Chapter 2 The First Americans

CHAPTER 2 THE FIRST AMERICANS

Core Lesson 1

Vocabulary Journal 

Glacier

 

Migration

 

Agriculture

 

Civilization

 

pueblo

People Arrive in the Americas 

WHEN???

 27,000 YEARS AGO!!  



HOW??? 

Scientists have several theories (beliefs about how things happened). 





Theory #1 

 

People traveled by boat along the coast or across the oceans.

Theory #2 

Hunters came to America across a land bridge between Asia and Alaska.





****Land bridges form naturally. They are NOT built by man.





This was during the Ice Age.  Glaciers

are huge thick sheets of slowly moving ice.  Ocean floor was no longer covered by water in many areas. 

Beringia 

 



In one area, the ocean floor became grassland where many kinds of animals lived. People hunted these wild animals. This area is called BERENGIA!! BERENGIA is a land bridge between Asia and Alaska where people followed the animals they hunted This kind of movement from one place to another is called migration.







People followed this land bridge for thousands of years until the Ice Age slowly started to end. The ice melted and now still covers many parts of the earth with water. Beringia was now covered by water and still is TODAY!!! Once these people crossed over by way of Beringia, they began to follow the migrating herds of animals south. They spread across North and South America

PALEO-Indians 

These ancient Americans were ancestors of modern American Indians.





What is an ancestor?  Relatives



who lived before you.

Assignment-POP QUIZ  

Develop 5 questions from Lesson 1. Trade papers with a friend to complete as a pop quiz.

CIVILIZATIONS DEVELOP 

 





PALEO-INDIANS hunted big and small animals. When the large animals started to die off, they continued to hunt smaller animals. They fished and gathered wild plants. The Paleo-Indians began to adapt to changes in their surroundings. To adapt to something is to change a way of life to fit an environment. They adapted to the changes and began to use agriculture to feed themselves.

In your notebook, write down what you think agriculture means. 

What is agriculture?





Scientists theory is that Paleo-Indians in present day Mexico were the first to practice agriculture.



***What kinds of crops do you think these Indians planted?  Corn, beans, and squash 



Agriculture gave these people a steady supply of food and caused them to be able to stay in one place and settle there.





Because of this, populations began to grow.  What

do you think happened when people stayed in one place and populations grew?

 



All of these changes began the growth of civilization.





What is civilization? A

group of people living together who have systems of government, religion, and culture.

 

***What are some different civilizations that you can think of in present day?

Who were the Mound Builders?   

The Adena Hopewell Mississippians

 

These people built giant mounds, or hills, out of the earth, which they often used to bury their dead, jewelry, tools, and pottery

The Adena and Hopewell lived in what is now the Ohio River Valley.

What did the mounds look like? 

They made some in the shape of animals or symbols.

  

 

The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio is shaped like a snake.

Mississippians  





Lived much like the Adenas and Hopewell. Spread along the lower Mississippi River Valley, over much of the southeast, and all the way to Wisconsin. The Mississippians may be ancestors of the Creek Indians, who lived in Alabama, Georgia and Florida

Assignment: 

Read the section about Mound Builders on p. 41. With your group, list several animals or symbols that the Adena might have chosen to model a mound after. Decide on one that you want to create and work together to create your mound.

Ancient Pueblo 

  

 

 

Indian civilization from what is now the Southwest. 2000 years ago Pueblo-Spanish word for “town” Lived in large buildings with many rooms that looked like towns. Built houses out of mud and stone Able to build these houses on top of each other Size of modern day apartment buildings Built kivas, which were underground rooms and used for religious ceremonies.

Pueblo Bonito, New Mexico  One of the mud and stone buildin gs built by the Pueblo’ s. Parts of Pueblo Bonito still stand today

Kivas used for religious

Kiva ceremonies.

The Great

Inside Pueblo Bonito

In January 1941, a section of the canyon wall known as Threatening Rock collapsed, destroying some of the interior walls of Pueblo Bonito.



 

Pueblo Bonito was occupied from AD 828 to 1126. They left their villages. Why? No one knows. Theories: Lack of rain or wood  Warfare with other people 

 



**Went south and settled along the Rio Grande and Little Colorado Rivers. **Today, descendents live in Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.

Aztec Civilization 

Ruled in Central Mexico beginning in 1300 for about 200 years.



Capital city-

Tenochtitlan

Population of 250,000 people  Aztecs built large temples here  Playing court similar to modern day basketball 

 

§

Why is this all important? 

Because the history of the people of North America began with the American Indians. They practiced agriculture and built civilizations.

PEOPLES OF THE NORTHWEST Core Lesson 2

Think of something you know of that you use in different ways. 

Make a web identifying all of its different uses.

  

Plastic

§

The Pacific Northwest 

     

Coastal area that stretches from Alaska to California. Bordered by mountains to the east Bordered by oceans to the west Thousands of islands and bays Covered by thick forests Climate is rainy and mild Occupied by several American Indian groups when Europeans first came to America and many still live there.

