Grade 9 - Unit 2 - New England (PDF)

Unit 2 - Part One - New England The main topics we will discuss this lesson… 1. A brief overview of the specific states within this region: a. Connecticut b. Maine c. Massachusetts d. New Hampshire e. Rhode Island f. Vermont 2. A general study of this region’s: a...

Unit 2 - Part One - New England The main topics we will discuss this lesson… 1. A brief overview of the specific states within this region: a. Connecticut b. Maine c. Massachusetts d. New Hampshire e. Rhode Island f. Vermont 2. A general study of this region’s: a. Physical Geography b. Climate c. Population and Industry New England -The six New England states are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Their historic past is evident in the names, monuments, schools, museums, and architecture of the area. -The region is famous for the brilliant colour of its autumn foliage. -Northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine have long, cold winters. Connecticut Area: (12,963 km²). Capital: Hartford Economy: aircraft engines, nuclear submarines, tobacco, dairying, insurance. *Note: The second “c” is silent”. Connecticut -Connecticut River is New England’s longest. It separates Vermont from New Hampshire and flows south, through Massachusetts and Connecticut, on its way to Long Island Sound. In wooded and hilly Connecticut, the river valley is a low, fertile region where the most expensive tobacco (for wrapping cigars) is shade grown. Connecticut -Connecticut was known as the birthplace of many inventions and innovations that contributed to both the American and Industrial Revolution. -An industrial area around Waterbury was called the “arsenal of the nation”. -Hartford has been the insurance industry capital for 200 years. -Yale is located in New Haven, and the Coast Guard Academy is in the active seaport of New London. -The affluent southwest corner is home to many New York City commuters. Maine Area: (86,076 km²). Capital: Augusta Economy: paper products, seafood, potatoes, blueberries, shipbuilding. Maine -The northern half of Maine, the most easterly state, is completely surrounded by Canada. -Maine is a major producer of paper products; 90% of the state is covered by forests, mostly owned by paper companies. -Hordes of visitors come to the scenic, rocky coast each summer. -Mt. Desert Island is the site of Acadia, New England’s only national park. -Maine has so many islands that its name refers to the “mainland”. -The busy port of Portland is the largest city. -Potatoes are the principal crop and the famed “Maine lobster” is the prize catch of the fishing industry. Massachusetts Area: (21,369 km²). Capital: Boston Economy: electronics, precision products, fishing, textiles, cranberries. Massachusetts -Massachusetts is a leader in finance, trade, culture, industry, medicine, and education - almost all of which are centered in the greater Boston area, along with half the population. -Cambridge is the site of Harvard, the nation’s oldest university, and many other leading colleges, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Massachusetts -Boston was founded in 1630, only 10 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock on Cape Cod Bay. -Colonial architecture, museums, monuments, and restored villages are visible reminders of the state’s historic past. The Cape Cod peninsula and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are popular summer resorts on the Atlantic coast. -Massachusetts is no longer a major producer of clothing, textiles, and shoes; those mills and factories, which first went south and then overseas, have been replaced by electronics and engineering companies. New Hampshire Area: (24,275 km²). Capital: Concord Economy: wood products, electronics, granite, shoes, dairying. New Hampshire -The “Granite State” is known for its large deposits of many varieties of granite. -New Hampshire is almost completely mountainous except in the southeastern Merrimack River valley in which Concord, the capital, and Manchester, the largest city, are located. New Hampshire -The state barely has a coastline - only 21km separate Maine from Massachusetts. New Hampshire -In the dramatic White Mountains of the north is the tallest peak, Mt. Washington (1,917m). Around its summit swirled the highest winds ever clocked in the United States (370km/h). Rhode Island Area: (3,142 km²). Capital: Providence Economy: jewelry, silverware, textiles, and poultry. Rhode Island -Roger Williams, an English-born Puritan minister, was banished from Massachusetts in 1636 for being too liberal. He founded Rhode Island as a sanctuary for political and religious freedom - engendering an enduring distrust of big government and an adherence to the separation of church and state. Rhode Island -Rhode Island is an important manufacturing center, known for its jewelry and silverware. It has the highest proportion of industrial workers; only about 1% of the population is involved in agriculture. -Newport, near Narragansett Bay, is known for yacht races, music festivals, and summer estates. -Providence, the capital, has over 65% of the state’s population. Vermont Area: (24,870 km²). Capital: Montpelier Economy: timber products, precision manufacturing, maple syrup, granite, marble, asbestos, dairying. Vermont -Vermont, the least populous state east of the Mississippi, has the smallest percentage of city dwellers (30%). -Burlington is the largest city. -Lakes and rivers define most of Vermont’s boundaries. It is the only New England state without an Atlantic coastline. Vermont -The scenic Green Mountains run through the center of the state. -The name “Vermont” comes from the French “vert mont”, meaning “green mountain”. -Stone quarries in these mountains provided most of the granite and marble used in building the nation’s cities. -Extensive forests supply many products, including the pure maple syrup for which Vermont is famous. Assignments Assignment 2.1 - New England/Bypassed East Map Unit 2 - Part Two - New England The main topics we will discuss this lesson… 1. A general study of this region’s: a. Physical Geography b. Climate c. Population and Industry Physical Geography -The Bypassed East refers to northern New England, some Canadian provinces, and the Adirondacks of New York. In the United States, this includes parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Physical Geography -New England, in turn, is a more general term for the region of the northeastern United States. It includes all of the six states we have studied so far… -Connecticut -Maine -Massachusetts -New Hampshire -Rhode Island -Vermont Physical Geography -This region is famous for its remarkable colours during the autumn season, colonial history, rounded mountain ranges, and Atlantic coastline. -The Presidential Range in New Hampshire, for example, contains some of the most rugged topography in the eastern United States. Physical Geography -The region’s heavily indented coast contains headlands with many small coves. Physical Geography -The Adirondacks, in northern New York, are a southern extension of the Canadian Shield (eroded by continental glaciation, thus rounded mountains). -A large, eroded upland plateau covers most of New England; elevations throughout the region seldom top 1,500 meters as widespread scouring by continental glaciers rounded most of the hills and mountains across the plateau. -Only where elevations were high enough to remain above the moving ice can one find more rugged mountains. Physical Geography -The two major mountain areas of northern New England are the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. -The Green Mountains are lower in elevation, with less than 1500 meters at their highest point, and their tops are well rounded. -The White Mountains, by comparison, rise to 1900 meters, and their upper slopes are rugged and steep. -At Mount Washington in the White Mountains, a weather station recorded the fastest winds ever in the United States. This was 370 km/h at 1917 meters high. Physical Geography -Valleys in the region include the Connecticut River Valley, Aroostook Valley, and the Merrimack Valley. -The longest river is the Connecticut River, as it separates the Green and White Mountains. This river flows from northeastern New Hampshire for 655km, emptying into Long Island Sound, roughly bisecting the region. -A sound is a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land. -Lake Champlain, a left-over from an ancient glacial lake, is wedged between Vermont and New York and is the largest lake in the region. -The Bypassed East is a place where polar, continental, and maritime weather systems meet. -Climate is seldom hot, often cold, and usually damp. -Consequently, it is difficult to grow crops that require summer heat and sunlight. Climate -Also, the Labrador Current that flows southward along this region is cold, affecting temperatures found on land. -This region usually receives between 100 and 150 centimeters of precipitation annually, which is usually scattered evenly throughout the year. -Snowfall is generally substantial, with most places receiving between 25 and 50 percent of their total moisture in the form of snow. Population and Industry -The region is more heavily populated in the south in the states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. -The northeast portion of the region is not as populated (i.e. the Bypassed East); it is more rural with smaller towns. This can be seen mostly in the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Population and Industry -To the early European settlers, the rich fishing banks off the coast of Maine were immediately important. -The banks, shallow areas at the outer margins of the continental shelf, underlie waters that are rich in fish. -Their shallowness allows the sun's rays to penetrate easily through much of the water's depth, which encourages the growth of plankton, a basic food for many fish; as a result, cold-water fish such as cod and haddock are abundant. -Using this resource, the early settlers began a substantial export of salted cod. -Today, fishing remains an important, but troubled part of the economy of the Bypassed East and New England. -Maine lobstermen account for about 80 to 90 percent of the total U.S. lobster catch. Population and Industry -The other prime resource of the region was its trees (forestry). -The white pine was dominant in the forests of New England, reaching heights in excess of 60 meters (and stood straight). -Its wood was clear, light yet strong, and easily cut. -Almost all of the original forests are gone now, and the second- and third-growth forests that remain are short and insignificant in comparison. -These forest resources allowed the state of Maine to become an early center for ship