The First Americans (Prehistory - 1600)



The First Americans (Prehistory - 1600)

Objective: To examine how the first humans migrated to America, the purpose of archaeology, and the culture of the Mound Builders.

Location of Beringia

Label and color the following:

Arctic Ocean (dark blue)

Bering Sea (light blue)

Bering Strait (blue dots)

Russia (red)

U.S.A ~ Alaska (purple)

Beringia (yellow)

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The First Americans

• Approximately 30,000 years ago the earth experienced an Ice Age.

Ice Age – a period of time in which temperatures on earth were very cold and North America was covered in glaciers.

Glaciers – large, slow moving sheets of ice

- As the oceans froze, the ocean floor became uncovered and dry.

- The first humans in North America crossed the land bridge.

Land bridge (Beringia) – an area of land which humans crossed during the Ice Age on their way to North America from Asia.

Archaeology - the study of evidence left by early peoples

Artifact – object made by humans and used by archaeologists to recreate a picture of the past.

Review:

How has the earth changed since the Ice Age?

The earth is warmer now. Most of the glaciers have melted and the water level in the ocean rose. Some of the land, like Beringia, is now covered with water. People can’t walk between Asia to North America. The glaciers carved out the Great Lakes, Niagara Falls and other geographic features in North America.

A. Migration Routes of the First Americans (red text pg.19)

a. Scientists agree: People migrated to North America from Asia during the last Ice Age.

b. It happened 12,500 years ago during the last Ice Age.

i. Ice Age: began 1.6 million years ago and ended 10,000 years ago

ii. Land bridge: connected Asia and North America

1. called Beringia

2. it was almost 1,000 miles long

c. Most scientists believe the first Americans came from Siberia (Asia)

Critical Question: How did the people move across the land bridge from Asia to North America? Why did the people migrate?

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Critical Question: Why did the tribes of people that slowly migrated across the land bridge eventually stay in the Americas?

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B. Theories of how people came to America

Two Theories

|Land Bridge |Boat |

| | |

| | |

|1) people crossed the land bridge between the continent of Asia &|1) people sailed across the Pacific Ocean or the Bering Sea |

|North America | |

| |2) least popular theory |

|The land bridge was called Beringia | |

| | |

|Most popular theory | |

Critical Question: Which of the two theories do you believe? Why?

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C. American Indian Origin Stories (red text pg. 18)

1. Origin Stories

– Natives created stories about the earth and how its people came to be

– Part of their religion and culture

– First passed down by word of mouth or pictograph

1. Hopi Origin Story

Retell:

• At the beginning of Earth, people lived happily inside the planet. Once it became too crowded, the people began fighting and the chief decided that the people needed to leave Earth’s dark inside. He sent a mockingbird out to fly around outside and report what it found. When the mockingbird returned he reported back that life above them was very different. The tribe grew strong plants that could be used as ladders. The tribe climbed out of the earth. The people decided to travel in many different directions and until they found good land to establish villages and grow crops.

D. Paleo-Indians (yellow text pg. 40)

• 1. the people who crossed into North America from Asia

a) these people are called Paleo-Indians

b) Paleo means past

• 2. these nomads migrated throughout North and South America

• 3. they were ancestors of modern Native Americans

a) ancestors are relatives who lived before you

b) indigenous people of the Americas

• 4. After the larger animals began to die out they adapted to the environment and survived by:

a) hunting smaller animals

b) fishing

c) gathering wild plants

5. Eventually some Paleo-Indians began to use agriculture to feed themselves.

• agriculture: is farming or growing plants

• it changed the way people lived because

– it takes months to plant and raise crops, so Paleo-Indians began staying in one place. Small villages grew into towns and cities. These changes led to the growth of civilizations.

• civilization: a group of people living together who have systems of government , religion, and culture.

E. A Closer Look at Early American Civilizations: Mound Builders

• The Mound Builders, including the Hopewell, Adena, and Mississippian peoples, lived from about 3,000 years ago to the 1700s.

• Early mounds were burial grounds for important leaders

• The Mississippian people built the city of Cahokia in present-day Illinois.

• The largest mound of Cahokia was Monk’s Mound, which covered around 16 acres.

• The fence built around the city served as a calendar.

• The posts of the fence were viewed from the top of Monk’s Mound. - shorter shadows meant the coming of spring - longer shadows meant the coming of autumn

* This system allowed farmers to know which crops should be planted.

Review:

Describe the Mound Builder civilizations. (Who? What? When? Where? Why?)

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Name __________________________ Section____

Date __________________________

Great Serpent Mound, Ohio

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