Virginia SOL Virginia and US History test prep

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Preparation for the state of Virginian SOL ("Standards of Learning") History test

Released tests can be found here:

Virginia Standards of Learning

Note on table formatting

  • use align left for thumbs
  • for text at top of cell, use
    • style="vertical-align:top;"
    • after row breaks on same line as \-


Maps & Timelines[edit | edit source]

Geographic regions of North America[edit | edit source]

[[File:NorthAmerica-sel-regions LCPS VA-Edu..jpg|none|thumb|Major regions of North America from the Virginia Dept. of Education SOL framework document>> Key
  • A) Coastal Plain
    • East Coast, location of the original 13 American colonies
  • B) Appalachian Mountains
    • border between the 13 colonies and the French-Indian lands to the west of the Appalachians
  • C) Canadian Shield
    • distinct climate and geographic area north of Great Lakes and New England
  • D) Interior Lowlands
    • fertile lowlands along the Mississippi River
  • E) Great Plains
    • low, flat grasslands between the Mississippi Lowlands and the Rocky Mountains
  • F) Rocky Mountains
    • great mountain range that served as barrier between the middle and western parts of the continent
  • G) Basin and Range
    • isolated region that was not directly connected by rivers to other regions and that was between the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Ranges (mountains)
  • H) Coastal Ranges
    • Mountain range along the west coast that feeds water into the fertile valleys and lands along the coast
[[File:Atlantic Coastal Plain.svg|thumb|The Atlantic coastal plain |alt=|border|none>> ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN
  • lowland coast region along Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
  • the 13 American colonies were settled in the Coastal Plain from modern Georgia to Massachusetts
    • note that Massachusetts is part of the Appalachian region, but it was settled along with the Coastal Plain
  • the western barrier to the Coastal Plain is the eastern slope of the Appalachian Mountains
[[File:AppalachianLocatorMap2.png|thumb|AppalachianLocatorMap2|alt=|border|none>>[[File:Appalachian region of United States.png|thumb|Appalachian region of United States|alt=|none>> APPALACHIAN REGION
  • Appalachian Mountains =
    • mountain range that extends along the western border of the Coastal Plain from Georgia to New England
    • includes sub-regions
      • the Piedmont, Low Plateaus and Mountains
  • the Appalachian Mountains served as a barrier between
    • early American colonies (to the east of the Appalachians along the Coastal Plain)
    • and French and Indian lands (to the west of the Appalachians)
  • all rivers from the eastern slope flow towards the Atlantic Ocean
  • all rivers from the western slope flow towards the Mississippi River
  • after Britain defeated France in the 1854-63 French-Indian War, the entire Appalachian region (and all lands up to the Mississippi River) became British
    • however, the British King prohibited American colonists from occupying it
INTERIOR LOWLANDS
[[File:Satellite image illustrating the Great Plains.jpg|thumb|Satellite image illustrating the Great Plains|alt=Satellite image illustrating the Great Plains.jpg|border|none>>[[File:Map of Great Plains.svg|thumb|Great Plains region|alt=|none>> GREAT PLAINS REGION
[[File:RockyMountains-Range.svg|thumb|RockyMountains-Range|alt=RockyMountains-Range.svg|border|none>> ROCKY MOUNTAINS REGION
  • high mountain range above and to the east of the Great Basin
    • the "Continental Divide" is in the Rocky Mountains, marking the point at which the land descends to the east or the west
  • important rivers flow from origins in the Rocky Mountains
[[File:Basin and Range Province Boundaries and Landmarks.svg|thumb|One of various geographical definitions of the Province|alt=|none>>[[File:GB-Definition-Map.jpg|thumb|The hydrographic Great Basin (magenta outline), distinguished from the Great Basin Desert (black), and the Basin and Range Geological Province (teal).[3]|alt=|border|none>>[[File:Great Basin map.gif|thumb|Great Basin map|alt=Great Basin map.gif|border|none>> BASIN AND RANGE
  • the "Great Basin" = a geographic depression (low area) that was once under the sea
    • no rivers or water flow out of the Great Basin
  • the VA & US SOL refers to the "Great Basin" as the "Basin"
  • the Range includes mountains from which water flows into the Great Basin
    • the western border of the Range are the Sierra Nevada Mountains
  • as an isolated watershed (where the water flows -- into itself), the Great Basin is an isolated geographic area for human occupation and development
[[File:California Mountain Ranges.png|thumb|Northern and Southern Coast Ranges and other major mountain ranges of California|alt=|border|none>> PACIFIC COASTAL RANGE
  • western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains that border the Great Basin and Rocky Mountains
  • and that produce important rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean
  • water flow from the mountains allows for great agricultural production in the "central valley"
    • = valley area between the mountains
  • the Sierra Nevada mountains created a barrier to movement between the West coast and the Basin & Range area
    • that isolation was not fully broken until the building of railroads/ tunnels through the mountains
    • the easier path to the West coast was to the North along the "Oregon Trail", which crosses lower mountains

Rivers of the U.S.[edit | edit source]

