GKE Task 1

Western Governors University
Themes in U.S. & World History

November 2, 2013

GKE Task 1

Assessing how environmental and geographical factors, such as location and availability of resources have affected and continue to affect the development, distribution, and diffusion of the human race over time is intriguing. There are several examples of how society’s start and why. One example is the site of ancient Mesopotamia, the birthplace of the world’s first civilizations. Diffusion is the movement of things and ideas from one culture to another. When diffusion occurs, the form of a trait such as tea drinking may move from one society to another but not its original cultural meaning. Two significant …show more content…

The population of migrating people was nicknamed “Okies.” The transplant of farmers settling into labor jobs in the Central Valley and southern California helped wartime and post-war expansion of Southern California defense industries. By 1935 the federal government formed a Drought Relief Service as to help the farmers from going bankrupt. After that was implemented, the Works Progress Administration was created which employed 8.5 million people. By 1939 rain and the coming of World War II finally brought an end to the drought. The country pulls out of the depression and the plains are golden with wheat once again. (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/dustbowl/)

In conclusion, there are many significant and or physical geographic factors that contributed to the development of Mesopotamia. The land and the location was the draw for the Sumerians as they started the crops that brought more people to the area. The diffusion of drinking tea from China to the United States took many paths but in the end the cultural reasons for tea drinking has remained. The Gold Rush and The Dust Bowl historical events are two examples of the expansion and development of the United States.

References
Emmons, D., & Udall, S. L. (2003). Part II: Settlement in the Old West: Correcting the Record. In Forgotten Founders: Rethinking the History of the Old West.