Impact of Geography in the United States

How did the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 impact the United States?

• It created a physical barrier to westward migration.

• More cities developed along the Great Lakes.

• New York became less important as a center for trade.

• It gave American colonists an advantage in the American Revolution.

  
  

Were U.S. rivers and lakes primarily a physical barrier or physical gateway to westward expansion?

• a physical barrier

• a physical gateway

Which sentence best completes the graphic organizer?

• Cities and towns developed further inland in North America.

• Lakes and rivers discouraged settlers from moving to the West.

• Waterways became the main method for shipping goods to the West coast.

• Physical features made trade across the interior of the country difficult.

Which are physical gateways?

• Mississippi River

• Appalachian Mountains

• Rocky Mountains

• Santa Fe Trail

Which are physical barriers?

• Mississippi River

• Oregon Trail

• Appalachian Mountains

• Rocky Mountains

1. Which one is a way that water features impacted the United States from 1801 - 1861?

• Cities and towns developed further inland in North America.

• Water features did not help the United States.

• Water features only helped farmers.

What is the Great Plains?

• dry, flat plateau or grassland

• the oldest mountain range in North America

• a lowland area that borders the Atlantic Ocean

• inland port cities grew here

What are the Rocky Mountains?

• an imaginary line made up of the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains

• steep mountain range that was an obstacle to westward expansion

• made up of rolling flatlands with many rivers, broad river valleys, and grassy hills.

What are the Atlantic Coastal Plains?

• a lowland area that borders the Atlantic Ocean

• a body of water surrounded by land on three sides; is sometimes called "America's Sea"

• a lowland area that borders the Atlantic Ocean

What city is the capital of the Unites States?

• New York

• Boston

• Philadelphia

• Washington, D. C.