Colonizers or Conquerors? The Demise of the Original Americans 8 th Grade Social Studies Unit 2 Mr. Morris, Sheridan Middle School

The Journey from Asia II. II. Pre-Colonial America A. The Journey from Asia 1. Scientists believe that people first came to the Americas across a land bridge. 2. The bridge now lies under the Bering Strait. 3. Hunters came over during the last Ice Age. 4. The early Americans were nomads, who moved from place to place hunting. 5. The crossing of the land bridge to South America was a migration over many centuries. Draw a picture of a land bridge here Circle/highlight vocabulary words 1 Century = 100 Years

How did the Land Bridge Work? Asia (Russia) North America (Alaska) Land Between Bering Strait When the Ice Age started, the water in the Arctic ocean froze causing the sea level to drop. With the land between now exposed, nomads crossed the land bridge.

Settling Down in the Americas II. II. B. Settling Down. 1. The early American nomads hunted the mammoths & other large animals into extinction. 2. Once the hunters killed off the animals the tribes moved on to better hunting areas. 3. After the Ice Age, people began to plant and harvest crops. 4. People living in Mexico discovered Maize. This early form of corn, was a reliable source of food.

Settling Down in the Americas II.II B. Pre-Colonial America 5. Farming allowed people to build shelters and make pottery and clothing. 6. Over time, the original Americans relied more and more on agriculture. 7. This led to new cultures and new ways of living. Summary:

The Journey from Asia: Discussion  Why does the land bridge no longer exist?  Why did these early people spread out across the Americas?  How did early Native Americans learn to adapt to their environment? Please answer questions 3 & 6 from page 19 on a separate piece of paper.

Ancient American Civilizations II. II. C. North American Native Americans 1. Many Native American cultures rose, flourished & died before the Europeans arrive in the 1500s. 2. The Anasazi carved their homes into the red stone near the Four Corners until a drought most likely killed them off around 1300 AD. 3. In the northwest, the Inuit lived in igloos & the Tlinglit lived in wood houses. 4. On the Great Plains, the Plains Indians were nomads who lived in teepees. 5. In the east, the Iroquis governed themselves with a type of constitution.

II. II. Pre-Colonial America D. Ancient American Civilizations 1. The Maya a. The Maya were the first civilization in the Americas, starting around 2600 B.C.E. b. The Maya lived from Mexico to Central America. c. They had no capital city but built large cities with pyramids. d. The Maya were ruled by religious leaders & occasionally practiced human sacrifice. Ancient American Civilizations

II. II. D. 1. Pre-Colonial Civ.: The Maya e. The Maya were skilled at astronomy and developed writing called hieroglyphics. f. No one knows what caused the decline of the Maya around 900 C.E. (or A.D. 900) 2. The Inca Empire a. The Incas were the largest ancient civilization, stretching over 3000 miles of South America. b. Cuzco, the capital city, was founded around 1200 C.E (or A.D. 1200). c. They built roads & bridges for communication and to tax people all over the Empire. d. The Inca developed a record-keeping system.

Original American Cultures Central & South American Civilizations  Aztec  Maya  Inca North American Native American Groups  Northwest: Inuit/Tlinglit  Anasazi  Plains Indians

II. II. D. 2. Pre-Colonial Civ.: The Inca Empire e. The Inca developed terrace farming. f. Gold was abundant in the empire, but was not used as money. 3. The Aztec Empire a. Founded in 1325, the capital city was Tenochtitlan, an island city near Mexico City. b. The Aztec were mighty warriors and built a military empire. c. They took maize, cotton & copper from the conquered people & forced many into slavery. d. The Aztec tried to please their gods by sacrificing prisoners atop the Sun pyramid. Ancient American Civilizations

II. II. F. Columbus “Discovers” the “New World” 1. An Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus thought that he could reach Asia by sailing west. 2. In 1492 King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain sponsored Columbus’ voyage. 3. After a very difficult journey, land was sighted on October 12, 1492 in what is now the Bahamas. 4. Columbus thought he was in the East Indies so he called the local people Indians. 5. He made 3 more voyages to the Americas, and helped Spain establish their Empire. European Exploration of the Americas The Nina, the Pinta & the Santa Maria

II. II. E. European Exploration of the Americas. 1. The Renaissance encouraged Europeans to pursue new ideas and discoveries. 2. Powerful nations emerged that wanted to trade and make money. 3. Advances in technology helped map makers (cartographers) & ship builders. 4. With faster ships and new maps explorers searched for a faster trade route to Asia. 5. Prince Henry “The Navigator” of Portugal set up a school for exploration. 6. The Portuguese made discoveries along Africa’s coast including Bartholomeu Diaz in European Exploration of the Americas

Columbus: Hero or Villain? Reasons why he is a hero? Reasons why he is a villain? In a short paragraph determine if Columbus was a hero or villian and persuade readers.

II. II. G. The Spanish Conquistadores 1. Explorers sent by Queen Isabella returned to Spain with reports of gold, silver and wealthy civilizations. 2. Conquistadores received permission to establish settlements while returning 1/5 of all gold & treasure discovered. 3. Cortes’ Conquers the Aztec a). Hernan Cortes & 500 soldiers landed in Mexico in b). Because the Aztec had treated many cities savagely, Cortes made alliances with them. c). Emperor Montezuma tried to be friendly with the Spanish but Cortes double-crosses & kills him. d). Armed with guns & horses, the Spanish seized control. European Conquest of the Americas

II. II. G. The Spanish Conquistadores 4. Pizarro conquers the Inca a). Francisco Pizarro sailed up the Pacific Coast and found the Inca Empire. b). Pizarro captured the Inca Emperor, Atahualpa. c). With just 121 soldiers, Pizarro gained control of the entire empire. 5. The Spanish were successful because of strange weapons, fearsome animals and disease. 6. Many parts of North America were also explored by the Spanish and Pueblos and Missions were established. European Conquest of the Americas

II. II. H. The English & French in North America 1. In 1497 John Cabot, an Italian, explored North America for England. 2. England & France made claims for territory and set up trading posts. 3. Plans for colonies, bases for the Europeans to trade and produce goods, were made by England. 4. Division over religion forced many in England to move to North American colonies. 5. Meanwhile Ferdinand Magellan led an expedition to circumnavigate the globe. He died but 18 of the 200 members returned to Europe. European Conquest of the Americas

Best way to study for test:  1. Write a summary of each section of your notes in your own words.  2. Write questions on the left hand side and quiz yourself.  3. Create a “crib” sheet.  4. Quiz a friend from your notes – A Study Buddy!  5. Read your notes over and over and over….boring.