Roots of the American People Chapter 1

The Earliest Americans There are two ideas of how people came to America Between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago the world was covered by glaciers. This helped to create a land bridge between Russia and Alaska. The other theory is the Coastal-route theory which said that people used boats to travel on the Pacific coast

The Earliest Americans For many years, humans fulfilled most of their needs by hunting. Eventually many of the larger animals disappeared and people began to grow plants. They used irrigation to move water to their crops. If the Native Americans grew extra, they began to trade with others. Some farming communities turned into cities.

The Earliest Americans There were three important civilizations The Mayans Lived between 250 and 900 A.D. in what is now Mexico and Central America They built pyramids, temples, ball courts and palaces They developed the arts, government, written language, they studied the stars and created a calendar In around 900 AD the Mayans began to abandon their cities, the reason why is a mystery. It may have to do with disease or overpopulation

The Earliest Americans The Aztecs Began when the Mayans were declining. Their capital was Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City It was built on a series of islands connected by stone roadways They had many sacred temples honoring their Gods. During the 1400’s, The Aztecs would eventually take over most of modern Day Mexico

The Earliest Americans The Incas In the 1400’s this was the largest empire in the World. It went from the coast of South America to the Andes, and across from the Atacama Desert to the edge of the Rain forest The Capital was Cuzco, which was linked to other towns by a set of roads. The Incas made buildings out of huge stones, they built walls, canals, and they also had jewelry.

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Cultures of North America Around 3000 years ago, a group of people called the Mound Builders lived between the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi Valley These people made mounds from earth, many of these mounds were burial places but some of them served as public buildings.

Cultures of North America Another Native American tribe was the Anasazi’s, who lived in present day Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. They had large cliff houses to defend against outsiders By 1300, these people abandoned their homes Between 300 and 1450 AD, the Hohokan dug irrigation canals in Arizona,, they traded with Natives in California

Cultures of North America Native Americans tended to live in Culture areas People have basic needs, food, which can be collected, hunted and fished, it can also be farmed, and traded Many Native Americans had religious rituals, as well as strong oral traditions, which the story tellers passed on the traditions to younger generations.

Cultures of North America Native Americans of North America Far North- People who lived in the Arctic ate fish, shell fish and birds; they hunted marine mammals and used kayaks. People who lived south of the Arctic, they relied on Animals and plants for food

Cultures of North America North West- The land that stretches from Alaska to Northern California These people ate deer, bear, and salmon, there was enough food available that people did not need to farm These people had potlatch ceremonies, to show the families status

Cultures of North America Far West-The weather was very different in this area, it could be warm with a lot of food around, or cold with little food. Houses also changed. Southwest- Most of the people in this area farmed, but some groups hunted. People lived in adobe houses to protect themselves

Cultures of North America Great Plains – The people here were mainly farmers of corn, beans and squash, there were also hunters of buffalo, which was what the people used for housing, robes, shields and tools.

Cultures of North America Eastern Woodlands- These people hunted, fished for collected food. The Algonquin Native Americans were scattered through Southern Canada, the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Coast to Virginia

Cultures of North America The Iroquois Native Americans lived in New York and were made of Five Nations. Each Nation has clans, and women chose the tribal chief. During the 1500’s, the Five Nations went through a period of warfare, they finally formed a Union called the League of the Iroquois to make laws and keep the peace

Cultures of North America Southeast- People called the Cherokee and Creek built their homes on wooden frames with straw mats. They used mud clay to keep their homes dry and cool. The Natchez lived in the Gulf Coast and created a complex society, in which the higher social class had to marry the lower social class.

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Trade Networks of Asia and Africa In the 1500’s there was a trading network connecting Europe, Africa and Asia. This trade growth was linked to the rise of the religion of Islam Islam was a religion that was based on the Quran, or the sacred book

Trade Networks of Asia and Africa Arab scholars made advancements in math, medicine and astronomy and this knowledge traveled to Europe In about 1000 AD, trade centers began in eastern Africa, in Zimbabwe. This land lay at the beginning of a trade route

Trade Networks of Asia and Africa These trade networks also linked the Middle East to West Africa There were caravans or groups of camels that moved the goods Ghana was the first major center of trade in Western Africa Slowly Ghana began to weaken, and the kingdom was take over by Mali, the leader of Mali was Mansa Musa Mali did very well and Timbuktu became a center of learning.

Trade Networks of Asia and Africa By the 1200’s China’s empire had grown They were now trading with India, Korea, Japan, the Middle East and Africa The Chinese made advances in Navigation with a magnetic compass Zheng He was a Chinese explorer who worked with trading routes that stretched from Japan to East Africa

Trade Networks of Asia and Africa The Silk Road was a series of roads that stretched about 5,000 miles Merchants brought silk and other goods from China across Asia for sale in the Middle East

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The European Heritage Judaism-a religion started around 1700 BC, which was a monotheistic religion. This religion has a set of laws called the Ten Commandments This religion believed that the ruler also had to obey the laws

The European Heritage Christianity- began around 2000 years ago. This religion also has the Ten Commandments, believes in Jesus as the Son of God In the beginning, Christians were arrested and killed but later emperors accepted this religion

The European Heritage Greeks and Romans had ideas that would influence the formation of the creation of the American government Athenian Democracy was based in Greece and was a direct democracy. When ordinary citizens make decisions Women, slaves, and foreign born people could not participate in government This democracy was based on the education of their citizens

The European Heritage The Romans also developed traditions in laws and government They set up a republic which had people elect others to govern them. There were codes of laws that define the rights of citizens.

The European Heritage By the Middle Ages, there was feudalism, which the King grants lords land in return for service and money The Crusades were a series of Holy wars between the Roman Catholic Church and Muslim Civilization; they wanted control of the Holy Land. They did not win control of the land but increased trade

The European Heritage The Renaissance was a time when more people became interested in science and inventions. The printing press was invented which could produce a large number of books in a short time.

The European Heritage The Reformation was when people began to fight against the Roman Catholic Church, led by Martin Luther in 1517. Exploration happened during the Renaissance led by Prince Henry the Navigator, who wanted to spread Christianity By 1498, Vasco Da Gama sailed around the Southern tip of Africa to find India

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