 Roots of American History

Why study history?  To Help Us Develop Judgment in Worldly Affairs by Understanding the Past Behavior of People and Societies

The Earliest Americans  Where did Native Americans come from?  The Land Bridge Theory  The crossed from Asia to America over glaciers.  The Coastal Route Theory  Learning to farm  They used to be just hunters and gatherers  8000 years ago people started to grow plants in Mexico  They no longer needed to travel to find food  They used irrigation techniques  Groups of people then had a surplus of food and these communities turned into cities.

Three Major American Civilizations : The Mayas  Between the years 250 and 900, the Mayas built cities in what is now Mexico and Central America.  They built pyramids, created a written language, created a government, and practiced art. They also created accurate calendars.  The Mayas began to disappear in about 900 A.D.  Many languages in Central America come from the Mayan language.

The Aztecs  The Aztecs started to rise as the Mayas fell away.  Their capital city was Tenochtitlan, where Mexico City is today. The city was built on a series of islands in a lake. Considered to be the largest city in the world at that time.  They farmed on floating platforms on the lake.  Very religious people. Practiced human sacrifices.  They spread their empire over most of Mexico.

The Incas  They had the largest empire in the world during the 1400s  They lived in South America.  The Inca capital was Cuzco. They had a great network of roads to connects cities.  They were a very rich people.

Cultures of North America  What is culture? – It’s a way of life  Mound Builders  These groups stretched from Appalachia to the Mississippi  Their structures large mounds of earth  Anasazi  Lived around Utah, Colorado, and northern Arizona  Built their dwellings into cliffs to protect themselves from attacking people like the Navajo and the Aztecs  Built beautiful pottery and jewelry  The Anasazi mysteriously left their dwelling by the year 1300

Ways of Life  Meeting Basic Needs:  Some tribes were hunters and gatherers.  Others settled in areas where they could farm.  They came up with different farming tools.  Farming aloud for bigger populations to grow.  Many different tribes would trade goods with each other.  They also developed different kinds of currency.

Shared Beliefs  Most Native Americans shared a close tie to the natural world.  Their religion was tied to farming and hunting.  They also passed down their traditions orally. Some didn’t have much of a written language.

Native Americans of North America: Far North  These people lived harsh, cold environments all year long.  They ate fish, birds, whales, and seals. They also traveled by kayak.  They lived in igloos.

North West  From southern Alaska to northern California.  They hunted deer and bears as well as fished for salmon.  Food was very abundant so the people settled permanent houses. They were not farmers.  They were rather wealthy and exchanged gifts often in a potlatch.

Far West  Warm summers and mild winters allowed these people to become great farmers.  Some lived in dug out dirt hills. Others lived in cabin-like structures.

Southwest  These people lived in deserts and also suffered from flash floods.  They learned how to farm  They lived in sun-dried houses called adobe.

Great Plains  A vast region spreading from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.  The people in the river valley mostly lived off of farming.  The others in the middle of the plains were hunters.  They followed their food, buffalo, around.  They mostly lived in teepees.

Eastern Woodlands  They lived in the north eastern US.  These areas were dense forests.  The main group of people that lived in this region were the Iroquois.  They were divided into five nations. These nations were made of different clans.  These clans were matriarchal.  The Iroquois were at war for many years. They finally made peace.

Southeast  Mild climate, but hot and humid summers. Very good for farming.  Cherokees and Creeks were the major tribes.  They lived in wooden shacks covered in mud.  Most tribes lived in a strict class-based society.