1. Uncovering the American Past
Chapter 2 Section 1
Uncovering the American Past

2. The First Americans
Left no written records to tell us where they came from
Land bridge (Beringia-Alaska to Siberia)

3. First Americans, Cont.
Probably hunters following woolly mammoth, bison, and other game (30,000-15,000 yrs ago)
Global warming 12,000 years ago
- Glaciers melted
- People adapted (gathered berries, cultivated land)

4. Study of Early People
Native American’s are the descendents of those first people.
Archaeology (study of evidence) and artifacts used to learn about these people.
Culture’s are distinguished through archaeology

5. Different Cultures Mound Builders 3,000 yrs. ago—1700
From Wisconsin to Florida
Used mounds as burial grounds, religious ceremonies, and unknown reasons
Hopewell people built a mound looking like a giant snake

6. Cultures in the Southwest
- Hohokams (hoh HOH kahmz) (lived in present day Arizona)
~ Dug ditches for irrigation in arid land
~Produced corn, squash, and beans
- Anasazi (ah nuh sah zeez)
~ Used irrigation also
~ Built large brick houses out of clay
~ Built homes out of cliffs for protection
~ Late 1200’s drought drove them away

8. THE END