The United States and Canada

History and Government

Political Map

Source: http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/find_a_center.cfm

Quick History

• c. 15000 – 10000 BC: migrations across Bering Strait into the Americas

• c. 1000: Vikings sight land in North America

Quick History . . .

• 1607: English form colony at Jamestown, Virginia• 1643: French found Montreal• 1682: French claim Louisiana Territory

• 1718: French establish New Orleans• 1773: Boston Tea Party; Committee of Correspondence• 1775 – 1781: American Revolution (begins with the Battles

of Lexington and Concord and ends with the British surrender at Yorktown)

• 1776: US – Declaration of Independence• 1787: Creation of the US Constitution

Quick History

• 1803: Louisiana Purchase• 1808: US bans importation of slaves

• 1812: War of 1812 (between Americans and British)• 1848: US wins the Mexican-American War (wins all lands

north of the Rio Grande); California Gold Rush• 1860 – 1890: US westward expansion (results in the forcible

removal of Native Americans)

• 1861 – 1865: Civil War (1865, Lincoln assassinated)• 1866 – 1977: Reconstruction period in the South (US)

Quick History . . .• 1903: US gains control to the Panama Canal

• 1914 – 1918: World War I (US enters in 1917)

• 1920: US – women gain the right to vote• 1929: Stock Market crashes; US enters Great Depression which

spreads through the world

• 1939 – 1945: World War II• 1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor; US enters WWII

• 1945: United Nations founded in San Francisco

Quick History• c. 1947: Cold War begins between the US and Soviet Union

• 1949: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed

• c. 1955: US – Civil Rights Movement begins• 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis• 1972: US – Watergate scandal• 1973: US withdraws from Vietnam

• 1979: Camp David Peace Accords• 1987: New York – Stock Market crash

• 1991: Persian Gulf War• 1992: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established• 2001: US – terrorists destroy World Trade Center

The Region’s Governments

• Democratic Republic– A democratic republic is a country which is both a republic and a

democracy. • Republic = a government without a king or queen• Democracy = government based on the will of the people

– It is one where ultimate authority and power is derived from the citizens

• Parliamentary Democracy– A democratic form of government in which the party (or a coalition of

parties) with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government

– The majority leader becomes prime minister or chancellor

Important Individuals• George Washington

– Commander of the Revolutionary Army;• Led American troops to victory in the American Revolution

– Selected as the first President of the United States• Aided in the creation of a strong national government that remained outside of

European affairs in attempts to grow

• Thomas Jefferson– He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

• Actually considered one of the Founding Fathers

– Served as the third President of the United States• Previously served as the US Minister to France, and as the first Secretary of State

– He was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.• The US purchased the land from France

Important Individuals• Abraham Lincoln

– He was President of the United States during the Civil War.• Over the course of his presidency (until his assassination):

– Preserved the Union– Ended slavery (Emancipation Proclamation)– Promoted financial and economic modernization

– He was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play

• John F. Kennedy– Served as the 35th President of the United States.

• The youngest elected to the presidency, and the first president born in the 20th century.

– Important events that occurred in his presidency:• Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the

Space Race, the Civil Rights Movement, and the early stages of the Vietnam War.

– He was assassinated while participating in a motorcade in Dallas.