I.       Chapter 4   Exploring the Northeast 

A.   Geography 

1.                Physical features

a)                mountains

b)               valleys and hills

c)                many lakes formed by glaciers

(1)             Glaciers scraped away fertile soil and formed basins that later filled with water and become lakes.

(2)             In the northern coastal area glaciers scraped away topsoil leaving poor, rocky soil behind.

2.                Natural Resources

a)                Northeast quarries mine granite and marble.

b)               Forests make logging an important industry.

c)                Fishing in the Atlantic Ocean provides haddock, cod, and lobsters.

B.   Early history

1.                In 1500s only Native Americans lived in the Northeast because the European explorers had not yet come there.

a)                The Iroquois formed the first confederation in North America to prevent fighting.

b)               The leaders, Hiawatha and Deganawida, formed one government to unite the 5 Iroquois tribes.

2.                 In 1610, Henry Hudson, an English explorer, traveled along the Northeast coast.

3.                England started 8 colonies in the Northeast in the 1600s.

a)                The colonists were from all over Europe.

b)               They had to follow British laws, because the colonies were run by England.

c)                However, each colony formed their own government and elected their own leaders.

d)               By 1760s, the colonists were unhappy with the British laws.

(1)             Colonists did not have representation in the British government in England.

(2)             The British made colonist pay taxes and made it difficult for them to trade.

4.                In July 1776, colonists’ leaders signed the Declaration of Independence.

5.                George Washington led the colonist’s army in the Revolutionary War against the British.

6.                In 1783, the war ended and the United States of America became a country.

C.   Growth of the Northeast

1.                These changes occurred during the Industrial Revolution.

a)                Water-powered machines were replaced by steam engines.

b)               Thomas Edison opened the first electric power plant in New York City.

c)                Electricity led to new inventions, such as the telephone and the light bulb.

2.                Immigrants came to the US to make a better life.

a)                New York City had the largest immigration center, Ellis Island, in the US.

b)               During the early 1900s Northeastern cities’ population grew because of all the immigrants.

(1)             Many immigrants stayed in the cities to work in factories.

(2)             Most of them settled in New York City, Trenton, or Boston.