Chapter 6 Vocabulary A Profile of the U.S.

1. Chapter 6 VocabularyA Profile of the U.S. Gross National Product canal telecommunications free enterprise metropolitan area hierarchy hinterland Copy these terms in your spiral. You will need to know these terms for a quiz and/or test.

2. 1 An Abundance of Natural Resources • The United States has the world’s highest gross national product (GNP), or total value of a nation’s output of goods and services. Difference between GNP and GDP. • Land is one of the United States’ most abundant natural resources. Nearly half of the land in the country, other than Alaska, is used for raising crops or animals. • Forests provide material for a wide array of products. • Oil, natural gas, and coal are vital to the energy supply and economy, but they are in limited supply.

3. Innovations in Transportation • The development of steamboats, canals, and railroads made moving goods cheaper and quicker during the 1800s. • The development of the automobile and diesel engine heralded the next revolution in transportation. • In the 1950s, an interstate highway system began to be built to link major cities across the country. • The telegraph revolutionized communication. • The Internet, telephones, satellites, and other forms of telecommunication, or communication by electronic means, are becoming increasingly important to doing business. Innovations in Communication

5. Respect of Individual Freedoms • The government established in 1789 reflected a shared belief in individual equality, opportunity, and freedom. • These ideals supported an economic system based on capitalism, or free enterprise. • One of the notions behind free enterprise is the belief that any hardworking individual can find opportunity and success in the United States.

6. 2 Cities and Towns

7. 2 Cities and Towns • Urban places are often discussed in terms of hierarchy, or rank, according to their function. • A large city is called a metropolis and has large hinterlands, or areas of influence. • A metropolis provides many cultural and economic services to its hinterlands. • Smaller cities have a more limited range of activities and smaller hinterlands. • Small towns and villages provide limited, basic services.

8. Create a Timeline Titled “Innovations that Changed the U.S.” • Your timeline should begin in 1750 and end in 2013. • Include a picture of at least five of the bold faced events and two of the events that are not bold faced. • Include the following events in U.S. history. • U.S. wins Revolutionary War. • Constitution is ratified. • Robert Fulton builds his first steamboat. • The Erie Canal is completed. • Beginning of the railroad era. (Find out who built the first locomotive to run in the states.) • Completion of the transcontinental railroad. • First large scale production of automobiles (who started it?) • Production of the Model T by Henry Ford • The Federal Aid Highway Act authorizes construction of an Interstate Highway System. • The years of operation for the “Pony Express”. • Invention of the telegraph (include inventor). • Invention of the telephone (include inventor). • The U.S. launches its first satellite into space. • The first cellular phones are sold in the United States. • The internet becomes available. • Civil War • World War I • World War II • Women gain the right to vote. • The Beatles visit the U.S. for the first time. • Jimi Hendrix dies. • Civil Rights Movement. • The Cold War ends (approximate).