The First Americans American History I: The Beginnings to 1877 Coach Lonnie Cox’s Course Chapter 1: Section 1 Notes

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas The first people came to America thousands of years ago. The Europeans who arrived in the late 1400s found Native Americans already living there. Archaeologists are dependent on Artifacts, including tools, weapons, baskets, and cravings, to help them better understand the beginnings of America.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas Earth has gone through several ice ages, or periods of extreme cold. During the ice ages, large sheets of ice covered much of Earth. The last ice age started about 100,000 years ago and ended about 12,000 years ago.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas The earliest Native Americans crossed a land bridge called Beringia. Beringia is often referred to as the ancient connector between migrators and native people. Since the sea level was lower at the time, Beringia is now underwater.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas The early people who came to the Americas were Nomads. Nomads are people who move from place to place. They hunted most of their food to survive. Historians believed that during a daily hunt, Nomads crossed Beringia into what is present-day Alaska.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas A migration is a movement of a large number of people into a new homeland. When the first Americans arrived from Asia, they used spears, for example, to hunt Bison and Wolly Mammoths. The hunters used every part of the animal. They used the meat for food, the skin for clothing, and the bones for weapons, tools, and shelter.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas When the temperatures began to rise about 15,000 years ago, the ice melted, and what was once Beringia became covered in water from rising sea levels. America, which was once connected to Asia, is no longer connected. As a result of the rising sea levels, animals began to die because of changes to the environment, while simultaneously being hunted and killed by the early Nomads. This also led to Nomads having to hurt other animals because of exponential nonexistence.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas As a result of rising sea levels, Early Americans began hunting smaller animals and fish. Americans also began to maize, an early tactic of farming that gave them a steady supply of school., such as pumpkins, beans, and squash. This tactic led to Americans settling down, which prevented them from moving from place to place to hunt.

Chapter 1: Migration To The Americas Scientists have since used carbon dating to measure the amount of radioactive carbon in the artifacts from these villages. The amount of carbon in an artifact gives an estimate of the artifact’s age. From these artifacts, scientist can tell how farming has changed throughout history.

Chapter 1: Section 1 Note Quiz 1. What do archaeologists rely on to help them better understand the beginnings of American History? 2. Describe ice ages. When was the most recent ice age? 3. How is America connected to the ancient world? How did migrators reach America? 4. Who were the nomads? How did they seek to live on a daily basis. Explain your answer. Make sure you include migration in your response. 5. What is happening to sea levels around the world? How have they already effected land masses? What is your prediction about the future? Do you think that many coastal regions will eventually be submerged under water? 6. Explain the tactic of mazing. How did they led to early Americans settling down? Explain mazing in your answer.