Themes in U.S. and World History
Task 1
Desiree Dyches
Western Governors University

Themes in U.S. and World History

A. Mesopotamia had a remarkable water origin that was of assistance to the wealth and spread of the territory. The Tigris and Euphrates are two rivers that “runs almost parallel” (2011, p. 15) of each other. Together they form a rich “alluvial plain – that is a plain of silt, sand, clay and gravel that is deposited by the two rivers” (2011, p. 15). People were able to create bricks with those raw materials and construct houses and alternative buildings on the land, forming a city-state. The people from Mesopotamian were able to use the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to get in touch with the north and south communicates. The people used the rivers to import and export uniting the city-states. Since Mesopotamia had a “hot, dry climate” (2011, p. 15). “The river would receive most of its water from winter rains and snowfall” (2011, p. 15). The people were able to use the gravel to construct irrigation systems (2011, p. 11). The two rivers also helped their farming and livestock. “The rich soil produced abundant crops of barley, emmer (a kind of wheat), beans, olives, and flax.” (2011, p. 20). The Mesopotamia people counted on the two rivers to be able to live and grow as a city-state.
B. One example of diffusion that helped the human societies was the potatoes. There was “two hundred and thirty-five different species of potatoes” (Smith, 2011) potatoes started to establish in the South America’s Andes Mountain. The potatoes had begun to spread around the world by sailors and trading companies. They were so popular because they were considered the most outstanding food and exceptionally nutritious, they also found that it could be grown quickly in cool and damp environments. Europe was the first to be introduced to the potatoes and from there it went worldwide. People started to produce their potatoes on their lands. (Smith, 2011).
C. The two significant physical geographic factors that contributed to the expansion of the United States were the Mississippi River and the Gold rush that happened in 1848. The California Gold Rush was an important part in the growth of the United States. It had brought a vast amount of people from all over the world who want to experience being wealthy gold miners. The gold rush led the United States to come to be a rich country. The people settled there making it their new home. “California’s population soared from less than 20,000 in 1846 to over 200,000 by the end of the 1850s.” (The California Historical Society, 2001). The Mississippi River was another geographical factor where the Louisiana Purchase opened up into the expansion and trading. The people found that it was easier and faster to transport things to the west using the river than by traveling by land. Many cities formed along the riverbanks, which help them to increase their income and transportation. Having access to the river saved them a lot of time and increased their trading. (Smith, 2007).

References
Hollar, S. (Ed.). (2011). Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia [ebrary book]. Retrieved July 13, 2016, from http://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/8542376
Smith, A.F. (2011). Potato: A global history [ebrary book]. Retrieved July 14, 2016, from http://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/8539677
Smith, T. R. (2007). River of Dreams: Imagining the Mississippi before Mark Twain [ebrary book]. Retrieved from https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/17907391
The California Historical Society. (2001). The California Gold Rush: History through the collections series, part 1 [PDF]. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/research/pdf/California_Gold_Rush.pdf