Spotlight on the USA

2010

New England

It is highly industrial; it also has many fields, woods, and small towns. It is one of the oldest parts of U.S. and includes six states:

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut.

The New England Yankee

Yankee refers to people who live in New England and its character is shaped by the history and geography of the region.Puritans from England who wanted to “purity” the region making its stricter and simpler settled New England in the 1600s. They were very strict about the way people live.The land was poor for farmers with large stones, which had to be cleared away and be used for walls.Then, in the 19th century, the American Revolution began in New England. Yankees were among the strongest supporters of independence and led the movement o end slavery in America.Yankee are know for being honest but shrewd (astute); realistic and to-the-point (pertinent); practical rather than romantic; untalkative, thrifty, principled, and independent.Yankee thrift is well expressed by a New England saying: eat it up, wear it out, and make it do, do without.

Two New England Writers

A Witch’s CurseIn the 1800s, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote his novel about a dark period in Salem’s history. In 1692, hysterical accusations made by some girls led to the Salem witchcraft trials. Twenty people were hanged as withes and others were in prison until the governor of Massachusetts ended the trials when his own wife was accused of being witch. Nowadays visitors to Salem can tour Hawthorne’s home and the house of the Seven Gable (tells of the Pyncheon family whose ancestor was condemned to dead for witchcraft).

An Isolated PondFrom 1845 to 1847, Henry David Thoreau lived alone close to nature in a cabin at the Walden Pond. There he wrote his greatest book, Walden.

Thoreau’s ideas and concerns are very relevant to our own times because they concerned with the destruction of the forests and the peacefully protesting government policies they considered wrong.Visitors today can appreciate the isolated beauty of Walden Pond.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

The sea

From the time the firs settlers discovered, the sea played a major role in the region’s economy because it prospered from fishing and trade.One important trade is “triangular trade” where New England brought sugar up from the island of the West Indies to make rum and then took the rum to West Africa and trades it for slaves; finally West Africa sold the slaves tin the West Indies. Cod was the pain fish export until The American Revolution; then they traded with Russia, Sweden, and even China. The important activity was whaling industry that involves new seaports.The mid-1800s were the era of the Yankee clipper ships. These elegant wooden ships were built in New England. Captains took their wives who learn about sailing. The discovery in the 1850s of underground sources of oil marked the decline of the whaling era and the clipper ships because it couldn’t compete with the metal steamship developed in England in the 1860s. Today the New England economy is based on factories.

A main vacation

It can be a seaside vacation along the stat’s rocky and winding coast. There are thousand of uninhabited islands lie off the coast of Mainer. Wreck Island and Pope’s folly.

You can explore the coast and island, so you can hire a boat and a captain. In the Mount Desert Island, there is a summer resort where you can visit smaller towns or go a swim (55º

F). Maine is famous for its lobster. There you can eat lobster or a clambake (a traditional meal adopted from

the Indians). You can go to Baxter State Park in the north of Maine. It is a perfect place for camping. Maine has hundred of lakes and rivers for boating. It is also popular for hunters. When the snow arrive skiers rush of to Maine’s mountains.

Walking the Freedom Trail

The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1781 and Boston played an important role on it. -In the 1760, Bostonians objected to England about the laws that imposed taxes on the colonies and limited their rights. -In 1768 British soldier’s occupied Boston, (Riots led them)-In 1770 there was the Boston Massacre.-In 1773, Bostonians protested a new tax. (They threw 400crates of British tea) so Britain closed the harbour when they depend on trade.-In 1775, colonies began raising armies.-Independence was decelerated on July 4, 1776.

Visitors can see landmark or the revolution by waling the Freedom Trail: The Boston Common The Old South Meeting house

Spotlight on the USA

2010

The Old State House. Faneuil Hall Paul Revere’s House Old North Church.

Cambridge

Jus across the Charles River from Boston is Cambridge, America’s most famous student town. It has the nation’s oldest university, Harvard University, founded in 1636. It remains a centre of intellectual life. There is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that is leader in science and technology. Harvard has students from 90 countries. The Harvard rowing team spends all year preparing for races in the spring, especially Harvard- Yale Regatta. Its rival is Yale University.

Boston Brahmins

The Boston Brahmins were elite of US. They were wealthy, well educated, and exclusive. They especially socialize with Irish Catholic immigrants who poured into Boston in the mid–1800s.They were always Protestant and belonged to old Yankee families. These families often lived in Beacon Hill, an elegant part of Boston. They socialized in private clubs like the Somerset Club. They married among themselves and gave their sons Brahmin names. They went to Harvard.

Sugaring Time

For a brief period each spring in Vermont it’s sugaring time. Trees are tapped and buckets in other to collect the sap. The maple sap is boiled down in sugar houses, until it becomes a maple syrup.

New York

New York is one of the most exiting cities in the world. It is in Manhattan Island. It is the centre of American finance, advertising, art, theatre, publishing and fashion. It attracts people from all over. It was the city of immigrants. It still is.New York boroughs are Brooklyn (the fourth largest city in the United States).

Manhattan Geography

Manhattan is divided into the East Side and the West Side. The dividing line is Fifth Avenue. It is also divided into Lower (Downtown), Midtown, and Upper (uptown). Manhattan. As you go north, or uptown, the street numbers get higher.

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2010

The financial district

The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle Manhattan. To protect themselves from attacks, they built a sturdy wooden wall which became synonymous with American capitalism. The street is Wall Street.The New York Stock Exchange and the American stock exchange are both in the Wall Street area. So are many stockbrokers, investment banks and other banks, and head-quarters of many large corporations. There is the Federal R serve Bank of New York, a branch of the national bank of the United States-and the only branch that buys and sells government securities. To escape the commotion of Wall Street, you can visit the nearby South Street Seaport which is an open area of low buildings in the East River. There is also a museum, and you can tour old houses, ships, and shipyards and the Fulton Fish Market.Before 9th September of 2001, there were the twin towers of the World Trade Centre which rose 1.350 feet above the city.