construction. Population and Industry -Agriculture was the third major occupation of the early settlers, but farms tended to be small and production limited. -Early farming was primarily a subsistence activity. -The peak of agricultural development in northern New England probably came just after the start of the 19th century. Population and Industry -But developments elsewhere in America soon began to pull people off their farms: -One was the opening of the West, especially the rich farmlands south of the Great Lakes early in the century. -In addition, in the 1820s, the construction of the Erie Canal, and later other canals farther west, made the markets of the East Coast more accessible to western farmers – the New England farmers lost their market. Population and Industry -A second blow to the region's agricultural fortunes also occurred during the late 1700s and early 1800s with the development of manufacturing in southern New England, where the Industrial Revolution began in the United States. -This created a great demand for labour, which was filled by New England farmers seeking the higher wages and steady income offered by manufacturing employment, including women and children (in textile mills mostly). Population and Industry -Where farming in the Bypassed East and New England remains important, it tends to specialize in single-crop production. -For example, the acid soils in northeastern Maine, support one of America's major centers of wild blueberry production. Acid soils are perfect for plants that thrive on lower pH soils. Several of these plant types are azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, hollies, ferns, strawberries, dogwoods, and conifers. Population and Industry -Also, potatoes are grown in the St. John – Aroostook Valley due to the ideal soil and climate conditions for seed potatoes. However, the demand has decreased over the years due to potatoes from the West. Population and Industry -Today, poultry and eggs, mostly from large producers in south-central Maine, now account for half of the state's agricultural income – double the potato's share. -Another agricultural area is the Lake Champlain Lowland (an ancient glacial lake at one time), which supplies milk and dairy products to New York City, Boston, and other cities of the region. -Vermont has long led the United States in the per capita production of dairy products – dairy farming accounts for 90 percent of the state's agriculture, and much of it is found in the Champlain Lowland. Population and Industry -Maple syrup is a major product from this region; Vermont leads the U.S. in its production. -Ultimately there is no significant difference between Canadian and American maple syrup; both counties produce the highest quality. The main difference is in the packaging and, more specifically, the grading system used to categorize maple syrup. Naturally, each country’s maple syrup producers will argue that their own product is the best. Population and Industry -Mining is important too, with many granite quarries operating in central Vermont and along the central coast of Maine. -Vermont is also the leading marble-producing state in the United States. The Vermont Danby quarry is the largest underground marble quarry in the world. -The value of all of these rocks is small compared to the minerals industries found in other parts of the continent, but it is still an important element in the economy of the two states. Population and Industry -Tourism has been northern New England's boom industry since the mid-20th century. -Fishing, skiing, canoeing, and just driving around looking at the beauty of the place – all of these are a part of this tourist growth. -Every year, the radiance of fall draws nature-lovers to Monadnock State Park — and countless other mountains, hills, scenic look-outs, and shady country lanes — in droves. Population and Industry -New England generally lacked a source of coal and iron ore – both important commodities of the early Industrial Revolution. -These raw materials were found in abundance in the nearby states to the south, particularly Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is for this reason that these states soon displaced New England as the major industrial centre of the nation during the 19th-century. By the early 1900’s, New England’s old established industries had either vanished or were in serious decline. Population and Industry -During the remainder of the 20th-century, New England adapted to its declining industrial activities in two ways: 1. Factory jobs were replaced with service (tertiary) industries such as insurance, commerce, banking and more recently, by high-tech industries. -This early wealth helped to establish prestigious colleges and universities like Harvard, Yale, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT) and Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institute. -Companies who use expertise in education and research moved into the region, and in return funded research at these institutions. -As a result, New England has become one of the world’s most outstanding educational and research centers. 2. Created “human capital” – the highly educated/skilled people of this region have become the region's greatest resource. Assignments Assignment 2.2 - Review Questions Assignment 2.3 - Crossword Puzzle Assignment 2.4 - Information Poster Assignment 2.5 - Article Analysis