The People and the Land 





American Indians hunted and fished along the waters near them. They hunted mainly for salmon, but other fish too. During the spring and summer months, their would always be a surplus of salmon  Surplus

means extra  They would catch as much as they could and that it would last them all year.  Question: How do you think they would preserve their salmon to last them all year?

Salmon

Another important resource: 

WOOD!!!

 





  

Dugouts Houses out of boards from cedar spruce trees Decorated their homes with carvings and paint. Totem poles used to mark the entrance to their houses. The figures painted on them told the family history.

LET’S PARTY!!! 



    

Families would celebrate special occasions with a potlatch. A Potlatch is a large feast that could last for several days. HUGE amounts of food were served Valuable gifts given to guests. Sometimes like competitions. Families would try to outdo each other. Most common potlatches given today are for funerals, memorials, adoptions, totem-pole raisings, and the buildings of houses or lodges.

Other important resources:  

Cedar logs for canoes Dugouts for carrying goods on trading trips along the seacoast and rivers. They would also take these dugouts out to sea to hunt for whales.

 



What were the two main resources that helped the Northwest Indians live?

Look at the map on p. 47 







Which American Indian group lived the farthest north in the Pacific Northwest region? Which American Indian group lived on the island that was the farthest west in the Pacific? Which other American Indian group also lived on an island? Which American Indian group lived the farthest south in the Pacific Northwest region?

The Tlingit 





 



One of the largest American Indian groups in the Pacific Northwest Used many of the same resources and their way of life was very similar to that of the other Northwest peoples. Made clothing from tree bark because they did NOT farm or herd animals, so they didn’t have sheeps wool or cotton. They would make skirts, capes and raincoats from this cedar bark. They made rain hats out of cedar bark and spruce roots. Also made cedar bark blankets during the winter to keep warm. They would stay indoors out of the cold and would pass the time by weaving, carving, painting and sewing.

Tlingits cont’d    





Divided themselves into clans Clan-group of related families. Families from the same clan lived together. Put dividers in the homes so that each family had its own area. Had a fire in the center of the house where they would gather to eat meals together and fellowship. Very strict about the way they treated each other and members of other clans. 

A member of a clan may have to pay a fine for mistreating or insulting a member of another

Tlingit today!!! 

about 17,000 Tlingit live in Southeastern Alaska.       

Have jobs: Fishing Working in the forests cutting wood. Business owners Teachers Doctors lawyers

 





Still carry on many of same traditions, such as singing, dancing, and telling stories. Still live in clans and often wear family symbols on clothing or jewelry One of most important traditions is till potlatch.

Assignment: 

What do you think a Tlingit house would have looked like based on what you have learned so far?

 Draw

a sketch of what the inside of the Tlingit house might look like. You may draw a floor plan or an illustration!!

PEOPLES OF THE SOUTHWEST Core Lesson 3

How do you use water everyday? 

In your groups, make a web of all of the uses you can think of for water in your daily life.

 

What would life be like if you did not have enough water to use?

 

What are some things they could do to cope with this shortage?

WATER IS NECESSARY FOR LIFE!! 



Scarcity-when there is not enough of something. WATER IN THE SOUTHWEST IS SCARCE!!!



AMERICAN INDIANS FROM THE SOUTHWEST LEARNED TO USE



SOUTHWEST        

Present-day Arizona and New Mexico Sections of Utah Colorado Nevada Texas Southern California Northern Mexico Parts of the Rocky Mountains

Land in the Southwest     

Low Flat Desert Some high plateaus

Climate in the Southwest

DRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !



Receives very small amounts of rain  Most of the water in the area comes from rivers fed by melting snow in the 

The dry climate greatly affects the lives of the Southwestern Indians 









Very few trees, so there was very little wood to use for their homes Instead, they used sticks, stone, and clay called adobe They would build their homes on top of mesas

Mesas Small plateaus with steep sides and flat tops Building their homes on a mesa protecte d them from attack. 

People of the Southwest were farmers. 









Agriculture was difficult because of lack of water. They had to figure out ways to get water to their crops. This led to a need for irrigation-way of supplying water to crops with streams, ditches, or pipes. Dug long ditches from the rivers to their fields so that it would flow through the ditches to their crops. They would plant corn DEEP into the

THE HOPI 





  



Among the oldest Indian groups in the Southwest. Began living in northeast Arizona before 1350. They are considered Pueblo Indians because of their large buildings. Grew beans, squash, and corn Used irrigation to water their crops Irrigation-a way of supplying water to crops using streams, ditches, or pipes. CORN was their staple-main crop that is used for food.

CORN 





they grew corn of all kinds: blue, purple, yellow, red, white They would grow enough corn to last all year and would store it in rooms in their pueblos.

Pottery 



 

Would make clay pots for storage of food and water. Were one of first to fire their pots with coal Made them strong and hard

Religion 







Believed that their creator led them to the southwest Felt they were meant to be “caretakers of the land” Would try to keep their land healthy through prayer and ceremonies-special event at which people gather to express important beliefs. “BEAN DANCE”-ceremony where they would dance and pray for good harvest.

MODERN DAY HOPI      

Most live in villages in the southwest Still take part in dances and ceremonies Make pots, baskets, and silvery jewelry Many have jobs in local companies Teachers Business owners