The Lower East Side

It was originally an elegant neighbourhood. Then, by the mid-1800s it had changed greatly. Lower East Side, which was characterized by crime, becomes an area in where immigrants settled: for example Jews, Italian an Irish.In recent years, many Jews have moved elsewhere, and the Lower East has become home to a newer immigrant’s group- Puerto Ricans and other Hispanics.In Little Italy tourist can find restaurants and popular cafes.Today china town is the only immigrant community in Manhattan that’s still growing which has nearly 200 restaurants and seven newspapers of its own.

Greenwich Village and the East Village

They have been always in the centre of New York’s excitement. Both have been placed for people with different and creative ideas. There are an active nightlife with plenty of bars, restaurants and clubs. Greenwich Village is a residential area. It has homes and narrow, tree-lined streets.In the early 1900s there were writers and artists; but in the 1920s the streets of the Village were filled with other people.

Today, it is touristy place. There are: An active jazz scene Students who attend New York University Street performers Police Drug dealers, Joggers, Roller skaters, Gay bars

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2010

In the 1920s, bohemians move to the East Village and found an area similar to Lower East Side: immigrants, not tall building. The younger residents are Ukrainians. In the past it area was the centre of many movements like the beat poets (1950s), hippies (1960s) and punk (1980).

Midtown Manhattan

There are many of New York’s offices and jobs in the famous skyscrapers. New York’s firs skyscraper was the Flatiron Building, built in 1902. The firs building boom for skyscraper was in the late 1920s which were in art deco style. E.g. Empire State

Building1 and Rockefeller Centre2 . The second building boom was in the 1950. The United Nations Secretariat building was the firs glass

curtain wall skyscraper.

The Theatre District

Time Square This area is around 42nd street and Broadway. There are most elegant theatres and some of its sleaziest “adult” shows and shops. A large number of police patrol its area at night because of insecurity. The Times Square is named after the New York Times3, which for years had its headquarters there. There are other newspapers, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, and the New York Newsday.

On Broadway and OffTime Square is the beginning of the theatre district-the area where Broadway plays are performed. Broadway has log been the centre of theatre in the United State. Moreover, there are off- Broadway and off-off- Broadway theatres. These theatres tend to deal with a wider range of subjects and to be more experimental with audience

participation.

Central Park

It is a huge park in the middle of the city which was designed in the 1850s by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted wanted the park to be a rural paradise within an urban area. Attractions in the park include gardens, a zoo, a skating rink, an old-fashioned carousel, a lake where you can row, an outdoor theatre, where events are held each summer.

East Side The central park was opened in 1876. Wealthy new Yorkers built mansions along Fifth Avenue, on the park’s east side. The mansions that remind now hold art collection. For example, the Frick’s museum. Moreover, this part of Fifth Avenue along Central Park has so many museums that it is called “Museum Mile”. The most important is The Metropolitan museum.

1 where a plane crashed into it in 1945 and was part of a movie in the 1933: King Kong2 It was built in 1930 and it is the larges privately owned business and entertainment center.3 It is considered the best newspapers in the country.

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2010

West sideThe street on the western side of the park, Central Park West, has large and unusual apartment buildings. E.g. Dakota’s apartment has had many famous residents, including Lauren Bacall and Leonard Bernstein. But John Lennon lived there and was killed right outside on December 8, 1980.

Harlem

By 1900 it was a black neighbourhood whose people live downtown. Then, many black came to Harlem from the south of the United States and even from the islands of the Caribbean for housing and education. The 1920s was Harlem’s great years, especially in the arts. Top jazz musicians were heard and different authors began to write about their experience as blacks.There are clubs which didn’t allow blacks as customers.The depression of the 1930s hit Harlem hard. The neighbourhood became poorer and middle-class blacks left and

it has never really recovered.

The Mid-Atlantic RegionIts cities include Washington D.C., the nation’s capital, and New York City, the nation’s financial centre, the Mid-Atlantic region.

New York is also a State!

The Hudson River ValleyIt was commercially important; the Hudson River was above all a romantic, mysterious, and beautiful river. Its beauty inspired writers and painters, who became known as the Hudson River School.

Niagara Falls (Maid of the Mist)Spectacular and beautiful, Niagara Falls has always been especially popular with two kinds of visitors: trills-seekers and honeymooners. In 1859, Frenchman Jean Francois Gravelled or “the Great Blond in” became the first person to cross the falls on a tightrope. In 1901, a schoolteacher, Mrs., Annie Edison Taylor, became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel. In 1803, Jerome Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon, visited Niagara Falls with his bride.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Declaration and the ConstitutionPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania is the city where the two most important decisions in American history were made.

In May 1775, representatives of the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to decide whether to remain with Britain or fight or independence. Then, the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776.

In 1787, representatives from all the states met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution which united

the states into one country.

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2010

Benjamin Franklin.Philadelphia’s importance had much to do with one man- Benjamin Franklin. In 1723, at the age of 17, Benjamin Franklin ran away to Philadelphia, looking for work as an apprentice printer. Few years later he had his own print shop. He helped write the Declaration. During the war, he persuaded the French to aid the colonists; without French help, the colonists might not have won the war. When the constitution was being written he solved some serious disagreement.

20th century Philadelphia: a boring city?D.C. replaced it as the centre of government. New York replaced it as the centre of finance and trade. Next to Franklin, the most famous Philadelphian may be comedian an actor W.C. Fields.

