They developed their own music, entertainment, folklore, art and forms of religious worship. In this setting, the frontier spirit developed. It was marked by toughness, independence, self-reliance, caring for others, but suspicion for outsiders.

The hardy frontiersman, who developed new qualities and characteristics in response to his wild, natural environment. In 1890s, Frederick Jackson Turner claimed that the frontier experience shaped the American character for all time. Most historians agree that the westward expansion of the frontier has had great significance in Amer history. The westward expansion stressed values of ruggedness, resourcefulness, self-reliance and comradeship.

In 1869, the western territory became the 1^st place in the world where women could vote and hold elected offices.

Crossing Barriers: The Louisiana Purchase

In 1700 some settlements were located further inland along the tidal rivers – this was called ‘the tidewater phase’ of settlement.

1776-1783 – Britain’s 13 American colonies formed the USA and fought a War of Independence.

1783 – end of this war (the Treaty of Paris). The treaty set the western boundary of the USA on the Mississippi River.

1803 – agents of Jefferson negotiated for the purchase of the vast territory from Napoleon. The Lousiana Purchase almost doubled the territory of the USA (from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border and westward to the Rocky Mountains).

The Lousiana Purchase also gave the USA a very large geographic region - the Great Plains, or Western Prairies. It had no trees, bushes, rocks, therefore it was called ‘a sea of grass’. Summers there are hot and usually dry, spring and autumn are brief, winters are very cold.

This region was just a place to cross on the way to more attractive lands.

From sea to shining sea

Settlements along the California coast were created by Spanish missionaries, soldiers, traders, settlers (San Diego, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Monterey).

1778 – British Sea captain James Cook explored the Pacific coastline north of San Francisco to Alaska. Posts of trade were set up there.

1741 – a Danish explorer Bering employed by Russian emperor explored coastal Alaska – Russian settlements in Alaska.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16