Land, History and Language, from Life in the USA: The Complete Guide for Immigrants and Americans

Life in the USA
Land, History and Language

Full Chapter Outline:
The American Regions
---The Continental United States
---The Center of America
---The Far West
---Point of View
---New England
---Middle Atlantic
---The Northeast
---Long Island
---The Megalopolis
---The South
---Appalachia
---The Midwest
---The Great Lakes Region
---The Great Plains
---Texas
---The Bible Belt
---The West
---The Rocky Mountain States
---The Southwest
---California
---The Pacific Northwest
---Alaska and Hawaii

American History
---Colonial Beginnings
---Differences Emerge
---America Makes Trouble
---Revolutionary Beginnings

---A New and Free Country
---Rival Philosophies
---Sectional Divisions

----The Erie Canal

---The Civil War
---A Lasting American Tragedy

---The Growth of American Industry
---Cars Everywhere

---Waves of Immigrants
---Struggle and Assimilation
---Absorption by Industry

---World War One
---Prohibition and the Jazz Age
---The Great Depression and Isolation

---World War Two
---The Nation Mobilizes
---Mistakes and Excesses

---The Cold War

---The Post-War Economy
---Economic Upheavals
---Immigrants Contribute
---The Internet is Everywhere

Language in the United States
---The American Language
---Vital, and English
---American vs British English
---Also Vital, and Spanish
---No Official Language

Introduction
A true understanding of the United States begins with a study of the land.

Stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, the United States occupies the central latitudes of the North American continent. The American land itself provides several lasting sources of industrial and economic strength.

The land is rich in raw materials, from oil to timber to iron ore.
From the vast prairies of the American heartland to the fertile valleys of California, the United States has some of the most productive agricultural areas on the planet.
American waterways, including the substantial river systems, provided key natural transportation networks as the nation was building itself. Railroads, highways, and air routes would later overlay this early network.

The rich land attracted people from all over the world (it still does). Combine the American land with the American people and you have a dynamic force indeed. To add to all this, the United States, over much of its land mass, is a beautiful country, with some of the most breathtaking landscapes on earth.

Politically, the United States is divided into 50 states, each having separate state governments, flags, laws and traditions. Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa are also part of the United States, each with a special status as a dependency or territory.

The sections that follow detail the various sections of the United States, especially how they are understood in general parlance, followed by a basic survey of American history, and a few sections on the American language, all with the aim of inspiring readers to learn more on their own.

Next Section: The Continental United States

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