The Boardwalk

A train conductor on the lint to Atlantic City, New Jersey, built the first boardwalk. The first one was 11 feet above the sand and 10 feet wide. Today’s boardwalk stands far above the sand and is 60 feet wide and 6 miles long.

The national’s capital

Building a New CityWashington DC is a lovely and formal city; abut it wasn’t always this way.When it was decided that the new country needed a new city for its capital, President George Washington himself helped pick the spot. French engineer Pierre Charles L’Enfant created a design based on Versailles, a palace built for King Luis XIV in the 17th century. That building went slowly and people were reluctant to move to the new capital.Matters were not helped when, during the War of 1812, the British burned parts of Washington. This episode gives the With Hose its name. The president’s hose was one of the buildings burned, and after the war it was painted white to cover up the marks.

Museum and MonumentsThere are thirteen museums and one of the most important is the Smithsonian. It began in the 1850s, with a gift from Englishman James Smithson who left his entire fortune to this space museum. It was built near the Mall which has monuments honouring George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Washington at Work Washington has one major business, and that business is government. The executive departments (Treasury, Agriculture, Education, etc) are located in Washington. When you’re in Washington you can tour

the white House Capitol Hill Supreme Court

Spotlight on the USA

2010

The South

The South has a warm climate and a long growing season for crops. By the 1820s, the South produced and exported rice, sugar, and especially, cotton. Crops like cotton were best grown on plantations. The old South depended on slaves, who were originally brought from Africa. Slavery was the basis for the South’s economy. People often think that whites in the old South lived an elegant life; very few whites lived on plantations. Slaves’ lives differed greatly, depending on their masters. Slaves had no real control over what happened to them. A husband and wife could be sold to different owners and never see each other again. Slaves were able to survive because they developed a strong culture of their own. Songs and stories, religion and community were all importantThe North and the South each developed differently but without conflicts. The conflicts came when the nation began to expand west. Southern states said the new areas that were being settled should allow slavery; the Northern states disagreed. In the 1840s and 1850s Congress passed a series of laws that were compromises between the North and the South. In the end, the compromises failed.

The Civil War

The WarIn 1861, the Southern states separated from the Union and formed a new nation: the Confederate States of America. President Lincoln had not wanted war, but war became inevitable. The American Civil War lasted four years. Before the war, there had been great advances in weapons but few advances in medicine. Soldiers who weren’t killed outright often died of their wounds. The North had great advantages over the South. It had the more difficult task- conquest rather than defence.

Effects of the WarWhen the war finally ended in 1865, the most important long-term effect of the war was the end of slavery. Black Americans were made citizens and were given the right to vote.

Civil Rights in the South

The Rise of SegregationMany Southern whites argued for segregation. Whites used violence against blacks. By the twentieth century, every Southern state also had laws enforcing segregation- blacks and whites were separated in schools, parks, trains , hospitals, and other public places.

The Civil Rights MovementBlack had fought in the World War II, and after the war many blacks had migrated from farms to cities. Buses in Montgomery, Alabama were suggested. Whites sat in the front of the bus, blacks had to sit in the back. One day Rosa Parks was on her way home from work. The bus became crowded, and she was told to give her seat to a white man. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat. She was arrested and fined. The Community leaders thought of a strategy: they would boycott the buses. Many bus riders were blacks, this strategy was effective. The boycott lasted for over a year. In 1956 the US Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was against the law of the United States.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

One of the civil rights movement’s great leaders emerged from the Montgomery boycott, a man named Dr Martin Luther King. By the mid-1960s the civil rights movement had gotten the attention of the nation and of Congress. Congress had passed laws making segregation illegal, making job discrimination illegal, and strengthening voting rights. There were still much discrimination and prejudice. In 1968, he was organized a Poor People’s Campaign. On April 4, while visiting Memphis, Tennessee to speak to striking workers, King was assassinated.

The Mississippi River

The Mississippi is without doubt the most important geographic feature in the eastern United States. Napoleon, in need of money, offered to sell all the land between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains.

Steamboats In 1811, the Steamboat was introduced to the Mississippi. Sceptics said that such a large boat could never survive the Mississippi’s currents, bends, sandbars, and floods. The steamboat NEW ORLEANS travelled from Pittsburgh to New Orleans and back.

Commerce and MemoriesBut today the river is more important than ever for commerce. Boats carry bulk cargo, like oil, steel, and coat that trains can’t transport. The Mississippi is also a river of history and memories. And you can still take a steamboat from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.

Elvis

Early InfluencesElvis Presley was born in 1935 Mississippi. They moved to Memphis, Tennessee in search of better opportunities. Elvis wanted a rifle, but his mother convinced him to get a guitar. Elvis was influenced by the gospel music sung.Memphis was a centre for blues music and had a radio station that played gospel, blues and rhythm-and-blues.

The ReactionTeenagers loved Elvis and rock and roll. The Music critics of the time found Elvis “unspeakably untalented and vulgar” with “no discernible singing ability”. Elvis and rock and roll were blamed for the nation’s problems.

The Later YearsElvis also had problems in his personal life (his wife divorced him), as well as problems with his weight and with drugs. Elvis died in 1977, at age 42. Each year thousands of fans visit Graceland, his mansion in Memphis.

New Orleans

New Orleans has taken elements from many cultures and created its own unique culture. To explore New Orleans, you’ll need to understand the unique system used for giving directions. Directions refer to the Mississippi: “uptown” means “upstream”. If someone tells you the place you’re looking for is on the “uptown river corner” of the street, it’s on the corner that is upstream and closest to the Mississippi.

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New Orleans is where jazz and the blues really got started. You’ll find there are still many jazz clubs in New Orleans.MARDI GRAS (fat Tuesday) is the city’s most famous festival. Even spectators dress in elaborate costumes. There have always been balls during MARDI GRAS, and in recent years there is a costume contest, too.

