Chapter 2
The United States and Canada
Shaped By History

Vocabulary

abolitionist		A person who believed that enslaving people was wrong and who wanted to end the practice
acid rain		A rain containing acid that is harmful to plants and trees, formed when pollutants from cars and factories combine with moisture in the air
bilingual		Speaking tow languages; having two official languages
boycott		A refusal to buy or use goods and services
civil rights movement		A large group of people who worked together in the United States beginning in the the 1960s to end the segregation of African Americans and support equal rights for all minorities
Civil War		The war between the northern and southern states in the United States, which began in 1861 and ended in 1865
clear-cutting		A type of logging in which all the trees in an area are cut down
Cold War		A period of great tension between the United States and the former Soviet Union which lasted for more than 40 years after World War II
communism		A theory of government in which property such as farms and factories are owned by the government for the benefit of all citizens; a political system in which the central government controls all aspects of citizens' lives
dominion		A self-governing area subject to Great Britain, for example, Canada prior to 1939
fossil fuel		A fuel formed over millions of years from animal and plant remains, includes coal, petroleum, and natural gas
free trade		Trade with no tariffs, or taxes on imported goods
Homestead Act		A law passed in 1862 giving 160 acres (65 hectares) of land on the Midwestern plains to any adult willing to live on and farm it for five years
immigrant		A person who moves to a new country in order to settle there
indentured servant		A person who, in exchange for benefits received, must work for a period of years to gain freedom
indigenous		Originating in a certain place
Industrial Revolution		The change from making goods by hand to making them by machine
interdependent		Dependent upon each other
labor force		The supply of workers
Louisiana Purchase		The sale of land in 1803 by France to the United States; all the land between the Mississippi river and the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains
Manifest Destiny		A belief that the United States had a right to won all the land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
missionary		A person who tries to convert other to his or her religion
NAFTA		North American Free Trade Agreement, signed in 1994 by Canada, the United States, and Mexico to establish mutual free trade
plantation		A large, one-crop farm with many workers, common in the Southern United Sates before the Civil War
Reconstruction		United States plan for rebuilding the nation after the Civil War, including a period when the South was governed by the United States Army
Revolutionary War		The war in which the American colonies won their independence from Great Britain, fought from 1775 to 1781
segregate		To set apart and force to use separate schools, housing, parks, and so on because of race or religion
settlement house		A community center for poor immigrant to the United States
tariff		A fee charged on imported goods

Key People and Places

Abraham Lincoln Andrew Jackson Andrew Johnson Christopher Columbus Cuyahoga River Earl of Durham Franklin D. Roosevelt George Washington Harriet Beecher Stowe Harry S. Truman

Jacob Riis Jane Addams Jamestown Lake Erie Louis Papineau Martin Luther King, Jr. Meriwether Lewis Niagara Falls Ontario

Pennsylvania Colony Quebec St. Lawrence Seaway Thomas Jefferson William Clark William Mackenzie William Penn Woodrow Wilson Yukon

Sample Essay Questions

1. Explain the similarities and differences between the American Revolution and Canada's "peaceful revolution." What did each revolution accomplish?

The American Revolution was an armed conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies. At the end of the war, the colonies won their independence from Great Britain, and the United States of America was established as a separate country.

Canada's peaceful revolution did not involve an armed conflict. After the British Parliament accepted the British North American Act, Canada became a dominion. It was still subject to Great Britain, but a central government ran the country. Canada would not fully realize complete independence from Great Britain until 1982.

2. Select one of the environmental issues facing both the United States and Canada. Explain how the countries have worked together to solve this problem.

Your answer should address one of the following issues: protecting the whales from extinction; water pollution of the Cuyahoga River; acid rain; or renewing forests.

3. Former President John F. Kennedy, in describing the relationship between Canada and the United States, said that "economics has made us partners." Explain how the development of the St. Lawrence Seaway illustrate this economic partnership.

The United States and Canada worked together to solve the problem of moving ships from one water level to another by building the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is a system of locks, canals, and dams that allows water transportation from the Great Lakes all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Lawrence Seaway, completed in 1959, makes it easier for both countries to trade with each other and with Europe.

4. Explain the similarities and differences between how the Spanish and French dealt with the indigenous peoples in North America.

The Spanish settlers spread out across the western United States and often enslaved Native Americans. Spanish missionaries tried to make Native Americans more like Europeans.

French explorers, claimed land along the St. Lawrence and Mississippi Rivers. French traders and missionaries often lived among the Native Americans and learned their languages. Unlike the Spanish, they did not take over Native American land.