Settling the Continent
o Christopher Columbus called the Native Americans “Indios” because he thought that he had landed in India
· Who Are the Indian People?
o The term “Indian” refers to a variety of different cultures (over 2000), with hundreds of different languages and different ways of living.
o Indians had long, dark hair, almond shaped eyes and tan skin.
o After the realization that America was not a part of Asia a debate began over how people got there.
o Joseph de Acosta said that since there were old world animals in the new world, humans must have crossed a land bridge with them.
· Migration from Asia
o Scientific evidence shows that there are close genetic similarities between Asians and Native Americans.
o The migrants started leaving Asia about 30000 years ago.
o Sea level were around 300 feet lower at the time and so the land. These lower seas led to the creation of a land bridge, Beringia.
o Because they migrated across ocean’s it is called a transoceanic migration.
o Scientist hypothesized that Native Americans moved to the south after the climate warmed and the glaciers melted.
o New findings dispute this theory (Kennewick man).
· Clovis: The First American Technology
o About 11000 years ago native Americas developed a more sophisticated style of tool making (fluted blades and lance points) called the Clovis tradition.
New Ways of Living on the Land
· Hunting Traditions
o After the end of the Ice Age large mammals, like mastodons, died off, because of the climate change and the “Pleistocene Overkill”
o The Pleistocene Overkill was brought about because the Indians had intensified efforts because there were less of the large mammals.
o They began hunting bison with weapons that could be thrown quickly with great accuracy and speed.
o The technology was called Folsom and was a refinement of the Clovis tradition.
· Desert Culture
o The retreat of the glaciers led to new ways of getting food: hunting-arctic, foraging-desert, fishing-coasts, and hunter-gatherer-forests.
o Took place around 10000 to 2500 years ago; called the Archaic period.
o In the desert food was obtained through small game hunting and intensified foraging.
o Lived in caves and rock shelters.
o Shoshones scorned greed and promoted gift giving to prevent any one family from gaining to mush wealth.
o The desert culture spread west and developed densely populated settled communities.
· Forest Efficiency
o Forest culture called “Forest Efficiency” because they had a rich and sophisticated knowledge of the land and how to use it.
The Development of Farming
· Mexico
o Farmed Corn (Maize)
o Corn and Potatoes were miracle crops, fueled Europe for three centuries
o Maize adapted to a wide range of American climates and provided the foundation for the farming system.
· Increasing Social Complexity
o Farming reshaped society.
o Foraging took 100 mi2 for 100 people farming required only 1 mi2
o Because people needed to stay in one place to tend the crops, people moved into permanent villages with permanent architecture.
o Families began to group into clans.
o Division of labor by gender.
o Mesoamerica was the region stretching from Mexico to Central America.
o Mesoamerica was the birthplace of agriculture in North America.
o Farming societies were very vulnerable to climatic changes.
o The Olmecs were the first literate urban culture in this region.
o Mayan civilization flourished between 300 B.C.E. and 900 C.E.
· The Resisted Revolution
o The adoption of farming was a gradual process.
o Today’s Hunter-gatherers regard their method of obtaining food as superior, because farming requires tedious labor; Skeletal evidence shows that farming peoples suffered from degenerate joint diseases.
· Farmers of the Southwest
o One of the first groups to farm in the southwest was the Mogollon; they lived in pit structures that may have been precursors of the Kivas.
o The Hohokam built the first irrigation system in America north of Mexico; water was channeled through 500 miles of canals to fields of crops.
· The Anasazis
o They were the best known Farming culture in the southwest.
o Because of dense populations the Anasazis switched from pit houses to multistoried apartment complexes that the Spaniards called “pueblos.”
o Used Bow and Arrow to hunt.
o Due to an increasingly arid climate, the Anasazis had to build increasingly more complicated irrigation system.
o They also faced attacks from other tribes.
· Farmers of the Eastern Woodlands
o Combined hunting and gathering with farming.
o Lived in permanent homes most of the year, but moved seasonally to take advantage of fishing resources.
o Known for mound building; largest mound is the Great Serpent Mound: 1300 ft long, built by the Mississippian.
