As you study the history and geography of each region, you might ask yourself these questions:

• How do the physical features of the land affect agriculture, industry, transportation, and living patterns?
• What effect does the climate have on agriculture, industry, transportation, and living patterns?
• What are the natural resources of the region, and how are they used?
• How were the important historical events affected by the geography of the region?

Deciduous: Trees that lose their leaves in the fall.

Fishing banks: A shallow place in the ocean where fish feed.

Growing season: The time between the last killing frost in the spring and the first killing frost in the fall.

Textile: Cloth.

Wood pulp: Wood that is ground into a thick liquid and used to make paper and paper products.

The Northeast was one of the first areas of the United States to be explored by Europeans. The Vikings explored parts of this region over one thousand years ago. Later, Cabot sailed along the eastern coast and claimed the area around New York for the Dutch and named it New Netherlands. New Netherlands remained a Dutch colony until 1664. At that time, it became an English colony under the direction of the Duke of York.

New Netherlands angered the English because it was a center of illegal trade. American colonists could avoid English regulations and taxes by shipping goods through New Netherlands. King Charles of England offered New Netherlands to his brother James, the Duke of York, if James could conquer it. The people of New Netherlands were not willing to fight because they could see little difference between Dutch rule and English rule. James was able to conquer the colony without a fight. He then named it for himself, the Duke of York.

The states in the Northeast region are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Northeast region is divided into two smaller sections, the New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and the Mid Atlantic states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland). Washington, D.C., our nation's capital, is also considered a part of the Northeast.

Geography of the Northeast. The natural landforms in the Northeast are the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Appalachian Highlands, and other lowlands. There is evidence that glaciers once covered the northeastern United States. The glaciers moved southward carrying tons of rock and scraping away the soil in some places. They rounded the tops of mountains and dug holes into the rocky ground. When the glaciers retreated, the big holes retained water and became lakes. In New England, the glaciers scoured the land and left the soil rough, rocky, and thin.

The largest lakes in this area are Lake Champlain between Vermont and New York, Moosehead Lake in Maine, and Winnepesaukee Lake in New Hampshire. Two of the Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario, are also in this region.

Important rivers in the region are the Connecticut, Hudson, Mohawk, Susquehanna, and Paucatuck. The coastline in this region is rough and rocky and has many small bays and inlets. Three large bays are the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, the Delaware Bay, and the New York Bay. Islands and peninsulas are also found along this coastline. Long Island in New York is one of the best-known islands. Cape Cod in Massachusetts and Mount Desert Island in Maine are peninsulas.

Much of the land area in the Northeast is highlands. The mountain ranges include the Adirondack, the Allegheny, the Catskill, the Green, and the White mountain ranges. Between these ranges lie valleys where many farms are located. Other farms are on the inland plain area in western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. The Erie-Ontario Lowland lies to the south of these two Great Lakes. The famous Niagara Falls is between the lakes.

Climate. The climate in the Northeast varies from place to place. The climate in any area is affected primarily by (1) the distance from the equator, (2) the distance from a large body of water, and (3) the altitude.

Through most of the Northeast the weather is cool in the fall. The cool weather triggers a reaction in the trees that makes the leaves of deciduous trees turn bright colors before they fall to the ground. The Northeast is famous for the beauty of the trees in autumn. In the winter, heavy snow falls in the highlands and on the interior plain. The weather can be very cold, and the snow may stay on the ground all winter. People come to the mountains to ski and snowmobile.

Fall in the Northeast

In other parts of the Northeast, the winters are not so severe. On the coastal plain, the weather is milder. Large bodies of water do not lose heat as rapidly as the land. In the winter, the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean is warmer than the temperature of the land. The coastland is also warmed by the wind that blows across the Atlantic.

Spring comes to the southern part of the Northeast first. Around Washington D.C. the trees begin to blossom in April. Spring is the beginning of the growing season for farmers. The growing season starts after the last killing frost and it is not over until the first killing frost of the winter. Around Washington D.C., the growing season is six to seven months long. In some places in the highlands and in Maine, the growing season is less than three months long.

Natural resources. Wood pulp (for paper and cardboard) and Christmas trees are important products of Northeastern forests. Clay, sand, gravel, limestone, granite, marble, zinc, iron ore, and coal are mined in the Northeast. The coast has an important fishing industry. Clams, lobsters, and oysters are abundant. Further out on the fishing banks, fishermen catch whiting, ocean perch, flounder, scallops, cod, haddock, and menhaden (a kind of herring).

Agriculture. Farmers tap the maple trees in spring for sap to make the famous Vermont maple syrup. Cranberries and potatoes grow in the lowlands, and blueberries grow on the northern hills. Apples, grapes, peaches, and vegetables are grown along the Erie-Ontario Plain, the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and the valleys of the highlands. The Atlantic Coastal Plain supports many truck farms that grow tomatoes, corn, onions, spinach, cabbage, and lettuce. Large poultry farms are located in Delaware, Maryland, and New York. Dairies are located throughout the region.

Industry. Manufactured products of the Northeast include metal objects such as propellers, hard hats, needles, silverware, and brassware. Leather products manufactured are shoes and gloves. Wood pulp is used to make paper, much of which is used locally. This region has one of the biggest publishing industries in the world. Textile factories produce thread and cotton and woolen fabrics that are used in the clothing factories.

Many of the rivers in the Northeast have one or more waterfalls. Early industries used the numerous waterfalls in the area to help produce energy to run their machines. As a result, many large manufacturing cities are located close to the rivers and the falls in the region.

The Industrial Revolution in the United States began in the Northeast where the first factories were started. The very first factory was started by Samuel Slater in Pawtucket, Rhode Island in the year 1789. Slater brought the technology to use water power to spin thread from his native England. American inventor Eli Whitney furthered the American industrial advance when he designed a machine that made individual gun parts. This machine made all the parts in each gun exactly alike so that they could be interchanged. This invention was the beginning of mass production and led to an industrial boom in the Northeast. Because factories need many workers, the industrial cities of the Northeast are some of the largest cities in our country.

Important Historical Events

The first European settlers in this region were people who came to the New World seeking religious freedom. The Pilgrims were actually Separatists seeking to leave what they considered to be the spiritually corrupt Church of England. They were imprisoned and driven out of England. They sailed from England across the Atlantic in the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in December of 1620. During their first winter in the New World, many of the Pilgrims died. Eventually, however, they learned how to plant and hunt in their new home with help from some of the local Native American people. By fall the Pilgrims had plenty of food in Plymouth. The grateful Pilgrims invited the Indians to a feast lasting several days to thank God for His bounty. We remember that feast as Thanksgiving Day.

In the following years, other colonists traveled to the northeastern area of the United States. Groups of Puritans, people who wanted to remain in the Church of England and purify it, settled and formed many communities as they also were driven out of England. The Massachusetts Bay Colony near Boston was one of the most famous of the Puritan communities.

The Revolutionary War, the War for Independence, was fought on the coast and in the highlands of the Northeast. The Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's ride, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the battles of Valley Forge, Lexington, and Concord all occurred in the Northeast.