The North-East (general characteristics, major cities).

N-E

Historically it can be characterized as the oldest part of the US (7/13 original states were here). Economically, it’s the most important part of the US, most highly industrialized. We often speak of “the industrial N-E”. The largest % of urban population. The chains of cities extending from Boston to Wash.DC has been called the “Atlantic metropolitan belt”. Industrial, commercial & residential centers adjoin each other with only brief interruptions. The focal point of the belt is NYC.

The N-E is subdivided into: New England & the Middle Atlantic Region.

· New England: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut; Boston – historical, economic & cultural importance;

· The Middle Atlantic Region: NY (the Empire State), New Jersey, Pennsylvania; NYC – the greatest political, economic & cultural center; history & famous sights; Philadelphia (its importance); Baltimore; Pittsburgh (the Smoky City).

 

Identify the following:

Gettysburg - The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's turning point. Union Major General George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's second and final invasion of the North.

 

Paul Revere - Paul Revere (January 1, 1735 – May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith of French descent and a patriot in the American Revolutionary War. Immortalized after his death for his role as a messenger in the Battle of Lexington and Concord, Revere was a prosperous and well-known craftsman who was born in the class of tradesmen yet yearned to advance to the class of gentleman. He served as an officer in one of the most disastrous campaigns of the war, a role for which he was later exonerated. Soon after the war, he recognized the potential for large-scale manufacturing of metal goods and is considered by some historians to be the prototype of the American industrialist.

 

Pearl Harbor - The Imperial Japanese Navy made its attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was aimed at the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Corps and Marine air forces. The USA suffered great losses. A lot of people died. Admiral Yamamoto planned the raid as the start of the Pacific Campaign of World War. However, the Pacific Fleet's three aircraft carriers were not in port and so were undamaged, as were oil tank farms, submarine pens, and machine shops. Using these resources the United States was able to rebound within six months to a year. The U.S. public saw the attack as a treacherous act and rallied strongly against the Japanese Empire, resulting in its later defeat. This attack has been called the Bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Pearl Harbor but, most commonly, the Attack on Pearl Harbor or simply Pearl Harbor.

 

Manhattan - Manhattan refers both to the Island of Manhattan which borders the lower Hudson River, and also to the Borough of Manhattan (one of the five boroughs of New York City), which includes the Island of Manhattan itself, as well as several other smaller islands and a small portion of the mainland. The borough is conterminous with New York County, and addresses within the borough of Manhattan are typically designated as New York, New York. As of 2000, the population comprised 1,537,195 people, but the county is geographically among the smallest in the United States with only 33 square miles (85 km?) of land. Thus, it is by far the most densely populated county in both the state and the entire United States.

Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh (Western Pennsylvania). Pittsburgh, nicknamed The Steel City (The Smoky City), was traditionally considered the center of the American steel industry. In recent years the city has turned to technology, especially biotechnology and robotics, leading the Wall Street Journal to dub the city "Roboburgh.";

+ some history (maybe it’ll be useful):

· France was the first European country to send settlers to the forks of the Ohio River. They did so after capturing a small British garrison founded by William Trent. The Virginia colony sent Major George Washington to deliver a message to the French, demanding their withdrawal, and to reconnoiter their positions. The French refused. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia then sent Washington back in command of a small troop of colonial soldiers, but the French forced him to surrender at a makeshift fort, Fort Necessity.

· During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the British colonies captured Fort Duquesne, which sat at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, at the part of downtown Pittsburgh now known as "The Point". The British built a larger fort on the same site and named it Fort Pitt in honor of the British statesman William Pitt the Elder. Fort Pitt was garrisoned in case of French attack during the French and Indian War, but by the time the improvements were made the war was over.