u.s. history 10 coach styles unit one: the new world note packet 1-1

U.S. History 10Coach Styles

Unit One: The New World

Note Packet 1-1

U.S. History 10: Unit One—The New World, np 1

• Bering Sea: Bounded on the east by what is now Alaska, on the south by the Aleutian Islands, and on the west by Siberia and the Kamchatka Peninsula.

• Bering Strait: Connects the Bering Sea with the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean.

• At its narrowest, the strait is only 55 miles across—the shortest distance between the continents of North America and Asia.

U.S. History 10: Unit One—The New World, np 1• 55 miles in icy cold water is a long

swim, but not much of an ocean voyage.

• Once upon a time, there wasn’t even that 55 miles of water between the continents.

• Most historians believe that the first inhabitants of America came from Asia, by way of a land bridge created when sea levels dropped during the last ice age. (6,000-45,000 years ago)

• This land bridge is known as the Bering Land Bridge, or Beringia, and linked Siberia to what is now Alaska.


• Evidence indicates that the first people to migrate into the Americas were carrying stone tools and equipment typical of the Stone Age.

These people probably lived in bands of about 100 people—fishing and hunting herd animals such as reindeer and mammoths.


• These people most likely lived in skin tents or in shallow caves or overhangs (bluff shelters) and also tanned animal skins for use as clothing.


• The earliest Native Americans were nomadic (def): • Without a permanent home, moving camp at least

several times each year to take advantage of seasonal sources of food and pursue game animals.

• Summer gatherings: religious ceremonies, trade, sporting events, gambling, fellowship

• Information exchange: New sources of food, raw materials• This information led these nomadic tribes to move into

new territory—eventually deep into Alaska and further south into the Americas.

• Gradually, the human population spread out across North America and eventually to the southeastern tip of South America.


• These Native Americans lived for thousands of years on the edge of ragged subsistence.

• Subsistence (def): Obtaining the minimum food and shelter necessary to sustain life.

• For a long period of time, early Indians didn’t develop great cities or villages, but only wandered, hunted, and foraged for food—leaving little evidence of their ancient cultures.

• When Native Americans bands began to cultivate plants and vegetables in order to supplement foraged and hunted food, there came a more stable lifestyle with larger populations and more permanent dwellings that were organized into villages led by a recognized chief.

• Cultivate (def): To grow or farm plants or crops.


• Ancient native Americans adapted their ways of life to fit their local environments.

• North American environment varies greatly from region to region.

• In the Southwest, archaeologists have identified a group of people they call the Anasazi (Navajo word meaning “the ancient ones”)—also referred to as “the basket-makers.” (Because of the skillfully woven baskets uncovered in Anasazi sites)


• The Anasazi built communal dwellings consisting of wood and thatch and occupied shallow caves closed off with rocks.

• During the period of 700-1100, the Anasazi began building what the Spanish invaders would later call pueblos (Spanish for “town” or “village”).

• Pueblos (def): Groupings of stone and adobe cliff dwellings (still present at Mesa Verde in southwest Colorado).


• The most elaborate Native American cultures were found in Central and South America and in Mexico, and included 4 major civilizations:


1. The Maya of southern Mexico and Central America• Represented one of the most advanced civilizations of

the Western Hemisphere prior to the arrival of the Europeans.


• Developed a written language and kept written historical records

• Developed a numerical system similar to Arabic and superior to the Roman

• Developed an accurate calendar and an advanced agricultural system

Maya


• Tikal, in northeastern Guatemala, was the largest Mayan city. It covered over 40 square miles and its population probably exceeded 75,000.

• By 5000 B.C., the Maya were settled along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Within the next 3,000 years, they began to move inland, turning from fishing to agriculture.

• By about 1200 B.C., Mayan culture became greatly influenced by another native people…

Maya


2. The Olmec of the Gulf Coast:

• Established one of the region’s first major civilizations.

• By 1200 B.C. the Olmec dominated trade in Central America.

• Among the first Native Americans to use stone in sculpture and architecture. (Quarried)

• First to grow cocoa beans as a domestic crop


• Maya and Olmec culture and power reached its height by 900 A.D. when it collapsed—probably due to famine, disease, and chronic warfare among Mayan city-states.

• The Maya and Olmec were succeeded by a once-nomadic warrior tribe from the north…

3. The Aztecs• Established domination of central and southern Mexico by

the late 13th century.


• The Aztecs built splendid administrative, educational, and medical systems comparable to the most advanced in Europe at the time.

• By the late 15th century, the Aztecs forcefully subdued and subjugated the other natives in Mexico and had created a vast empire that extended from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific and south to Guatemala.

• The Aztec Empire was populated mostly by slaves (who were put to work building pyramids, temples, and great cities).


• The capital of the Aztec Empire was Tenochtitlan, which was situated entirely within Lake Texcoco, two miles from the mainland. (Modern-day Mexico City)


• Four great causeways led to the city, which provided water through a system of magnificently engineered aqueducts.


• The Aztecs believed that their emperor, Montezuma II, was the incarnate of God.

• Despite their impressive accomplishments…

• The Aztec Empire was founded in blood for the purpose of shedding blood, as the Aztecs evolved into ruthless and well-organized warriors.

• Developed a harsh religion that required human sacrifice.


• The Spanish conquerors discovered the skulls of over 100,000 victims in one place when they arrived in 1519—one reason why the Europeans came to view the Aztecs as “savages,” despite their impressive accomplishments.

• However, BLOOD was the fuel that drove the Aztec government, economy, and culture.


• Though the Maya civilization was magnificent and the Aztecs were ruthless warriors…

4. The Inca of Peru controlled the largest native empire in the Americas.

• Over 12 million inhabitants• Mysterious origin• Toward the late 1300s, the

Incas had expanded their empire into what is now Peru, Ecuador, and parts of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina.


• The Inca developed a complex political system.

• Built a large network (over 25,000 miles) of paved roads that welded together the populations of many tribes under a single rule.

• War and building were the primary Incan activities.


• The greatest surviving monument of Incan architecture is the citadel of Machu Picchu—built 7,875 feet above sea level on the slopes of the Andes—seeming to be carved out of the mountainside because of its elaborate stone buildings and extensive agricultural terraces.

u.s. history 10 coach styles unit one: the new world note packet 1-1

Documents

unit onethe new world

new sources of food

new world note packet

bering sea

ancient native americans

coach styles unit

native americans bands

bering land bridge