Climate, history, and culture in the United States

Although research in the field has faced obstacles, there is now a recognizable body of scholarship on climate in United States history and culture. This literature makes significant contributions to regional and national historiographies and to contemporary climate change issues. Most paleoclimate, historical, and archeological research pertaining to climate variability and impacts has focused on Native American histories and on the early colonial period, when European settlements were most vulnerable. Nevertheless, scholars have also investigated diverse ways in which regional climate differences and, above all, perceptions about American climates have shaped the modern history of the country. Research on climate and culture could make particularly significant contributions to topics such as Southern racism and slavery, Western migration and agriculture, and the rise of American suburbs. This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > World Historical Perspectives