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.
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