North America Today

North American Diversity

Diversity

• Variety or differences in people ( races, languages, religions, nationalities)

• Causes of diversity in U.S.– Desire to be free

• Economic• Political• Religious

– Slavery– U.S. expansion– Native Americans

U.S.- A Land of Immigrants

• 1st wave – Early European colonists- 1600s– British, Dutch and French

• 2nd Wave- Germans, Irish and Chinese 1820-1870– Fleeing poor conditions– Work on railroads and gold rush… later jobs nobody

wanted• 3rd wave- Southern and Eastern Europe- 1880-

after– 23.5 million people

Immigration cont.

• 4th wave- Asia and Caribbean – 1960s– Political freedom

• 5th Wave- Asia, Middle East and Central and South America– Economic and political freedoms

• Today- Mexico, China, Philippines– Economic and political freedoms

Canada's Diversity

• Native groups- Inuit• French and British early colonists- 1600s• 1913- U.S., U.K. and Ireland – around 400,000• After WWII– Many displaced Europeans

• Later 1900s– Asia and Latin America

• Today– Mostly Asian immigrants

Media Culture

• Mass media changes over time– 1800s- newspapers- provide news and entertainment– 1920s- radio provides news and entertainment– 1950s- television- provides even more news and

entertainment– 1990s- cell phones- connected people to the world. – 1990s- internet- power to access huge amounts of

information. Allows people to distribute their own media-blogs and videos

Global and Mobile Media

• Texting• Instant messaging• Social networking• Smart phones – internet and all other

mediums• These encourage a culture that is global or

worldwide

Changing Economy

United States• Less regulation of

businesses• Few government owned

businesses• Individual health care• Manufacturing , farming

and forestry• Service industries

Canada• Strictly regulated businesses• Many government owned

businesses• Provide all citizens with

health care• Manufacturing, farming,

and forestry• Service industries

Information Economy

• Both countries have a huge new industries associated with computers and information

• Communications, financial and informational industries are largest growing sectors of the U.S. and Canadian economies.

New Energy Resources

• Oil – limited supply of this non renewable resource

• 2020 demand will exceed the supply• 2/3 of oil sold in U.S. is from other countries• Demand is rising and supply is shrinking =

rising prices

Alternative Resources

• Ethanol- fuel obtained from plants– Uses huge amounts of ground water– Lowers food supply– Not cost effective

• Nuclear power- electricity produced by nuclear fusion– Expensive to build plants– Create radio active waste

Alternative resources

• Wind power- an engine powered by wind to generate electricity– Doesn’t always produce enough power– Expensive start up costs

• Solar Power- panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity– Expensive start up cost– Doesn’t always produce enough energy