1. Before Columbus

2. Focus Question When does U.S. History begin?

3. One View “Three Separate histories collided in the Western Hemisphere half a millennium ago, and American history began” --Edward Countryman, 1996

4. Three Worlds Meet Native Americans West Africans Europeans Little interaction prior to 1492

5. Native Americans Arrive around 45,000 years ago Traveled across the Bering Land Bridge Cut off at end of the Ice Age Quickly spread throughout the hemisphere. 54 million people Spoke 2000 languages

6. Early Native Americans Some 2 to 15 million lived in the U.S. and Canada in 1500 Spoke 375 languages Lived in a variety of climates

7. Cultural Groups North America divided into 8 major groups

8. Shared Patterns Trade Links connected peoples Permanent Settlements known Known trade routes existed Religious Beliefs Natural World inhabited by spirits Rituals tied into daily routines

9. Shared Patterns (2) Land Usage The land could not be owned Land was owned by all and used by all Could not be sold

10. Shared Patterns (3) Society revolved about the extended family Many nations were matrilinear House and property owned by women Families traced through the mother Nations often divided into bands and villages

11. Eastern Woodlands Saw population increase in 1400s “Three Sister” Agriculture Maize (Corn) Beans Squash Enough food to support population

12. Eastern Woodlands (2) Highly decentralized society Scattered villages Gender roles split Women farmed Men hunted, fished, and cleared the land

13. West Africa Saw robust cultures in the 1400s Songhai Controlled Sahara trade Muslim Kongo Maintained trade links with Southern Africa Converted to Christianity

14. Trade Trade linked West Africa to the outside world Began to trade with Portuguese exploring the coast Africans provided food, water, gold, cloth and people Europeans provided metal goods, cloth, and guns

15. Europe Earlier customs weakening Growth of scientific reasoning Rise of the Nation-State Reformation saw a splintering of Christianity

16. Desire for Wealth Lacked resources in Europe Required to look overseas Spice trade dominated by Turks and Italians Western Europeans looked to the Atlantic