Transcript The Early Peoples of the Americas

The Early Peoples of the
Americas
World History 9
Background
Prior to the Europeans arrival, Native
Americans inhabited the Western
Hemisphere for approx. 20-40,000 years
 First migrated to North America between
75,000 to 8,000 BC via land bridge
 Slowly migrated to American Southwest,
more temperate climate, continued east
and south to Central & South America

Background

8,000 BC, glacial retreats close land bridge,
isolated inhabitants for thousands of years
– This likely contributes to susceptibility to disease
Oral traditions preserve history through stories
 Early inhabitants were hunter/gatherers, by
about 5,000 BC in present-day Mexico
agriculture begins (roughly around the same
time as in Europe)

What happens when
agriculture replaces
hunting & gathering?
Early Civilizations Develop
Agricultural production leads to settling in
villages, which grow to cities
 Permanent housing, pottery, art, and
more complex social and political
institutions develop
 Division of labor:

– Women: planting, raising, harvesting crops
– Men: hunting to supplement diet

Better food sources = population growth
Agriculture leads to Growth
 More
sophisticated production
techniques lead to greater economic,
political & technological
advancements.
Maya & Aztecs

Maya
– gold & silver jewelry
– develop a form of writing, mathematics,
calendar

Aztecs conquer the Maya, and build on
existing achievements; enslaving other
Indian groups along the way
Culture Clash

“Think of two worlds coming together with
completely different conceptions of the
universe and of nature. A lot of times
when we speak of the meeting of cultures,
we forget that beyond the initial clash
emerges a new view of the world. And I
think that’s what we Chicanos represent
today.”
– Rudolfo Anaya
Unit Goals





Cultural identity
Effect of cultural blending
Understand Aztec, Mayan, Inca society and
culture
Explore European motivations for coming to the
New World/ conquest of Latin America.
Examine political, social and economic results of
the cultural interaction and blending between
Europeans and Americans.
Task

On your notes, create a small T-chart.
– On one side, jot down notes for the first set
of pictures.
– On the other side, take notes on the second
set.
– After, write a sentence or two to summarize
differences/similarities/observations.
Create a summary at the
bottom of your notes.
Task
You will need to grab a World History
textbook. Open to page 186.
 Take Cornell notes (create your own) on
pages 186-194. This will take more than
just this class period…it is not homework
(since you don’t have access to these
books at home yet!)
