Transcript The Original Americans

Colonizers or Conquerors?
The Demise of the Original
Americans
8th Grade Social Studies
Unit 2
Mr. Morris, Sheridan Middle
School
The Journey from Asia
II.
1 Century = 100
Years
Pre-Colonial America
A. The Journey from Asia
1. Scientists believe that people first came to
the Americas across a land bridge.
2. The bridge now lies under the Bering Strait.
3. Hunters came over during the last Ice Age.
4. The early Americans were nomads, who
moved from place to place hunting.
5. The crossing of the land bridge to South
America was a migration over many
centuries.
Circle/highlight vocabulary
II.
Draw a picture of a
land bridge here
words
How did the Land Bridge Work?
When the Ice Age started,
the water in the Arctic
ocean froze causing the
sea level to drop.
With the land between
now exposed, nomads
crossed the land
bridge.
Bering Strait
Asia
(Russia)
North America
Land Between
(Alaska)
Settling Down in the Americas
II.
II. B. Settling Down.
1. The early American nomads hunted the
mammoths & other large animals into
extinction.
2. Once the hunters killed off the animals the
tribes moved on to better hunting areas.
3. After the Ice Age, people began to plant and
harvest crops.
4. People living in Mexico discovered Maize.
This early form of corn, was a reliable
source of food.
Settling Down in the Americas
II.
II B. Pre-Colonial America
5. Farming allowed people to build shelters
and make pottery and clothing.
6. Over time, the original Americans relied
more and more on agriculture.
7. This led to new cultures and new ways of
living.
Summary:
The Journey from Asia: Discussion
 Why
does the land bridge no longer exist?
 Why did these early people spread out across the
Americas?
 How did early Native Americans learn to adapt to
their environment?
Please answer questions 3 & 6 from page 19 on a
separate piece of paper.
Ancient American Civilizations
II.
II. C. North American Native Americans
1. Many Native American cultures rose,
flourished & died before the Europeans arrive
in the 1500s.
2. The Anasazi carved their homes into the red
stone near the Four Corners until a drought
most likely killed them off around 1300 AD.
3. In the northwest, the Inuit lived in igloos & the
Tlinglit lived in wood houses.
4. On the Great Plains, the Plains Indians were
nomads who lived in teepees.
5. In the east, the Iroquis governed themselves
with a type of constitution.
Ancient American Civilizations
II.
Pre-Colonial America
D. Ancient American Civilizations
1. The Maya
a. The Maya were the first civilization in the
Americas, starting around 2600 B.C.E.
b. The Maya lived from Mexico to Central
America.
c. They had no capital city but built large
cities with pyramids.
d. The Maya were ruled by religious leaders &
occasionally practiced human sacrifice.
II.
Ancient American Civilizations
II.
II. D. 1. Pre-Colonial Civ.: The Maya
e. The Maya were skilled at astronomy and
developed writing called hieroglyphics.
f. No one knows what caused the decline of the
Maya around 900 C.E. (or A.D. 900)
2. The Inca Empire
a. The Incas were the largest ancient civilization,
stretching over 3000 miles of South America.
b. Cuzco, the capital city, was founded around
1200 C.E (or A.D. 1200).
c. They built roads & bridges for communication
and to tax people all over the Empire.
d. The Inca developed a record-keeping system.
Original American Cultures
Central & South American
Civilizations
North American Native
American Groups
Aztec
 Maya
 Inca


Northwest: Inuit/Tlinglit
 Anasazi
 Plains Indians
Ancient American Civilizations
II.
II. D. 2. Pre-Colonial Civ.: The Inca Empire
e. The Inca developed terrace farming.
f. Gold was abundant in the empire, but was not
used as money.
3. The Aztec Empire
a. Founded in 1325, the capital city was
Tenochtitlan, an island city near Mexico City.
b. The Aztec were mighty warriors and built a
military empire.
c. They took maize, cotton & copper from the
conquered people & forced many into slavery.
d. The Aztec tried to please their gods by
sacrificing prisoners atop the Sun pyramid.
European Exploration of the Americas
II.
The Nina,
the Pinta &
the Santa
Maria
II. F. Columbus “Discovers” the “New World”
1. An Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus
thought that he could reach Asia by sailing
west.
2. In 1492 King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of
Spain sponsored Columbus’ voyage.
3. After a very difficult journey, land was sighted
on October 12, 1492 in what is now the
Bahamas.
4. Columbus thought he was in the East Indies so
he called the local people Indians.
5. He made 3 more voyages to the Americas, and
helped Spain establish their Empire.
European Exploration of the Americas
II.
II. E. European Exploration of the Americas.
1. The Renaissance encouraged Europeans to
pursue new ideas and discoveries.
2. Powerful nations emerged that wanted to trade
and make money.
3. Advances in technology helped map makers
(cartographers) & ship builders.
4. With faster ships and new maps explorers
searched for a faster trade route to Asia.
5. Prince Henry “The Navigator” of Portugal set
up a school for exploration.
6. The Portuguese made discoveries along Africa’s
coast including Bartholomeu Diaz in 1488.
Columbus: Hero or Villain?
Reasons why he is a
hero?
Reasons why he is a
villain?
In a short paragraph determine if Columbus
was a hero or villian and persuade readers.
European Conquest of the Americas
II.
II. G. The Spanish Conquistadores
1. Explorers sent by Queen Isabella returned to
Spain with reports of gold, silver and wealthy
civilizations.
2. Conquistadores received permission to
establish settlements while returning 1/5 of
all gold & treasure discovered.
3. Cortes’ Conquers the Aztec
a). Hernan Cortes & 500 soldiers landed in
Mexico in 1519.
b). Because the Aztec had treated many cities
savagely, Cortes made alliances with them.
c). Emperor Montezuma tried to be friendly with
the Spanish but Cortes double-crosses & kills
him.
d). Armed with guns & horses, the Spanish seized
control.
European Conquest of the Americas
II.
II. G. The Spanish Conquistadores
4. Pizarro conquers the Inca
a). Francisco Pizarro sailed up the Pacific Coast
and found the Inca Empire.
b). Pizarro captured the Inca Emperor,
Atahualpa.
c). With just 121 soldiers, Pizarro gained control
of the entire empire.
5. The Spanish were successful because of strange
weapons, fearsome animals and disease.
6. Many parts of North America were also
explored by the Spanish and Pueblos and
Missions were established.
European Conquest of the Americas
II.
II. H. The English & French in North America
1. In 1497 John Cabot, an Italian, explored North America
for England.
2. England & France made claims for territory and set up
trading posts.
3. Plans for colonies, bases for the Europeans to trade and
produce goods, were made by England.
4. Division over religion forced many in England to move to
North American colonies.
5. Meanwhile Ferdinand Magellan led an expedition to
circumnavigate the globe. He died but 18 of the 200
members returned to Europe.
Best way to study for test:
 1.
Write a summary of each section of your notes
in your own words.
 2. Write questions on the left hand side and quiz
yourself.
 3. Create a “crib” sheet.
 4. Quiz a friend from your notes – A Study Buddy!
 5. Read your notes over and over and
over….boring.