Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 THE AMERICAN NATION 12 th Edition Prologue Mark C. Carnes John A. Garraty ©2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 BEGINNINGS Cro-Magnon Man (50,000 years ago) –Stone tools –Complex Languages –Migration Moved north into Siberia following receding supply of large mammals, especially mammoths

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 PASSAGE TO ALASKA About 12,000 years ago, perhaps earlier, these hunters moved into Alaska across the Bering Strait land bridge created by the lowered sea levels during the Pleistocene (Ice Age)

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 INTO THE CONTINENT The hunters then moved into the continent along an ice free corridor beginning in Calgary, Canada, and extending into the Great Plains where vast herds of giant mammals roamed

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 DEMISE OF BIG MAMMALS Clovis hunters had developed divided spears tipped with sharp stone points (Clovis points named after location in New Mexico where first found) Another stress on the big mammals was a warming climate that caused deserts and forests to expand while grasslands shrank By 9,000 BCE nearly three-fourths of large mammals were extinct

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 WHO KILLED BIG MAMMALS? CLOVIS HUNTERS –Paul Martin estimates that several hundred thousand Clovis hunters hunted 93 billion pounds of animals to extinction –But were they really such effective hunters or were they primarily scavengers? CLIMATE CHANGE –After 11,000 BCE climate became warmer and drier damaging the ecosystem on which mammals depended –Climate change was not so drastic as to adversely impact other species and large mammals had survived previous climate changes so why a problem now?

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 ARCHAIC PERIOD BCE Clovis period ends with death of large mammals and humans are forced to find new sources of clothing, food, and shelter EARLY ARCHAIC (a hundred human generations) was a time of scarcity Hunted small animals, bison and other game for which they hunted continuously

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 ARCHAIC PERIOD BCE MIDDLE ARCHAIC –Increasingly settled –Development of far-ranging trade networks –Discovered edible plants LATER ARCHAIC –Around 2500BCE seeds were planted in Midwest and Archaic peoples supplemented their hunting with primitive agriculture

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 ARCHAIC PERIOD BCE Period saw steady population growth but it was slow –Diet low in fats and carbohydrates, delaying menses –Diet unsuited to infants resulting in 2-3 years of breastfeeding thereby delaying next pregnancy

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FIRST SEDENTARY COMMUNITIES 1000 BCE COASTAL AREAS –Pacific Northwest & Alaska: developed nets, fishhooks, and boats from skins and bark –Coast of New England: lived primarily on shellfish

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 FIRST SEDENTARY COMMUNITIES 1000 BCE Poverty Point, LA (founded 1000 BCE) –Supplemented fishing with agriculture –Built large mounds that totaled over 1 million cubic yards of dirt What do mounds mean? –Must have had decent supply of food to spend so much time building mounds –Likely that their society was hierarchical (unlike usual egalitarian societies of Archaic peoples) Deserted after about 500 years

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 MOUND BUILDERS ADENA (Mississippi & Ohio River valleys) –Hierarchical hunting and agricultural society –Extensive trade –Lasted several hundred years HOPEWELL (200 BCE – 500 CE in Ohio & Illinois)

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 CORN TRANSFORMS THE SOUTHWEST About 2000 years ago, Teotihuacán, a city of 100,000, flourished 40 miles north of what is now Mexico City Basis for large, thriving civilizations was cultivation of CORN which led to a NEOLITHIC revolution—transformation to farming life by 2000 BCE

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 CORN TRANSFORMS THE SOUTHWEST Corn culture spread north to the Hohokam and Mogollon people of Arizona and New Mexico and the Anasazi of the Coloraldo Plateau Their culture came to revolve around corn –Built irrigation canals –Sun and water became center of religious beliefs –Astronomers measured seasons to ensure the best harvest –Corn Mother symbolism dominated –Corn surplus was key to political power

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 CORN TRANSFORMS THE SOUTHWEST Corn cultivating peoples increased in number after 800 CE especially among the Anasazi in the Chaco Canyon region Anasazi carved cities into the cliffs and built elaborate road systems The Hohokam constructed an irrigation canal system over hundreds of miles and a Hohokam village 250 miles west of modern Phoenix had a population of several thousand

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 DIFFUSION OF CORN Corn spread to southeast but then slowed due to weather conditions and social disdain—it was work for women But it was so good as a food base, especially combined with squash and beans that by 700 it was around St. Louis and in southern Wisconsin by 900. By 1000 CE corn had become king

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 POPULATION GROWTH AFTER 800 An acre of woodlands fed two or three hunters while the same area fed 200 people when planted with corn and as a result –had more children because started menstruating and weaning earlier –infants could be protected from weather and were less bothersome than when mobile Needing more land, the larger population expanded often pushing hunters out of the way

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 CAHOKIA: The Hub of Mississippian Culture Located near St. Louis, it was a center of trade, shops, religion, and politics by 1000, reaching its height at 1150 –Location of a variety of mounds including largest in North America –Highly stratified society –May have practiced sacrifice –City surrounded by palisade suggesting conflict though rulers maintained power due to religious roles not military –Culture spread even to southern Wisconsin where Aztalan was built

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 COLLAPSE OF URBAN CENTERS By 1200 Cahokia’s population down from over 15,000 to several thousand and the town was deserted by 1350 In Southwest the Anasazi pueblos were empty by 1200 Why the decline? –Protracted droughts during 1200s and 1300s –Environmental damage –Decline in crop yields –Endemic warfare

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 AMERICAN BEGINNINGS IN EURASIA & AFRICA Neolithic revolution earlier and more complete –Wheat in SW Asia after 9000 BCE –Rice from China around same time –Diffusion of these crops soon followed by variety of others Shift of African climate around 6000BCE hindered flow of crops

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 ANIMAL DOMESTICATION Domesticated horses, pigs, cows, goats, sheep, oxen –Protein rich meat –Dairy products –Field work –Fertilizer –Transportation (when combined with wheels) All this led to increase in population By 1500, China and India each over 100 million people, Europe around 80 million, Africa about 40 million (compared to maybe 10 million in what is now the U.S.) Domesticated animals also brought disease leading to recurrent plagues

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 WEST AFRICA Grassy savannah south of Sahara became home of herding peoples Cities emerged in response to trans- Saharan trade Conflict over trade routes lead to great kingdoms though disease kept them from penetrating farther south

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 EUROPE IN FERMENT During the 1400s European population increased by a third, often leading to scarcity, migration, and the search for a scapegoat New ideas gave rise to challenges to tradition such as the Protestant Revolution Nearly constant warfare led to advances in military technology which made war more expensive and required creation of nation states

Pearson Education, Inc. © 2006 WEBSITES Pre-Contact and Colonial Maps Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization dex.html National Museum of the American Indian Cahokia Mounds a/cahokia.html