United States History Student Edition

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Geographic Reasoning

The National Road was the nation’s first federally funded highway. When completed in 1837, the gravel road extended from the eastern seaboard to Vandalia, Illinois. ACTIVITY Writing an Informative Essay Analyze the National Road map and population chart and make connections between the two graphics. Using information from the map and chart as well as online resources, write an essay in which you explain how the National Road impacted the population of states such as Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois in the early 1800s. Include how the National Road likely affected communities through which it passed.

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Population in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois Year Ohio Indiana Illinois 1800 1810 230,760 45,465

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Lake Erie

5,641 24,520 147,178 343,031

— 12,282 55,211 157,445

Illinois Indiana

Ohio Columbus

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Wheeling

Indianapolis

1820 1830

937,903 581,434

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200 kilometers 200 miles

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

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Making Connections to Today

Americans have always been on the move, searching for new opportunities or better climates. In the early 1800s, the population west of the Appalachian Mountains grew dramatically. In recent years, leading destinations for American migrants have been states such as Florida, Arizona, and Nevada. This migration pattern represents a long-standing trend of Americans leaving the Northeast and Midwest for the South, West, and Southwest.

ACTIVITY Creating a Comparison Chart Use your text and go online to research more information about migration in the United States in the early 1800s and today. Create a chart comparing migration in the past to migration today. List at least three push and pull factors that drove migration in the early 1800s and that drive it today. Then answer the question: Do you think moving to a new place is worth the risks? Write a short essay in support of your position. Include specific reasons to support your argument.

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