Florida

At Walt Disney World, near Orlando, Florida. You can also see characters from Disney movies and have dinner at Cinderella Castle. Disney’s EPCOT Centre is newer than the Magic Kingdom and technologically more advanced. Its Future World lets you explore the future of lifestyles, energy, transportation, food, production, the sea, and the world of imagination.At Cape Carnival, you can go to the Kennedy Space Centre where vehicles are assembled and astronauts are trained.At Palm Beach is place for the wealthy, it is the place for those who prefer polo. At Miami reflects a more recent Hispanic influence. After the Cuban Revolution, many Cubans settled in Miami. In Miami’s Little Haven, you’ll see Spanish-style street lights, Cuban food, factories where cigars are rolled by hand, and even stores with signs saying ENGLISH SPOKEN HERE.The Florida Keys are a series of coral and limestone islands. Key Largo, one of the islands, has a huge underwater park. You can explore this park in a glass-bottomed boat or by snorkelling or scuba diving.

Okefenokee Swamp

It’s an Indian word for land of tumbling earth. When stepped on, these islands seem to tremble underfoot. Over the years, the dark, mysterious swamp provided an ideal hiding place for all sorts of people. Now the Okefenokee wildlife Refuge provides a home for many endangered animal species.

Atlanta, the Capital of the New South

After World War II, the South experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth. One of the most important was the invention of air-conditioning. People today speak of the New South. Another characteristic of the New South is improved relations between blacks and whites. In 1974, Atlanta became one of the first cities in the country to elect a black man as its mayor. Atlanta has kept its Southern charm-its air of politeness and leisurely

pace. This combination of old and new makes their city one of the best places to live.

In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, invented the syrup for Coca-Cola. He sold it in his pharmacy for 5 cents a glass. Sales in 1886 averaged 9 glasses a day. One hundred years have brought many changes. In 1894 Coke was for the first time sold in bottles. During World War II, bottling plants were set up in Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. More recently, Coke has introduced variations like Diet Coke and Cherry Coke. Today the Coca- Cola Company is the world’s largest soft drink producer. Coca-Cola is sold in more than 160 countries.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

The Midwest

The Midwest: America’s Heartland

Compared to other regions of the country, the Midwest has a reputation for being a bit dull. It’s the American’s centre, its heartland. It is America’s centre in many ways:

The exact middle point of the United States falls in Smith Country, Kansas. The Midwest is America’s geographical, industrial, agricultural, political centre

The Great Lakes

The Great Lakes, Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario are the largest concentration of fresh water in the world.

Chicago

The Midwest is the centre of America, so Chicago is the centre of the Midwest. Chicago is on Lake Michigan. It played a key role in the growth of the Midwest and of the United States.In a 1916 poem, Carl Sand burgh captured Chicago’s importance and its energetic, hardworking spirit:Hog Butcher for the World,Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,Player with Railroads and the Nation’sFreight Handler;Stormy, husky, brawling

City of the Big Shoulders…

In 1871, there was a fire that destroyed Chicago. From the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire emerged that great modern innovation, the skyscraper. In the 1880s and 1890s, Chicago attracted engineers and architects from around America and Europe. You can see many architectural landmarks if you visit the Loop. Chicago’s tallest buildings art the John Hancock Tower (BIG JOHN) the Sears Tower, which is the world’s tallest building. Chicago is famous for its beaches. Most of the area along Lake Michigan is open to the public as beaches and parks. Go to a game at Wringley Field, fans who catch a home- run ball are overjoyed with their souvenir. But at Wrigley, if the ball was hit by a player on the other team, Cub’s fans throw it back onto the field in disgust.

Abraham Lincoln

He grew up in rural Indiana and Illinois. Lincoln also had ambitions. He educated himself, studied law, and became a lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. In 1834, at the age old 25, he was elected to the elected to the Illinois House of Representatives.In 1860 he became the Republican candidate for president. Lincoln won, despite his lack of experience, Lincoln was a very capable political and military leader. He brought the country through four years of civil war. He visited

Spotlight on the USA

2010

soldiers in hospitals and on battlefields. He often opened the White House to ordinary citizens, meeting with them and listening to their problems.As the war neared its end, Lincoln showed his compassion for those on the other side. The Southern states had to be readmitted and former slaves had to be incorporated into the society. On April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the theatre to see a comedy. John Wilkes Booth, a Southern sympathizer, slipped into Lincoln’s theatre box and assassinated him. The nation was in shock and in mourning.

Motor City

In 1896, in a workshop in Detroit, Henry Ford built a vehicle he called a Quadricycle. Henry Ford, a Michigan farm boy, was not the first person to build a motorbike. Everybody wants to be somewhere he isn’t. Ford’s dream was to build an affordable car. Ford was able to make his dream reality in the shape of the Model T FordThe Big Three of the U.S. automobile industry- Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors are important employers in Detroit. In the decades following World War II, many middle-class families moved away from the city. At the same time poor people from rural areas moved to the city in search of opportunity.

Wolverines and Buckeyes

The University of Michigan and Ohio State University are respected Midwestern schools. Students take their studies seriously but not on the day of the Big Game. The two schools are fierce rivals. When the Wolverine 4 and Buckeye5 football teams meet, everyone thinks only on football.

The Iowa State Fair

Norma Duffield Lyon uses butter nearly ¼ ton of it the farm animals shown at the fair are among the area s best. Farmers can enter their animals in contests. There are many contests for people; you could win a prize for throwing horse-shoes, or for being the man with the best pair of legs. If you want a piece of homemade berry pie, you will have to buy it. But you can get an ear of sweet corn for free. Iowa is the biggest corn-producing state.

