Unit 1: Our National Story

Native Americans settled in several regions of the United States and adapted to the environment by using the natural resources available to each region. Spanish and French explorers settled in North America. English and Dutch colonists displaced Native Americans and colonized tribal lands. The New England Colonies protested taxes and restrictions from Great Britain. Patriots fought in the American Revolution against British soldiers and won independence. New lands were acquired with the Northwest Territory and the Louisiana Purchase. By the 1850s, differences between the North and the South intensified. Slavery became such an issue that many southern states broke away from the United States, eventually leading to the Civil War. After the war, pioneers moved westward, claiming inexpensive land on the Great Plains.

By the 1920s, there were several struggles that brought the United States great wealth, and later, great hardships. The stock market crash of 1929 suddenly caused many Americans to be out of work. A drought in many farm states, known as the Dust Bowl, caused people to move to California looking for jobs. After World War II, the economy improved and the Great Depression ended. The Cold War with the Soviet Union and a war in Korea caused tensions overseas. The civil rights movement, opposition to the war in Vietnam, concerns over energy and the environment, and the war on terror are modern challenges that Americans face.