1. Demography : The study of the size, growth and distribution of human populations

Gathering this information helps us discover who the American people are

1. In our early history, most people lived on the eastern coast

2. As America grew, people moved west3. The growth of factories found people

concentrated in Urban areas4. Today, migration from the North to South

has exploded as people moved to the Sun Belt: the warm south

1. American industry has moved from farming and manufacturing to service jobs

2. Service jobs: Jobs in which a person makes a living by providing a service for another person

1. Today, there are more older Americans than ever before

Why?2. Baby Boom: The dramatic rise in the

number of births that occurred between 1946 and 1964

Americans age 40-60

“America was built by a nation of strangers. From a hundred

different places they have poured forth…joining and

blending in one mighty irresistible tide. The land

flourished because it was fed from so many sources-because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and people.”-Lyndon B. Johnson

1. Immigration! (we are a nation of immigrants)

2. People moved from their homes to America and brought their Customs and Traditions with them

3. E Pluribus Unum: “Out of many, one”

1. Census - taken every ten years to count the population

1. Europeansa. Many of the first

immigrants came from Europe

b. They were looking for religious and political freedom

c. Between 1830 and 1920 immigrants came from Central and Eastern Europe

d. They came looking for religious and political freedom

2. Hispanicsa. Share a common culture and language

from Spanish-speaking countriesb. As America expanded, we annexed

many parts of Mexicoc. Fastest growing minority group in the

United States today.3. African Americans

a. Did not initially come voluntarilyb. Faced a long struggle for equality

4. Asian Americansa. Came around the 1850s when gold was

discoveredb. Worked in mines and on the railroadsc. Laws were passed to exclude

immigration5. Native Americans

4. Came to North America on Bering Strait land bridge, lived here for centuries before Europeans arrived.

5. Competed with Europeans for land6. Pushed west

1. A “Melting Pot” is a term that reflects the idea that people from all over the world came here and melted into one society, giving up their own heritage

2. A “Tossed Salad” is a term that reflects the idea that people from all over the world came here and kept their own cultural identities

3. Which theory do you think fits America best? Explain.

1. Discrimination - unfair treatment of a group of people

2. Racism - the belief that members of one’s own race are superior to those of other races

3. Bias - favoring a particular group over another

May include- gender, religion, culture