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Who were the
first Americans?
The Pilgrims?
Sorry folks! My men and I
were definitely not the
first Americans.
JAMESTOWN
SETTLERS?
The Vikings?
PETER
GRIFFIN?
THE FIRST AMERICANS
• Spoke hundreds of different languages
• Lived in numerous kinds of societies
• Way of life greatly affected by their
environment (what they ate, grew, wore, etc…)
How did they arrive in
present-day North and South
America?
Theories:
1)Crossed the Bering Strait
via a land bridge (strip of land
that connected Asia and
North America – now under
water)
2)By sea from Asia or Pacific
Islands
Why did they spread all over North & South America?
 Hunters and gatherers migrated –
went where there was food
 Finally stayed put when
agriculture (growing crops
such as maize (corn), squash
and beans)
 Agriculture = no more hunting and
gathering = less foot pain/ blisters =
civilizations possible
Native American Religion = the best
-Halloween
Religious ceremoniesparty
– called upon
supernatural powers for guidance
ever!
- Sacred spirits could be found in all kinds of living and non-living things
- Most Indians believed that in a single Creator
Who the
*#@! is
that?
I don’t know
but
something
tells me the
party is over!
Who’s to blame?
When in doubt, blame it on
Christopher Columbus?
Let’s back up a little –
start from the beginning.
Europe before Exploration:
DEAD OR DUMB
- Bubonic Plague also known as
the “Black Death” killed about
1/3 of Europe’s population in the
1340s A.D.
- Academic and spiritual leaders
thought “everything worth
knowing had already been
discovered by the
ancient Greeks and Romans.”
So what changed between
1340s and 1492?
Trading and fighting with people of the
Mediterranean and Muslim world
Increased knowledge of other people,
cultures, navigation tools/techniques
Hunger for more knowledge/wealth and the
ability to travel to distant lands
Goodbye Mediterranean Sea
Hello Atlantic Ocean
RACE TO INDIA
GOAL: Get to India without going through the Middle East so to avoid Arab
merchants who charge way too much for goods from India/China
CONTENDERS:
Representing Portugal:
and
Bartholomeu Dias
Representing Spain:
Christopher Columbus
Vasco da Gama
“Suckers –
I’m taking a
shortcut”
EURASIA
START
END
AFRICA
FI487 – “I QUIT”
1498 –
“I WIN”
“What
happened
to Chris?
Columbus knew the earth was round.
He believed that sailing west= shortcut to Asia.
No one in Europe knew that two giant continents (North and South America) lay 3,000
miles west.
The world according to Europeans
1492- “I made it
to India first! I
win!”
Sorry folks
but we’ve
been here for
hundreds of
years.
Yay!!!
It’s a NEW
WORLD!!
Let’s put on
our
costumes
and scare
the #$%^ out
of them!
Haha!
Exploring and claiming foreign lands is
one thing…
What you
thinking
John?
It might sound crazy
James, but I’m thinking
about living here.
…living there is another thing.
I’m happy that our brave
explorers have claimed
lands in my honor. Now,
I’m thinking of
establishing colonies in
this so-called New World.
At the same time…
What is a colony?
Maybe call it
Virginia!
A colony is an area under the full or partial control of another country,
typically a distant one, and occupied by settlers from that country.