Ancient America Chapter 1 Summary

“America Before Columbus” Written Response By: Elaina Farris I myself, like many others, have never heard of the Cahokia Mounds, or the civilization that created them. After reading about the people and their way of life I was quite amazed. How interesting to think that the Cahokia leader, the Great Sun, would howl at the sun every morning on top of a 15-acre ceremonial mound. I was most surprised that such a civilized and developed group of group could be completely wiped out.

Michael Wang AP Euro, Period 4 Primary Source Analysis Assignment October 5th, 2016 Summary: Prior to the arrival of the European settlers, the indigenous people of the Americas were varied in culture and tradition and their population was around fifty million. However, once the Europeans arrived in 1492 with Christopher Columbus, the lives of the indigenous people were changed remarkably. The Europeans took advantage of the indigenous and used them as laborers to work cattle ranches, sugar plantations, and silver mines. The physical condition of the indigenous peoples worsened as they were fatigued from the labor and had little resistance to the diseases brought by the Europeans.

In the Non-fiction book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, Charles Mann aims to debunk an array of beliefs about Native Americans that most scholars once insisted were true. Mann’s research suggests that the native people of the Americas are more intelligent and sophisticated than previously predicted, live in higher numbers and greatly impact the natural landscape. The book is split into three parts: Numbers from Nowhere, Very Old Bones, and Landscapes with Figures. These parts focus on the population, culture, origins and the environment. Mann builds his arguments by reassessing a myriad of pre-existing views about the Americas prior to 1492. He then uses his new findings to prove his theories. This informative read provides

Before the Spanish ship that changed it all, which arrived in the “New World” in 1492, thriving organized communities of native people had centuries of history on the land. That ship, skippered by Christopher Columbus, altered the course of both Native American and European history. 1492 sparked the fire of cultural diffusion in the New World which profoundly impacted the Native American peoples and the European settlers. Prior to European contact, Native Americans lived as hunter-gatherers, living and traveling in groups of typically less than 300 people. These Native Americans spoke over 400 languages and practiced a myriad of different religions (The American Pageant).

Mann first describes going on a trip with his colleagues to Brazil to learn more about the culture there and explore the land on which the Indians lived. He states that his colleagues, Erickson and Balée, have radically challenged conventional notions of what the America’s were like before Columbus. He explains that when he went to school in the 70s’, he learned that the Indians had come across the Bering Strait roughly thirteen

America was a new place that full of fertile lands and plentiful resources. In 17th century, Europeans broke the quiet life of America. Lots of Europeans decided to migrate to America. Some of them wanted to be rich and some of them sought religious freedom. All of them went to America with hope, however, Europeans’ migration interfered with Indians seriously.

1. Paleo-Indians Paleo-Indians are described as the initial Americans, those who set forth the preliminaries of Native American culture. They trekked in bands of around fifteen to fifty individuals, around definite hunting terrains, establishing traditional gender roles of hunter-gatherers. It is agreed that such Paleo-Indians began inhabiting America after the final Ice Age, and that by 1300 B.C.E. human communities had expanded to the point of residing in multiple parts of North America. As these early Native Americans spread out, their sites ranged anywhere from northern Canada to Monte Verde, Chile.

The improvement of technologies such as shipbuilding and mapmaking had provided the ability, once not available, to colonized and explore the seas. b. Religion had become increasingly important by the turn of the 16th century because of the desire and race to expand the religion. Religious

Ancient Native Americans civilizations is one of the most interesting civilization in the world. They came from the Asiatic part of Russia. Visiting the museum of natural history made me appreciate their culture and lifestyle. Six Native American tribes settled in North America that lead to the rise and demise of Ancient Native Americans. They were the First Arrivals, Olmec, Teotihuacán, The Mayans, Aztec, and Inca. Each individual civilization had a unique government, housing, foods, leadership, clothing and tools. Furthermore, they settled in the Americas(North, Central, and South) until they were demolished by the Europeans.

Although many history classes have taught us that Native American societies were primitive, Charles Mann along with other historians argued that Native Americans did possessed a complexed history prior to Columbus, closer examination shows that they had large rich societies in, architecture, and agriculture. Mann believes the “Indian” population was larger, and their societies more accomplished, than was earlier believed. He estimates 40-60 million, but the count keeps rising. Another false belief was that the Indians lived on the land without touching it. In fact, they used "slash and burn" to clear and create grasslands for cultivation. In the north, Indians also used this method to pushed back the hordes of bison, deer and passenger

In the Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican time period in history, there were many groups of Native Americans that had diverse cultures and societies. The technological and intellectual advancements in these societies, depended on where they were located in Mesoamerica. The Native Americans discovered many things that could help them live an advanced and satisfying life. Each tribe had different necessities and objects that they needed in order to survive. The Native American cultures in these areas had various developments that the different European cultures could use to make themselves more powerful and become strong enough to annihilate many of the Native American cultures.

Introduction The Cherokee people have a rich history in North America. A strong people pre- and post-contact, they have experienced time of prosper, decline, and regrowth. This essay will provide an overview of the Cherokee people using their history transitioning into contemporary times. A focus will be on their political, social, cultural and economic impacts in both a historical and contemporary context. To conclude, I will discuss the impacts European’s had on the Cherokee people’s progression into the 21st century using Goehring’s (1993) model of colonial impacts.

In 1910, James Mooney made the first scholarly estimate of the indigenous population. He believed that in 1491, North America had 1.15 million people living there. Given his reputation, many accepted his estimates to be facts. However, as time progressed, other estimates were made, despite Mooney’s claims. In 1966, for example, Henry F. Dobyns published “Estimating Aboriginal American Population: An Appraisal of Techniques With a New Hemispheric Estimate” in Current Anthropology.

By looking at three significant events, the Industrial Revolution, The French Revolution, and the Holocaust, the fact that they are the most important economic, political, and social changes in western civilization since 1689 until now will become evident. The most important economic change in western civilization since 1689 was the Industrial Revolution. It was crucial in the progression of the economy and contributed greatly to the development of the financial state of society. The Industrial Revolution allowed the economy to take a great leap forward in relation to efficiency and production in the mid-1700s.

That led to stock markets, banks,and insurance companies which helped people store and earn money. Also the Renaissance came along, it was the time people began think differently and learn new subjects or skills like science, math, inventing, discovering, and etc. Meanwhile people were thinking Christianity, spread and people help spread it by traveling around different countries and influenced many people. With all the new knowledge that is wanted to acquire people of Europe had to go to explore and