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Chapter 1

Roots of the

American People

Prehistory – 1500

Section 1

The Earliest Americans

Section 2

Cultures of North America

Section 4

The European Heritage

Mr. Graver Name _____________________

United States History Period ____________________ Get ready for your first exciting chapter in United States History!

In this chapter, we will start at the very beginning of American History.

We’ll find out how people actually came to North and South America,

Notebook

Number

_________

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what they did to survive and prosper, how they developed culture and

what their technology was like. We’ll learn about the first great

American civilizations called the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas.

From there, we’ll move on to the Native Americans who lived in North

America. We’ll find out how different Native American (we mistakenly

call them “Indians”) groups developed because of the different climates

and geography where they lived.

Lastly, we’ll review the greatest civilizations of the Ancient World

(Greece and Rome) and find out how the Ancients gave the Europeans

ideas they’ll bring with them to the New World they “discover” in

North and South America!

Section 1: The Earliest Americans

In this section, we will try to figure out how the First Americans came to North and

South America. We will learn about the Land-Bridge Theory and the Coastal-

Route Theory as possible ways “Americans” made it to their new world.

We will also learn how Americans discovered farming and how this discovery

allowed people to build the three largest civilizations in the Americas called the

Maya, Aztecs and Incas. Who knows… The people we learn about in this section

might be your great-great-great-great-great-great-great… Grandparents!

The First Americans

1. How do we think people from Asian may have traveled to the Americas (2

ways!)?

The Land Bridge Theory

2. What is a GLACIER?

3. What was created between Siberia

and Alaska when these glaciers were

formed?

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4. Why do we think humans crossed the Land Bridge? Where did they

eventually go?

Other Theories

5. How do we think humans may have come to the Americas by using the

Coastal-Route Theory?

Learning to Farm

6. How did the earliest Americans obtain their food?

7. What discovery transformed people’s lives? Why was it such a

big discovery?

8. What new discoveries helped people to farm even better?

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9. What happened to the population when people had a

more dependable food supply?

10. What is a SURPLUS? What were Native Americans able to do once they

produced a surplus of food?

Three Civilizations

11. What is a CIVILIZATION?

12. What were the 3 largest civilizations that developed in the Americas called?

Complete the following chart with information about the Maya, Aztec,

and Inca civilizations:

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Civilization

Location

What were 3 accomplishments each

civilization achieved?

13. Mayas

1.

2.

3.

14. Aztecs

1.

2.

3.

15. Incas

1.

2.

3.

16. What may have caused the Mayan civilization to disappear?

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17. What did the Aztecs do as an offering to their gods? Why did they do this?

18. Why were the Aztecs such harsh rulers?

19. What was the Inca capital city called?

20. What country did an explorer come from who traveled the great Inca highway?

Section 2: Cultures of North America

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In the last section, we learned about the first great civilizations that developed in

Central America and South America. In this section, we’ll learn about the peoples

who settled in North America. We’ll find out how each group of Native Americans

adapted to their climates and geography, how their cultures developed, and what

their greatest accomplishments were. Today, many people mistakenly call these

Native Americans “Indians.”

First Cultures of North America

1.What did groups of people begin to develop in North America?

2. Define CULTURE –

3. What do we call the people who lived on the land between the Appalachian

Mountains and the Mississippi River? Why do we call them this?

4. Why did these people build their

mounds?

5. Who were the Mississippians?

What did they accomplish?

6. What other culture lived where

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Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico are today?

7. Where did the Anasazis build their

homes? Why did they build their homes

there?

8. What were the Anasazis very skilled at?

9. Where did the Hohokam live? What were some of their accomplishments?

Ways of Life

10. Define CULTURE AREAS –

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Meeting Basic Needs

11. In early Native American societies, how did women and men meet their basic

needs?

12. What did some Native American cultures discover? What were some

things they used to be more productive?

13. What happened to the population of Native American cultures that had

discovered farming?

14. What was a common activity in all North American cultures? What were some

forms of their currency?

Shared Beliefs

15. What did Native Americans have a very close relationship to?

16. How did Native Americans help to preserve their history?

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Native Americans of North America

17. Why did Native American groups each develop distinct ways of life all across

North America?

Complete the following chart with information about the Native

American cultural groups of North America:

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Native

American

Group

Color

on

Native

Ameri

can

Map

Description of

Climate and

Landscape

where they

lived

What did they

eat and how did

they obtain their

food?

Description

of housing

and villages

of cultural

group

Major Accomplishments

of cultural group

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Far North

19.

Northwest

20.

Far West

21.

Southwest

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22.

Great Plains

23.

Eastern

Woodlands

24.

Southeast

Section 4: The European Heritage

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In this section, you’ll review some of the things you learned in Old World Cultures

and find out how the great civilizations of Greece and Rome helped to influence the

Europeans. In the next chapters, you’ll see how the Europeans brought these

ancient ideas to the New World of the Americas and used them to create the United

States of America!

Greek and Roman Traditions

1. What two ancient civilizations will really influence the Founders of the United

States?

Athenian Democracy

2. What was the most remarkable achievement of the Greek city-state of Athens?

3. Define DIRECT DEMOCRACY –

4. How did Pericles describe Athenian Democracy?

5. Who could participate in Athenian Democracy? Who could NOT

participate?

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6. Why was education considered so important in Athens? What were children

taught in school?

Roman Government and Law

7. What did the Romans set up after overthrowing their king?

8. Define REPUBLIC –

9. Who made laws in Rome’s Republic?

10. How did Rome’s Code of Laws treat people? Who will borrow this code from

the Romans later on?

11. Who declared himself Emperor of Rome after the Republic collapsed?

12. What happened to the ideas of Roman law and government over time?