[[File:Map of Major Rivers in US.png|thumb|Map of Major Rivers in US|alt=|border|none>> BIG IDEAS
  • rivers start in mountains and flow downhill
  • thus they define the major regions of the country
  • for movement, rivers are important for
  • as highways:
    • travel along them, especially down stream
    • (upstream was difficult until the introduction of powered steam ships)
  • as moats:
    • large rivers are difficult to cross , so they can also act as barriers to movement and thereby create dividing points between geographic regions and political boundaries
      • ex. many state borders are defined by rivers
US Rivers to know:
  • Hudson River
  • Mississippi River
  • Missouri River
  • Ohio River
Virginia Rivers to know:
  • James River
  • Potomac River
  • Roanoke River
  • Virginia has approx. 49,350 miles of river
    • all Virginia rivers flow towards the Atlantic
[[File:Chesapeake bay watershed map.jpg|thumb|The Chesapeake Bay watershed|alt=A rough map of the Chesapeake Bay watershed with blue lines for rivers drawn on top.>> BIG IDEAS
  • the rivers and streams that flow into the Chesapeake Bay are from the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains
  • these rivers create important trade links and locations for cities
    • especially Philadelphia, Baltimore, Jamestown (and, later, Washington DC)
[[File:Mississippi River Watershed Map.jpg|thumb|Mississippi River Watershed Map|alt=|border|none>>[[File:Mississippi river map.png|thumb|Mississippi river map|alt=|border|none>> BIG IDEAS
  • all the rivers that flow into the Mississippi River start in:
    • western slope of the Appalachian Mountains/ region
    • eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
    • Great Lakes region
  • this confluence (joining) of rivers creates vast trade networks used across North American history to today
    • as it is near the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans lies at an important geographic location for trade and movement of people
    • after building of various canals, the east coast and Great Lakes were connected to rivers that flowed into the Mississippi River basin
    • after the introduction of steam engines, which allowed boats to move upstream, trade became two-way across the Mississippi River basin
Map of the "Water Level Routes" of the New York Central Railroad (purple), West Shore Railroad (red) and Erie Canal (blue)
  • This map shows the route of the Erie Canal, which connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River
  • the Erie Cana connected New York City to the Great Lakes
  • the map also shows the route of railroads that were built along a similar path and that essentially replaced the canal for transportation of people and goods
BIG IDEAS
  • canals allow for transport of good and people across areas that were not connected by natural rivers
  • canals allow for two-way movement, both up and down stream
    • i.e., canals are designed to move goods upstream which would be otherwise impossible on most rivers
  • especially for moving across the Appalachian Mountains
  • canals were later replaced by railroads

Virginia maps[edit | edit source]

[[File:Virginia geographic map-en.svg|thumb|Virginia is shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed, and the parallel 36°30′ north.|alt=A topographic map of Virginia, with text identifying cities and natural features.>> BIG IDEAS
  • while the earliest successful Virginia colonial settlement, Jamestown, as at the mouth of the river at the coast
    • English western expansion and settlement in Virginia followed along the various rivers
    • most of which connect to the Cheasapeake Bay or at its mouth

Native American regions of North America[edit | edit source]

[[File:NativeAmericanRegions map 1.jpg|thumb|Major Regions of North America|alt=|none>> [[File:Langs N.Amer.png|thumb|Language families of Indigenous peoples in North America: shown across present-day Canada, Greenland, the United States, and northern Mexico|alt=|none>>

BIG IDEAS
  • Native American tribes and language groups were divided into these basic geographic regions
  • these maps will not be on the Virginia SOL
    • however, they provide a good overview of distribution Native American ethnic, language and tribal groups

[[File:North American cultural areas.png|Cultural areas of North America at time of European contact|alt=|border|none|thumb>> [[File:Early indian east.jpg|thumb|Eastern tribes & general language groups, pre-colonial era|alt=Early indian east.jpg|none>>

BIG IDEAS
  • at the time of English and French colonization, Native American tribes occupied all areas of European colonization
    • and were aligned by language and ethnic groups
  • the English and French made treaties and/or fought with various tribes
    • which re-aligned Native American tribal arrangements
    • the French generally allied with Algonquin tribes and confederations
    • the English generally allied with Iroquois tribes and confederations

Colonial America & territorial expansion[edit | edit source]

1748 [[File:Nouvelle-France map-fr.svg|thumb|Map showing French possessions in North America just before the French-Indian War (1754)|alt=|border|none>> BIG IDEAS
  • red = British colonies in red, including 13 American
  • striped red = British territory in Canada ceded (surrendered) by France to Britain in 1713
  • blue = French territory, called "New France"
  • orange = Spanish territory, which includes Florida and parts of modern Southwest US (an area that belonged to Mexico after Mexican independence from Spain)
  • the red (British) and blue (French) territories are separated by the Appalachian Mountains
1775 [[File:Map Thirteen Colonies 1775.svg|thumb|Map Thirteen Colonies 1775|alt=|none>> BIG IDEAS
  • after the French-Indian War (1754-1763), the lands that had belonged to Franch became British
    • Canada
    • all lands east of the Mississippi River
    • France gave control of Louisiana to Spain
      • = lands west of the Mississippi River
  • English King George prohibited colonies from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains
  • he reserved that land for Native Americans ("Indian Territories")


Wars: causes & effects[edit | edit source]

Big Ideas[edit | edit source]