Chapter 2, Lesson 1 ACOS #2: Identify causes and effects of prehistoric migration and settlement in North America.

How did people’s lives change when they stopped migrating to grow crops? With a steady supply of food, more families could survive. Populations grew and people built villages and cities. These changes were all part of the growth of civilizations.

Key Vocabulary Words 1. theory-an explanation or belief about how things happen or will happen. 2. Ice Age-a time, thousands of years ago, when glaciers covered over half the earth. 3. Beringia-the land bridge between Asia and Alaska, formed when the ocean floor became grassland and formed a bridge, connecting the two continents. 4. glacier-a mass of ice that moves slowly over land. 5. migration-movements from one region to another. Over many years, hunters followed the migration of animals across Beringia. 6. civilization-a culture with cities, a government, and different jobs for people to do. 7. Pueblo-the Spanish word for town. 8. agriculture-growing plants for food. Another word for farming.

How did the first humans come to North America? One theory is that thousands of years ago, in a time called the Ice Age, glaciers covered almost half the world. In some areas, the ocean floor was no longer covered by water. At the Bering Strait, between Asia and Alaska, the ocean floor became grassland and formed a bridge that scientists call Beringia. Beringia was a cool, wet land where many kinds of animals lived. Humans hunted these animals, and followed them from Asia across Beringia into North America. Beringia was a type of “land bridge.” After a time, the glaciers began to melt, filling the oceans with water. The water covered the land bridge. The animals and humans continued migrating south through North America. These ancient Americans are known as Paleo Indians.

glacier

migration

Agriculture

The Mound Builders

Pueblo