GKE1 Task 1 Essay - 874 Words

GKE Task 1 Western Governors University Themes in U.S. World History November 2, 2013 GKE Task 1 Assessing how environmental and geographical factors, such as location and availability of resources have affected and continue to affect the development, distribution, and diffusion of the human race over time is intriguing. There are several examples of how society’s start and why. One example is the site of ancient Mesopotamia, the birthplace of the world’s first civilizations. Diffusion is the movement of things and ideas from one culture to another. When diffusion occurs, the form of a trait such as tea drinking may move from one society to another but not its original cultural meaning. Two significant†¦show more content†¦When the tea made its way to France, it was also considered a fashionable expensive drink. In the United States the colonists favored tea until the tax imposed on it caused the Revolutionary War in 1775. (Saberi, 2010, p. 112) Turmoil and war has occurred for the diffusion of tea from China to United States. Expansion and the development of the United States can be broken down into many significant historical factors. Two of them, The Gold Rush and The Dust Bowl are good examples. What is known to be the most famous geological event in U.S. history may well be the California Gold Rush, which began in 1849 after gold was discovered the year before at Sutter’s mill. Over 300,000 people traveled from far and wide to be a part of the fortune they seek. With this eruption of travel, the means of transportation were improved. For the nation, the glow generated by its gold rush made California a cynosure and produced a quick political reward. (Emmons Udall, 2003, p. 125) Improvements as well as profits from hydraulic mining were enormous and the states economy boomed. The Dust Bowl brought on some big changes in the expansion and development of the United States. As the droughts of the early 1930’s deepened, the farmers kept plowing and planting and nothing would grow, the ground cover that held the soil was gone. The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s lasted about a decade and the movement of people was profound. Nearly 500,000 American people migratedShow MoreRelatedGke1 Task 11212 Words   |  5 PagesTask 1-A: The two most significant environmental or physical geographic factors that contributed to the development or expansion of the United States is the California Gold Rush and the Irish Potato Famine. The first most significant factor was the California Gold Rush. Before gold was officially discovered in Northern California on January 24, 1848, Kelly (n.d.) states that the entire population of the California territory was around 25,000. A few years after California was admitted as the 31stRead MoreGke1 Task 1 Essay1306 Words   |  6 PagesSmith, A. F. (2011). Potato: A global history (pp. 38-51). London: Reaktion Books. Zimmermann, K. A. (2013, March 14). Andes: Worlds longest mountain range. Retrieved March 13, 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/27897-andes-mountains.html GKE1 TASK 1 1Read MoreTask 1790 Words   |  4 PagesFrost, GKE1 Task 1 Page 1 GKE Task 1 Part A: Over the centuries there have been many different environmental and geographical factors that have shaped the development of the United States. Two of these factors that I feel are extremely significant to this development are the Irish Potato Famine and the discovery of gold in California. The Irish Potato Famine began in Ireland in September 1845. The famine was caused by an airborne fungus, phytophthora infetans, which attacks the leaves of the