Good at Social Studies? Help me with a problem!?

Question

The question is Why do you think the major population centers in the United States in 1789 were along the Alantic Coast?

Answer 1

- This may be a trick question. In 1789, the US had only one coast: the Atlantic coast. Florida still belonged to Spain and the rest of North America was claimed by France, Spain or Britain.

If it's not a trick question but simply phrased incorrectly, you might think about this:

- Established US ports for trade with Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas were located here, where they were established in the 1500's. Other major ports - such as San Francisco or New Orleans - were still under the control of the Spanish and French, respectively.

- Early European settlement concentrated here; colonial and post-colonial economic activity was centered here. Agricultural and whatever industrial output was all concentrated within a hundred miles or so of major ports - why go elsewhere?

- In 1789, the US faced fierce competition from Spain (the Spanish Crown claimed most of the Western US, the Caribbean and much of Latin America), France (who controlled the Louisiana Territory, parts of the Caribbean and Canada) and Great Britain (who controlled parts of the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and were powerful privateers in the region). It is only logical that the US population would cling to the East coast, which offered better economic and political protection than they would have had elsewhere. Even if European nations had not laid claim to these territories, US citizens would have to deal with native peoples who were not eager to be displaced as they had been in colonial times.

- Finally, the Eastern seaboard of the US is actually a great place for agriculture (barring Florida, whose sandy soils would prove difficult for early European settlers). There was plentiful water, resonably good soil and a river system that supported economically significant navigation.

Answer 2

The major population centers were situated along the Atlantic Coast were because of multiple reasons:
1) All the immigrants came from either Europe or Africa.
2) They had not explored much further inland than a couple hundred miles.
3) No trains or fast transportation had been invented yet so it took too long for any goods to be taken out too far from the coast and rather impractical.
4) Most people spent their life savings to afford the cost of the trip across the Atlantic to get to America and then couldn't afford much else nevertheless travel further inland.
5) Coastal cities were the major hubs of trade because sea travel was the modern way of trading goods and transporting goods.

There are many many more reasons but these are the core five that most people would be looking for if they asked you this question.

Answer 3

The United States was settled from the Eastern
Seaboard and then population moved west as the county grew. Ohio was originally part of "Northwest Territory" which gives you an insight into the prospective of the time. As Grinnell was told in the 19th century, "go west young man, go west." I.E.: Jamestown in Virginia founded in 1607, pilgrims came in 1620 to Massachusetts. From Europe to east coast. From east coast westward. What little population was on West coast was part of Spanish empire and than Mexico. And Rocky Mountains (closer to west coast) limited west to east movement. New Orleans was settled, but not part of U.S. until Louisiana purchase. Settlement in Midwest that was non-native came largely via Canada and was smaller groups involved with trade (like furs) with native population and did not involve large population centers. Also the Atlantic coast allowed ability to ship via ship which was the fastest and only way to import and export goods to and from Europe where finished goods were made and traded for commodities of the U.S.

Answer 4

Because of the smaller population in the U.S. they huddled in the populous areas which also happened to be the port areas. Ships would come over, drop the people off, and there was a city where they could settle in to, and they didn't even have to blaze their own trail. Remember that that was the only populated area in the U.S. by europeans.

Answer 5

shipping ...economics......trade routes......We haden't explored the west yet ..No manifest destiny at that time... the colonies were all that we had , our population was smaller and the US still had many ties to the European continent....

Hope this helps!