MAIN IDEA : HUMAN H ISTORY IN THEAMER ICAS BEGAN THOUSANDS OF

YEARS AGO.

CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST AMERICANS

THE MIGRATION BEGINS…HOW PEOPLE SETTLED IN THE AMERICAS

• People had lived in the Americas for nearly 20,000 years• Archeologist have developed theories to explain how people

migrated here1. The last ice Age exposed a strip of land that connected northeastern Asia and present-day Alaska. The land bridge BERINGIA (located in the Bering Strait)

2. Island Hopping- theory that over time humans moved by boat from location to location, eventually settling in the Americas.

SEARCHING FOR HUNTING GROUNDS

• People migrated (moved) into the Americas in search of food

• The early nomads (people who move from place to place in search of hunting/gathering opportunities)

• Early inhabitants hunted bison, mammoths, and mastodons

• 15,000 years ago the climate changed and several changes occurred

1. Bernigia disappeared2. Mammoths and mastodons disappeared3. Humans were forced to find different sources of food.

SETTLEMENT AND ESTABLISHMENT OF CULTURE

• Farming developed around 10,000 years ago in Mexico with the successful growth of maize (a type of corn)

• Farming led to permanent settlements, development of occupations, and eventually the establishment of large civilizations.

• AGRICULTURE CHANGED THE LIVES OF EARLY AMERICANS

• They developed their own UNIQUE cultures (shared traditions and beliefs)

• REMEMBER: There are thousands of Native American cultures- it is not a single culture.