The Indians of the Great Plains

In the Black Hills of South Dakota there are two huge monuments carved from mountains. One is the Mount Rushmore National Monument. It shows the faces of four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The other is the Crazy Horse Monument. It will show the famous Sioux Indian leader on horseback.

4 University of Michigan5 Ohio State

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Little Big HornIn 1868, the US government said the Black Hills area belonged to the Indians. It is sacred to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes. Custer claimed the Black Hills were filled with gold. Despite the treaty, the army did little to stop them. The Sioux and the Cheyenne decided it was time to join forces. “It is a good day to die” Crazy Horse charged. Within minutes, Custer and 250 of these men were dead.

The Destruction of the BuffaloThe struggle between the Indian tribes of the Great Plains and the US army took place from 1860 and 1890. The Plains Indians were nomadic hunters: they travelled over large areas and hunted buffalo. The Indians used almost every part of the buffalo. The bones were made into tools; skins became robes and tepees. Whites killed buffalo for their skin and for sport. By destroying the buffalo, and changing the environment of the Great Plains, white settlers nearly destroyed the Indian way of life.

The Ghost Dance and Wounded KneeAn Indian named Wovoka claimed he had a revelation from the Great Spirit. If the Indians lived in a way that was good and if they did a certain dance, great changes would come about. At this message spread rapidly from tribe to tribe, white settlers panicked. In a terrible incident at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, over 200 Sioux, including women and children, were massacred by chine-gun fire.

Landmarks of the Old West

The Wild West really began in the Midwest. Missouri was the starting point of the Pony Express, which took mail to California. The mail was taken on horseback across the vast plains and over the mountains. Deadwood, South Dakota was an illegal town, set up in Indian country.Dodge City, Kansas, with so many buffalo hunters and cowboys, Dodge City soon earned the nick-name “The Wickedest Little City in America”Fort Robinson, Nebraska, Crazy Horse, the Sioux leader, died there after being stabbed by a soldier. Near North Platte, Nebraska, you can see the ranch of WILLIAM “BUFFALO BILL” CODY.

The Southwest

Farming the Great Plains

Boomers and SoonersIn Oklahoma, on April 22, 1889 the US government had promised large pieces of land to those who were first to claim them. By night time, all the land had been claimed by the Oklahoma “boomers”, as they were called. Some of the lands had been claimed illegally, before noon, by “sooner”, who had hidden beyond the starting line.

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The Dust BowlHumans were partly responsible for the worst disaster on the Plains, which turned parts of Oklahoma and nine other states into a “Dust Bowl”. Because, people overused the land. In desperation, many left their farms, often heading for California.

Texas

Texas also has a unique history. After becoming independent from Mexico in 1836, it was a separate country for nearly ten years.

Texas JokesNot surprising, Texans are proud of their state, perhaps too proud.

1. A Midwesterner is visiting TexasTexan- Howdy, stranger. Where are you from?Westerner- OHIOTexan- Never heard of it. What part of Texas is it in?

2. A Texan is visiting New York City. The Texan is taking a taxi. He keeps telling the taxi driver about how everything in Texas is bigger and better. The driver is becoming annoyed.

Texan- Say, driver, what’s that big building over there?Driver- that’s the Empire State Building.Texan- how long did it take to build?Driver- about ten years, I think.Texan- ten years! Why, in Texas, we put up building like that in a week. Driver, what are those two big towers down there?Driver- I couldn’t tell you, sir- they weren’t there this morning.

Texan FoodFood in Texas is strongly influenced by Mexican cooking. TEX-MEX food uses hot peppers and is very spicy. Beef is an important ingredient in Texan cooking. Texas was the birthplace of the hamburger. In barbecues, beef or pork is cooked over flames in a spicy red sauce. Chilli- a mixture of beef, spice, and other ingredients like tomatoes and beans.

A Texan FestivalTexan festivals can be as unusual as anything else in that state. At Marshall-s roundup, participants chase after fierce, stinging fire ants. Whoever captures the most ants in four hours is the winner.

San Antonio, Texas

The River WalkSan Antonio is very much a river city. And alongside it San Antonians have built a Paseo del Rio, o River Walk, shaded by trees and filled with pleasant cafes. Fiesta, held in April, includes a River Parade, as well as Mexican rodeos and other events all over town. At the Fiesta de las Luminarias /Festivals of Lights/, the River Walk is lit up with candled burning in paper bags.

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The AlamoTexas was first part of the Spanish Empire and then, when Mexico became independent from Spain, part of Mexico. In 1836 settlers from the United States rebelled against Mexico. At the Alamo, rebels were surrounded by a Mexican force of several thousand.

The Cowboy

People often think of all cowboys as white Americans. The first cowboys were Mexican; there were also black cowboys, often ex-slaves freed by the Civil War and Indian cowboys.

Cattle DrivesOn the drives, cowboys took the cattle along trails fro Texas up to Kansas and even further north. They were branded, or marked with their owner’s symbol. Cowboys worked from before sunup to after sundown. At night they took turns guarding the cattle. One constant danger was the stampede. A change in weather or an unexpected noise was enough to make the cattle run.

Modern CowboysToday, there are still cattle ranches and cowboys. Rodeos give modern cowboys a chance to show their skills. Today the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sponsors about 700 rodeos a year. If you go to a rodeo you’ll see events like calf roping, bull riding, and bulldogging. Bulldogging was invented by Bill Pickett, a black cowboy, as a way of stopping steers that were running wild.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is a centre of gambling in America. Las Vegas comes from a mispronunciation of the phrase LOST WAGES. The fact that Las Vegas was an oasis of green grass in the middle of the desert. Today Las Vegas is still an oasis of neon lights. Las Vegas s hotels and gambling casinos use so much neon that Las Vegas has been nicknamed the City of Lights.Las Vegas s growth began in 1931, when the state of Nevada decided to allow gambling and to make divorce easy. Getting married is also easy in Nevada. Las Vegas has wedding chapels that are open 24 hours a day.

