A. Significant environmental /geographical factors that contributed to the development or expansion of the United States:
1. The Dust Bowl
Farmers began to plow and plant wheat crops. When World War 1 began the massive wheat crops helped feed many Americans that in another part of the country try where in the beginning of a depression that was caused by the war. The wheat crops also helped feed numerous nations overseas. A drought that began in the beginning of the 1930’s persisted and was leading things in a very negative direction. No matter the circumstances farmers kept on farming hoping the rain would soon come back. In 1931 the rain just stopped and the farmers still kept trying to farm. Without adequate crops people who were already hurting from the depression where starting to feel the impact of the drought. In 1934 the drought impacted 27 states and 75% of the country. Most of the impact from the dust bowl was in the southern plains. The Dust bowl was the result of the worst drought in the history of the United States. In 1935 the wind blew for 27 nights and days and people began to die of suffocation and pneumonia caused from the dust. The affect that it had on the development of the United States is that right before the drought there was an economic over expansion due to the high demand of the wheat and the great soil for crop growth. The poorly managed the land because of over planting and harvesting and when the drought hit the affect was significant economically and the government had to put out large amounts of money to try and recover the economy.
2. Sun Belt
The economic and political impact of the nation’s shift in population from the south to the west is called the Sun Belt. The economic growth since World War 2 increased migration from the north east in the United States. The rapid growth in population changed quickly and moved people to the Sun Belt states. It increased tourist industries and