· Mississippian Society
o Innovations: Bow and Arrow, Northern Flint (Maize that grew fast and was bigger), flint hoes.
o These innovations led to the development of the Mississippian culture.
o Mississippians were master maize farmers and lived in permanent settlements along the Mississippi flood plains.
o Hierarchical chiefdoms had political control.
o The Mississippian society had all of the traits of European civilization (urbanization, social stratification, craft specialization, and regional trade) except a writing system.
· The Politics of Warfare and Violence
o Scientist hypothesis that a long drought may have led to violence and social unrest amongst the Native Americans.
o Warfare was common among farming cultures that wanted more land.
o Some people moved into communities enclosed by heavy log stockades.
Cultural Regions of North America on the Eve of Colonization
· The Population of Indian America
o The population of North America (excluding Mexico) was between 5 and 10 million.
o The population of the western hemisphere was around 50 million at the time, which was in the same range as Europe.
o Population varied by cultural region.
o The arctic, subarctic, Great Plains, and Great Basin had very low populations at this time.
o The largest populations were found in the southwest, south, northeast.
· The Southwest
o Aridity made life difficult; they made use of the nearby rivers for irrigation.
o Indians in the southwest lived in Rancherias, which were dispersed settlements of Indian farmers in the southwest.
o Southwestern peoples took part kachinas, which were impersonations of ancestral spirits.
· The South
o Mild moist climate.
o Indian peoples of the south farmed, fished, and hunted.
o Peoples of the south shared agricultural festivals.
· The Northeast
o Varied geography of plains, mountains, rivers, lakes, and valleys.
o The Iroquois have lived in the region for 4500 years.
1. B.
Native populations were not racially homogenous. Native people did not consider themselves a homogenous culture with common origins. Native populations were found in the colder Northeastern region of North America, not only in warm regions of Mesoamerica. More than a few thousand natives were found in America and the native spoke hundreds of various languages.
2. E.
When scientists have compared DNA between American Indians and other cultures, the closest genetic relationship was to Asians.
3. B.
The archeological findings along the Pacific coast of North and South America have led some scholars to conclude that the migration to North America occurred by water as people used boats to travel along the western coastline of the continent.
4. D.
Clovis technology quickly spread throughout the Americas. The Clovis technology was a more sophisticated style of tool making (fluted blades and lance points) which allowed the people to hunt more efficiently. This influenced the people by allowing them the travel in small hunting bands.
5. E.
The Archaic period refers to a period roughly 10,000 to 2,500 years ago when glaciers were retreating and the environment was changing after the Ice Age.
6. B
The “miracle crops” found in North America are potatoes and maize (corn).
7. A
The “resisted revolution” is the refusal of some Native American tribes to give up a hunter-and-gatherer society and switch to an agricultural society.
8. B
Not 100% on this one, but I’m almost positive that this is the answer Mr. Vincent gave.
9. E.
The key to understanding not only US history but history in general is to have an appreciation for the ways that human beings adapted to geography and climate. An understanding of this allows you to understand the reasons why certain social orders and political ideas spring up in certain regions.
10. C.
The larger native populations in North America were all located in the Southeast, South, or Northeast parts.
11. C
I found this answer on page 22, second chapter, first sentence.
12. E
The Indian tribes in the South did not have superior technology. The tribes did not adopt Spanish farming techniques. Many native crops would grow in cooler climates. Northern tribes did not all remain hunters rather than becoming farmers. The South’s mild, moist climate, and rich, fertile soil did allow agriculture to flourish in the region.
13. A
The five Iroquois chiefdoms (nations) were recorded to have engaged in a period of persistent violence, most likely over territory conflicts. To control this violence, the Iroquois Confederacy was founded, and war among members was outlawed. Gift exchange and payment replaced revenge.
14. C
The “New World” was a not truly a new world since it had already been settled by another group of people. Christopher Columbus had a large influence on history. Since both worlds were technically old worlds, settled by varying populations, Columbus simply established contact between the two old worlds. He was not likely to have been the first European in America due to Leif Ericson. Columbus did very little to help other Europeans understand the history of North America.