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon was formed by the Colorado River cutting into a plateau in Arizona. The Canyon is 227 miles long and about 1 mile deep. The top and the bottom have very different weather and vegetation. The Canyon is visually stunning, with gold, pink, and purple bands of rock. Today, millions visit the Grand Canyon each year. You can explore the canyon by helicopter. Going up and down the canyon sides can be a lot like being on a roller-coaster. It s a two –day round trip, and you must bring lots of water.

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2010

Scenic Arizona and New Mexico

Arizona and New Mexico are both known for their varied and often spectacular scenery- deserts as well as mountains and high plateaus. There are some places you might visit:

Saguaro National Monument: you can hike along desert trails. Saguaro cacti can be taller than eight men and weigh up to 10 tons

Monument Valley Narvajo Tribal Park you can see strange rock formations. These formations have been sculpted by the wind.

White Sands National Monument the sands are not really sands at all, but powdered gypsum, a rock, which the wind carried from the mountains and deposited below

Carlsbad Caverns you’ll see the caves’ bats fly out together in search of food Painted Desert looks like huge piles of sand painted in all the colours of the rainbow. Again the sand isn’t

really sand; it’s volcanic ash. Petrified Forest you’ll see stone trees in beautiful reds and blues.

An Arizona Ghost Town

In Arizona, towns sprang up overnight when miners struck gold. When the mines were played out, the townspeople disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. Arizona’s most famous ghost town is Tombstone. This town was founded by a man named Ed Schieffelin. When he said he was going to mine in Apache Indian country, that all he’d find there would be his own tombstone. Schieffelin found silver. He named the town he started Tombstone.

The Rocky Mountain Region

The mountain región has plains and even deserts. But its main Geographic feature is the Rocky Mountains. This mountains stretch from Alaska to northern Mexico. The Rockies are among the earth´s youngest mountains. They give the region spectacular scenery.Mining, ranching, and farming are important to the region´s economy. Tourism is also important.

The Mormons and Salt Lake City

In 1830, in New York State, Joseph Smith started the Mormon church with six followers. Today there are more than 3 million Mormons worldwide.Smith claimed that an angel had guided him to some buried golden tablets. Written in the tablets he said , was the story of how Christianity, (had existed long ago in America.Smith was murdered in 1844 in Illinois. The new leader, Brigham Young and a group of Mormons founded on July 24, 1847 the Salt Lake city.Salt lake valley was nearly a desert. But the Mormoms set up a system of irrigation and planted crops.The most noticeable difference was that Mormons practiced polygamy (Brigham Young had twenty-six wives)

Spotlight on the USA

2010

Outdoors in the Rockies

Fishing, hunting, river rafting, rock climbing, hiking, skiing, horseback riding- there´s almost no end to what you can do outdoors in the rockies.Guests cansee ranch cowboys at work and can even help out. Others faeture a special activity like hot-air ballooning.

Sky Country USA

Colorado is sometimes called Ski Country/ Usa.Colorado has nearly forty resorts, many of wich are internationally known. The light, dry snow is ideal for skiing.

AspenAspen began in the 1880s as a silver mining town. It is one of the most popular resorts in Colorado. Many celebrities and wealthy people have homes there. Aspen also has something for all levels of skiers.-including clases for beginners like 18-month old babies!

The “Mile-High City”(DENVER)

Denver, Colorado, is almost axactly one mile high. At this altitude,the air is thinner; breathing can be difficult until you get used to it.Over the las thirty years, denver has become an important center for energy research and for high tech industries. Many people- especially Young people- have moved moved to Denver.

The Unsinkable Molly BrownMolly Brown, the daugther of a ditchdigger, became wealthy but she was not accepted by denver “high society”. In 1912, Molly Brown decided to sail the Titanic on its first voyage. When the ill-fated ship hit the iceberg taht san kit, she didnt panic. Sheloaded people into lifeboats.When rescued she said simply, “I´m unsinkable”. And, on retourning to Denver, she finally received those invitations she´d always wanted!

Old Faithful –Yellowstone

Spotlight on the USA

2010

Yellowstone has more termal (hotwater)activity tan any other place in the world this is caused by a hot spot deep in the earth , which sends liquid rock nearly to the surface, producing heat. Old Faithful, the most popular geyser in the world, and hundreds of other geysers and hot springs. Look for bears and wolves, elk and buffalo in  the Lamar and Hayden Valleys. Hiking, camping, fishing, enjoying exhibits and films, and attending Ranger-led programs are among the many ways to experience Yellowstone. Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is America's first national park. Located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, it is home to a large variety of wildlife including grizzly bears, wolves, bison, and elk. Preserved within Yellowstone National Park are Old Faithful and a collection of the world's most extraordinary geysers and hot springs, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

When the Tetons were formed, the valley floor sank.The valley al the foot of the Tetons is called Jackson Hole. Hole is the Word that fur trappers used for a valley surrounded by mountains.David Jackson was a trapper who explored the area.

Sacajawea

Sacajawea was a woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States(1803). She traveled thousands of miles from The Missisippi River to the Pacific Ocean.Sacagawea was taken as a wife by Toussaint Charbonneau, a Quebecer trapper living in the village.Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark built Fort Mandan. They interviewed several trappers who might be able to interpret or guide the expedition up the Missouri River in the springtime. They agreed to hire Charbonneau as an interpreter when they discovered his wife spoke Shoshone, as they knew they would need the help of Shoshone tribes at the headwaters of the Missouri.She was pregnant with her first child.Just before joining the expedition Jacajawea had had a baby. She carried her baby on her back on the 3,000 mile trip, unbothered by dangers like snowstorms or near-starvation in the Rockies.

