Three Discoveries of America

• Archeology: the study of Ancient Peoples

• They learn from Artifacts

The First Americans

• How did they get here?-Crossed Beringia (a land bridge now under the Bering Strait), during the most recent Ice Age. P. 8

• The first Americans were nomads, people who move from place to place.

• They either walked or used boats along the coast of Western N. America.

• How they lived?-They hunted for food in bands with spears and used all parts of the animal (Bison, Mastodon, or Mammoth)

• Over time Native populations developed farming.

• Maize is an early form of corn• They established unique cultures.• Scientists use carbon dating to determine age

of artifacts.

The Vikings: 2nd Discovery

• When? - About 1000 AD

• Not much known about their brief stay.

• Leif Eriksson-early Norse explorer who discovered Vinland-N. America.

3rd Discovery: Europeans

• Christopher Columbus-Born in Genoa, Italy-Wanted to reach Asia in a race against Portugal, by traveling West instead of East.-Needed a sponsor to finance him-Finally found King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to finance the voyage.

• They gave him three ships: Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria.

• Columbus discovered America in 1492.

• Trip took longer because of miscalculations in the route.

• He thought he’d landed in the East Indies, but had really landed on an island in the Bahamas, sometimes called the West Indies today.

• Columbus referred to the local people as Indians.

• After his death, people realized he discovered a part of the world unknown to the rest of the world and not Asia at all.