Early AmericansBeginnings of American History

First People of the Americas

Called Paleo-Indians

Came from Siberia

Ice Age

Lower sea levels=land bridge

Beginnings of Agriculture

3 important crops: maize, squash, beans

More food=permanent villages

Agriculture

Spread North from Mexico

Hunting, gathering, & fishing

Southwest

Irrigation through ponds, dams, & ditches

Required leadership

Mississippi River ValleyGood water supply; tributaries

Fertile soil

Influenced by Mexican cultures

Great Plains

Between Rocky Mtns. & Mississippi River

Grazing animals (20 million bison!)

Eastern Woodlands

Forests

Streams, rivers, & lakes

Pick two Native American cultures.Complete a Venn diagram to compare and contrast.

Great Plains Eastern Woodlands

How are

they alike?