Devil´s tower national monument

Devil´s tower is located on the plains of Wyoming. Actually it´s phonolite, a volcanic rockthat rings when struck.The strangest thing about it is the deep vertical lines piong down its sides.

The Pacific Northwest and Alaska

This region is known for its natural beauty - a beauty that is fairly tame in Oregon and Washington and much more wild in Alaska. There mountains, forest, and rugged coastlines.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

Alaska was doing well because of his oil while Washington and Oregon are centers of trade with Asia. Besides, in Oregon and Washington manufacturing and agriculture are also important. Lumber(wood) and fishing are important to all three states.

Rain Through the AgesThe weather today in Oregon and Washington is one of the most disagreeable things there. People in Oregon don´t tan-they rust. More seriously, the city of Seattle, Washington has one of the nation´s highest suicide rates. Some scientists think that the reason may be the rainy weather.Not all of this region is rainy, however. There is a “wet side” to the west and a “dry side” to the east.

Volcanoes

Crater Lake, in Oregon, is famous for its clear, blue waters. It is also famous for the way it was formed: about 7,000 years ago, Mount Mazama, a volcano erupted. Its walls collapsed, forming a basin. The basin filled with rainwater

and became Carter Lake.

The“Ring of Fire”The 60% of the world’s volcanoes are part “the ring of fire”. Mount Mazama is part of it. The "Ring of Fire" is an arc stretching from New Zealand, along the eastern edge of Asia, north across the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, and south along the coast of North and South America. The Ring of Fire is composed over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

Mount St. HelensMay 18, 1980, Mount St Helens erupted. The sky was dark with volcanic ash. Heat and wind destroyed forests. Mud flowered down, covering everything in its path. Many families saw their homes destroyed. Nearly 70 people were killed

Seatle, The Emerald City

Seattle, Washington is often called the Emerald City, or the Jewel of the Pacific Northwest. Like a beautiful jewel in an expensive ring, Seatle is surrounded by green hills and the water of Puget Sound.

Visiting SeatleThere are a lot of places to visit in Seattle.You can tour a Boeing factory where jumbo jets are assembled.You can take an “undergruond tour” at PioneerSquare to see Seattle as it used to be.The street level was lower,under the new street, the old stores remained. You can still explore these stores.The market is also one of Seattle´s liveliest places;everyone shops there.Seattle has a neighborhood which is called International District(ID).Many people living there are from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other countries of Asia.ID has Chinese and Japanese restaurants.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

If you have time, you can take a ferry to the beautiful city of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada.Or you can travel trough the San Juan Islands.

The Abundance of the pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest has an abundance of natural resources. From the time of the Indians, This abundance has shaped the way people live there.

The PotlachThe tall cedar trees were an important resource. The indians used them for houses and even for clothes. They also used cedar to make totem poles.Totem poles are tall poles on which figures are carved and painted. The figures tell a story, oftenabout aperson´s ancestors.The potlach is also kown as gift-giving ceremony.The host of a potlach invited hundreds of guests to a great feast. At the feast, the host gave everyone gifts.The greatest of the gifts showed the host´s wealth and power. The guests then had to invite the host to a plotach with even greater gifts.

Trapping, Mining,loggingThe first whites who came to the Pacific Northwest were looking for a route joining Europe and Asia.That “Northwest passage” didn´t exist.Instead they found otters and other animals whose furs were highly valued in China. This fur trade brought Russians, British, and Americans to that area.

Alaska: Land and People

Alaska is different, and Alaskan know it. One third of Alaska is above the Arctic Circle.These areas experience long periods of perpetual light in summer and long periods of perpetual dark in winter.Alaska has temperatures as low as -80ºF .There are parts of Alaska which are so remote that many mountains there have not yet been named!Although Alaska is the largest state, it has the fewest people:0,7 persons per square mile.Today Alaska has over 500.000 people about 15 percent of whom are native.“Native” refers to peolple in three groups:Indian, Eskimo; and Aleut.

Traveling in Alaska

Dogsled racing is a favorite Alaskan sport, and if you go tto Alaska you can take a dogsled tour. Traditionally, Eskimos sed dogsleds to get around in winter.Now snowmobiles have largely replaced dogsleds.The Alaska Highway(Alcan) links Alaska tothe other states through Canada.On Alaskan roads you are almost as likely to see animals like the Kodiak bear, the moose, the musk ox and the caribou.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

Only three cities in the south-east can be reached by road.The others including Juneau, Alaska´s capital, ca be reached only by water or air.

Southeast Alaska The Southeast consists of a thin strip of mainland and islands. It is a magnific scenery of ocean, rugged coasts, steep mountains,glaciers, and rainforests.It has important cities as Juneau Alaska´s capital and Sitka a Southeast fishing town.

South Central AlaskaIt is a mainly coastal area and has over half of Alaka´s population. The mayority of the people live in Anchorage. Anchorage is the mos populated city of Alaska. There are Alaskans who love it for its sophistication but there are those who hate it. There are also other important places as Palmer which is an agricultural town in a state with little agriculture. As summer days have 20 hours of daylight, the result is giant-sized fruits and vegetables.Another importan town is talkeetna which is a starting-point for expeditions climbing Mount Mckinley,NorthAmerica´s tallest mountain.

The interiorThe interior is a vast plateau between two mountain ranges.It has thick forest but also areas of permafrost.Winter temperatures of -60ºF are common and yet summer temperatures have reached 90ºF.Fairbanks is Alaska´s second=largest city.It is near the Artic Circle- one of the few cities in the world that is so far north.

