North American Culture 5W & H Project

World Geography
Introduction
Culture is the total knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors shared by and passed on by the members of a specific
group. It helps people know how they should behave. It ties us to one group and separates us from others. It helps
us solve the problems that all humans face. Cultures and societies are always in the process of changing. Taking
existing elements of society and creating something new to meet a need is called innovation. Innovation and
invention may happen on purpose or by accident. Good ideas or inventions spread when people from different
societies come into contact with one another. In addition to language and religion, cultures produce performing arts,
visual arts, and written arts. Music is a cultural aspect found in all societies. However, the instruments and styles
differ. Visual arts include architecture, painting, sculpture, and textiles. Oral and written literature includes poems,
folk tales, and stories. They often portray aspects of the attitudes and behaviors of the culture.

What makes North American culture unique to you? There are 6 main categories to choose for your topics.
These include: ​Immigration, Labor, Environment, Civil Unrest, Poverty and Conflict.

Choose one specific topic/example from 3 of the main categories below. The specific topics are listed in the
TOPICS box ​Note​: this is an individual project assignment worth a test grade. You will have 3 main
topic/example. ​You are to answer the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY & HOW of your topic from the
category.

Once you have your topics selected, you will investigate how those topics impacted North America’s culture.
DUE: ______________________________

North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico

Categories Topics Resources/Links

Immigration migrant workers, refugees, https://childrenatrisk.org/human-trafficking/

Beatlemania, Immigration Bans,
Colonialism/imperialism, Chinese
during gold rush/railroad, forced
immigration/ human trafficking https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/f
eatures/goldrush-chinese-immigrants/

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-h
ub/us-immigration-trends

Labor union forming, Muckraking, The https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination

Great Depression, slavery,
Farm/Migrant worker rights,
sweatshops, maquiladoras
 https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-centur
y-us/triangle-shirtwaist-fire

https://manufacturinginmexico.org/maquiladora-i
n-mexico/

Environment U.S. environmental laws, https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations

Preservation: wetlands, rainforest,
national monuments, national
parks, climate change, the Green
Revolution, Mexico’s biodiversity https://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/map/state_li
st.shtml

http://latinamericanscience.org/mexico-biodi
versity-rio-sonora

Civil Unrest civil rights, minority group https://www.payscale.com/data/gender-pay-g

movements, Women’s Movement, ap
inequality in Canada, U.S., and/or
Mexico

https://www.cnbc.com/2011/02/01/Americas-
Most-Destructive-Riots-of-All-Time.html

Poverty Great Depression, Stock Market https://www.ranker.com/list/story-behind-pho

Crash, Recession, favelas to-of-children-for-sale/1499368817867

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/02/a
mericas-tent-cities-for-the-homeless/462450/
 https://unequalscenes.com/mexico-city-df

Conflicts/Current Global Conflict Tracker (find a https://www.cfr.org/interactive/global-conflict

Issues conflict related to the North -tracker/?category=us
America conflict), NAFTA effects,
USMCA (U.S., Mexico, and
Canada “new” NAFTA), G20

https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-a
greements/united-states-mexico-canada-agre
ement/fact-sheets/modernizing

Conclusion​: Write an analysis (minimum three sentences) for each of the categories you selected and explain
how your topics have impacted culture in North America (Canada, Mexico, and the United States).

Category #1
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Category #2
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Category #3
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