People first came to the Americas thousands
of years ago. At the time, a drop in sea level
in the Bering Strait created a land bridge
connecting Asia and North America.
land bridge
Americas
North America + Central America +
South America + the Caribbean
Early people depended on hunting for food, so
they probably walked across the land bridge
following animals. Over time, people built
great societies throughout the Americas.
We call the people who first lived in
North American Native Americans or
American Indians. There were many
different groups of Native Americans.
Each group had its own way of life..
a representative form of government
& used by Founding Fathers
Great Plains
food
hunted animals (buffalo)
housing
homes from soil, wood frames, teepees
other
developed a cultural around the buffalo
Pacific Northwest
Southwest (dry)
people
Pueblo Indians, Anasazi
food
grew crops
(collected rain water)
housing
Pueblo - homes of adoboe;
Anasazi - sides of cliffs
other
developed an agricultural system
that used irrigation
Southeast (swampy)
peolpe
Seminole, Greek, others
food
grew food &
hunted in the
woodlands
housing
chickees
These early people did not have a written
language, but they left behind petroglyphs,
pottery, and weavings. They also left
behind homes and mounds. Historians
study these artifacts and sites to learn
about the lives of early Native Americans.
weaving
cloth made from thread or fibers
mound
a small hill that may be either
natural or created by people