Some rivers e.g. the Mississippi and Ohio River became important routes of migration for people and supplies. The steamboat really made this useful and easy. Early settlers made canals for the connection of the West and East territories. The Erie Canal was a very famous canal, because it was the longest canal (It was 363 miles).
There were two geographic factors making the westward movement. They were two trails, or migration routes. They were called the Oregon and Santa Fe Trail. The Oregon Trail began in the state of Missouri and ended in the Territory of Oregon.
One of the main reasons why the Westward Movement occurred is the rich and overworked fertile soil. Also, the farmland was very easy to get and very cheap, too. Some was even free. Many people left their homes to go west, and to use that rich soil.
George Washington had two men, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson (Our third president). Both of those men had a quarrel, or an argument, over their opinions. Alexander Hamilton wanted a strong government, but Thomas Jefferson wanted a weak government instead. Their arguments got to the floor of the United States congress.
Samuel de Champlain was an explorer from France who helped colonize Canada, North America. He established Quebec, the capital of Canada. Another explorer named Robert La Salle, who was also from France, claimed the whole Valley of the Mississippi River for his country, France. The French established some Trading Posts where Indian hunters traded animal furs e.g. beaver skins, for hatchets, traps, blankets, knives, etc. Just like the Spanish, the French spread Christianity across the continent, North America. A rumor was spread that there were seven cities full of gold, and Francisco Coronado, a Spanish Explorer, went to find them. He never found those seven cities filled with gold, but he claimed the Southwest part of the United States of America for his country, Spain.
John Cabot, another explorer, was the first explorer to make an English voyage to North America. The English learned farming techniques from the Native Americans and started adding the three sisters (corn, beans and squash) and pumpkins to their diet. They also traded with local Indians, trading weapons, tools and other stuff for deerskin, furs, etc. American Indians and European explorers cooperated in the trade areas, sharing weapons, farming and farm tools. Some conflict areas were: land ownership, language and culture differences, trade competition, very bad diseases, etc.
The Articles Of Confederation (AOC) was written by congress after writing the Declaration Of Independence (DOI). They hoped that it would bring stability to the new nation. Unfortunately, it had some weaknesses.
The Articles Of Confederation (AOC) had some weaknesses like: It established a weak government, It didn't let the government print money, etc.
The constitution is a book of the rules of a country. It was written so it can establish powers of the new national government.
The Earth is covered in seven huge land chunks, which have water around them. They are called continents. Our seven continents are called: North America, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia. Asia and Europe are attached to each other. Europe is on the left, and Asia is on the right. Not the whole entire Europe has water around it, but still, it is a continent.
North America has eight geographic regions. They are: The Coastal Plain, The Appalachian Highlands, The Canadian Shield, The Interior Lowlands, The Great Plains, The Rocky Mountains, The Basin and Range and The Coastal Range.
The Coastal Plain is located by the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It has some wide lowlands, which provide very good harbors.
The Appalachian Highlands are west of the Coastal Plain. They Stretch from eastern Canada to western Alabama. The Piedmont is part of the Appalachian Highlands. It has old, eroded mountains, which make the oldest mountain range in the continent of North America.
The Canadian Shield is wrapped around the Hudson Bay, and is shaped like a horseshoe. It is made up of hills worn down by hundreds of lakes, which were carved by glaciers, and also worn down by erosion. Some of the oldest rocks are in the Canadian Shield.
The Interior Lowlands are west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Great Plains. They have rolling flatlands that have many rivers, wide river valleys and grassy hills.
The Great Plains are west if the Interior Lowlands and east of the Basin and Range. It has highly elevated rugged mountains that stretch from Alaska to Mexico. It also has the Continental Divide, an imaginary line that runs from north to south along the Rocky Mountains' peaks. It shows the direction of the flow of the rivers. On the west side of the Continental Divide, streams and rivers flow toward the Pacific Ocean. On the east side of the Continental Divide, streams and rivers flow toward the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Basin and Range is west if the Rocky Mountains and east of the Sierra Nevadas and Cascades. It has different elevations and has isolated mountain ranges. Its lowest point is Death Valley.
The Coastal Range is along the Pacific Ocean. It has rugged mountains that stretch from California to Canada and valleys that are fertile.