The Artic RegionIn the Artic Region there are small, scattered settlements on the western and northern Artic coasts.It has two well kown towns Nome and Barrow. Nome became known when gold was discovered on its beaches. Barrow is different becauseis frozen 11 months of the year.

Alaskan Land Use

In 1959 Alaska became a state. Since then there has been controversy over how the land should be used. Some people argue that the land should kept undisturbed for future generations to enjoy. Those on the other side of the controversy point that Alaskans can benefit economically from development and use of the land, for example from the oil.

OilAlaskans do not pay taxes they get money from their state goverment. The reason is oil. Oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay in 1960.Whitin a couple of years, 85 percent of Alaska´s money was coming from oil. The goverment uses some for schools, roads, and also gives a small amount to all the residents of Alaska.

The Exxon ValdezIn march 1989,the tanker oil Exxon Valdez hit a rock off andleaked 11 million gallons of oil.many miles were affected.

Spotlight on the USA

2010

California and Hawaii

These two states are grouped toguether mainly because they are relatively near each other.

CaliforniaMany people think of california as the state that symbolizes theAmerican dream. There, individuals have the opportunity to succed.When you are on California´s rocky northern coast, you can think that you are at the end of the continent. Americans went there in search of a better life.They assume that there is as far as they can go.

LandSouthern California is famous for its sandy beaches.The north is a rocky coast.California hasmany different enviroments. Here are two examples:In Northern California grow redwood trees which grow only in two places in the world, there and in a samall area in China. Another example is Death Valley,there temperatures reached 135ºF and often there´s no rain for years. Northern and southern CalifornianThe land in Northern California is more like Oregon than like southern California. The land in southern is more like Mexico than like northern California. They also differ in lifestyle. Northern Californians accuse Southern Californians of being superficial and materialistic-of not being serious and caring only about money and the things money can buy. Southern Californians say that northern Californians are snobby and are just jealous. Some Californians have proposed that their state be cut in two.

PeopleCalifornian’s people come from many different places and cultures.

One-fourty=Hispanico Mexicoo Central and South America

One-third= Asian-Americanso Chinao Japano The Philippineso Koreao Vietnamo Cambodiao Laos

The forty-Niners6

6 Extra

Spotlight on the USA

2010

In January 1848, a man named James Marshall noticed some flecks of gold in a river in California. Within four short years Californian’s population as a land of opportunity was well established. Often, the most money was made not by miners themselves but by those who had something to sell to the miners. Levis Strauss thought he knew just what the miners would buy: he headed7 for Colifornia with canvas for tents. The miners told him that they have tents but Levis should have brought PANTS. So Levis made his canvas into pants. Miners liked the pants because they were sturdy and lasted. And so LEVIS’S were born.

San Francisco

A Romantic City, a Liberal CityIt’s famous for its bridges, fog, and foghorns. It’s famous fot its cable cars, which climb these hills, and for its brigh houses that cling to the hills along steep and narrow streets. San Francisco is a wonderful city to explore on foot. It has a reputation as an intellectual, liberal, and slightly crazy city. Although many movements have faded from the San Francisco scene, the gay rights movement remains strong. San Francisco has one of America’s largest gay communities. Gays play an active role in everything from the city’s nightlife to its politics.Golden Gate BridgeIt is a beautiful orange suspension bridge, which opened in 1937, goes between San Francisco and Marin Country to its north. The bridge was first proposed in 1869 by Emperor Norton, a forty-niner who, having lost his money and his mind, had declared himself emperor of the United States. Joseph Strauss brought the Golden Gate Bridge into existence.

Los Angeles

The LOS ANGELES area has many beaches, with surfers, volleyball players, and people getting tan. It’s aldo the centre of the movie industry and home to many movie stars. It has money and glamour; the Beverly hills neighbourhood, for its mansions and highpriced shops. Los Angeles faces some problems:

So much trafficIt has the dirtiest air in the US (the sunshine is hidden by smog)Crime and Violence (500 gangs)Drugs and drug money

ExtraThe Forty NinersIn the next year, close to 100,000 people went to California from the United States, Europe, and every other corner of the globe. Gold-seekers from Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and China continued to sail across the Pacific along well established trade routes. The journey was far more complicated for citizens of the United States. A voyage from the East Coast to California around Cape Horn was 17,000 miles long and could easily take five months. There was a shorter alternative: sailing to Panama, crossing the isthmus by foot or horseback, and sailing to California from Central America's Pacific Coast. [MAP D. Routes to California from eastern U.S.] However, until 1850 there was no regular steamship travel in the Pacific, and passengers might find themselves stranded in Panama for weeks or months

7 To move at sw

Spotlight on the USA

2010

waiting for a ship to California. In 1849, approximately 40,000 poured in from one sea route or another. And most of these came to the port of San Francisco, once known as Yerba Buena, and the tiny town boomed.For those without money for a sea passage or with heavy cargos of household goods to bring, the only route to California lay overland across the Plains and through one of the mountain passes on California's eastern border. In 1849, 25,000 to 30,000 men, women, and children followed these routes, while a few thousand more came across Mexico and the southwestern corner of the United States to reach California.Not everyone who came to California during the Gold Rush planned to earn a fortune by using a pan or a pickaxe in the gold fields. Many enterprising young men and women realized that there was just as much money to be made by providing the gold miners with goods and services. From professional men and merchants to dance hall girls and cardsharps, they gave the miners a way to spend their money--and quickly. In addition, many who came to mine gold found that business and farming in California were more satisfying and reliable sources of income. Both the sudden expansion of population and accompanying exploitation of new Californians by enterprising businessmen became hallmarks of California history. And both phenomena made it clear that order needed to be imposed on this explosive, money-making new society as soon as possible.