Five Themes of Geography

The five themes of geography are tools you can use to analyze geographic information given in photographs, charts, maps, and text. Use these themes to determine the role of geography in U.S. history.

A photo of street signs that say
Main St. and Maple St.

Location answers the question, Where is it? The answer might be an absolute location, such as 167 River Lane, or a relative location, such as six miles west of Mill City.

A photo of the Golden Gate bridge.

Place identifies natural and human features that make one place different from another. Landforms and buildings are features that can be used to identify a specific place.

A photo of an overview of a busy
highway.

Movement answers the question, How do people, goods, and ideas move from place to place?

A photo of a farmer working the 
fields in a machine.

Human-Environment Interaction explores the relationship between people and the natural world. Humans often modify their environment, and the environment affects how they live.

A photo of a lighthouse at the shore.

Regions are areas that share at least one common feature. Climate, culture, and government are features that can be used to define regions.


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Table of Contents

Prentice Hall: United States History CHAPTER 1 Many Cultures Meet (Prehistory–1550) CHAPTER 2 Europeans Establish Colonies (1492–1752) CHAPTER 3 The American Colonies Take Shape (1607–1765) CHAPTER 4 The American Revolution (1765–1783) CHAPTER 5 Creating the Constitution (1781–1789) CHAPTER 6 The New Republic (1789–1816) CHAPTER 7 Nationalism and Sectionalism (1812–1855) CHAPTER 8 Religion and Reform (1812–1860) CHAPTER 9 Manifest Destiny (1800–1850) CHAPTER 10 The Union in Crisis (1846–1861) CHAPTER 11 The Civil War (1861–1865) CHAPTER 12 The Reconstruction Era (1865–1877) CHAPTER 13 The Triumph of Industry (1865–1914) CHAPTER 14 Immigration and Urbanization (1865–1914) CHAPTER 15 The South and West Transformed (1865–1900) CHAPTER 16 Issues of the Gilded Age (1877–1900) CHAPTER 17 The Progressive Era (1890–1920) CHAPTER 18 An Emerging World Power (1890–1917) CHAPTER 19 World War I and Beyond (1914–1920) CHAPTER 20 The Twenties (1919–1929) CHAPTER 21 The Great Depression (1928–1932) CHAPTER 22 The New Deal (1932–1941) CHAPTER 23 The Coming of War (1931–1942) CHAPTER 24 World War II (1941–1945) CHAPTER 25 The Cold War (1945–1960) CHAPTER 26 Postwar Confidence and Anxiety (1945–1960) CHAPTER 27 The Civil Rights Movement (1945–1975) CHAPTER 28 The Kennedy and Johnson Years (1960–1968) CHAPTER 29 The Vietnam War Era (1954–1975) CHAPTER 30 An Era of Protest and Change (1960–1980) CHAPTER 31 A Crisis in Confidence (1968–1980) CHAPTER 32 The Conservative Resurgence (1980–1993) CHAPTER 33 Into a New Century (1992–Today) Reflections: Enduring Issues Five Themes of Geography Profile of the Fifty States Atlas Presidents of the United States Economics Handbook Landmark Decisions of the Supreme Court Documents of Our Nation English and Spanish Glossary Index Acknowledgments