Chapter 1: Early People Vocabulary
Chapter1, Lesson 1
landform region
climate
environment
relative location
absolute location
line of latitiude
parallel
line of longitude
meridian
Chapter 1, Lesson 2
ancestor
theory
migration
artifact
legend
generation
nomad
agriculture
culture
time line
decade
century
millennium
Chapter 1, Lesson 3
civilization
government
custom
tradition
hieroglyph
class
pueblo
cultural region
1
Chapter 1, Lesson 1: The Land and States
A Nation of 50 States
 US is made up of 50 states which are divided
into landform regions
The Coastal Plain
 coastal plain stretches from the coast of
Massachusetts south to Florida and around to the
Gulf of Mexico.
 varies in width from very narrow to very wide
The Appalachians
 area of wide valleys and hills on the eastern side
of the Appalachians is called Piedmont
 Appalachians are a 2,000 mile-long range
running from southeastern Canada to Alabama
 oldest mountains in North America
The Interior Plains
 Interior Plains stretch across the middle of the
US from the Appalachians to the Rocky
Mountains
 mostly flat with many streams and rivers
 most of the water drains into the Mississippi
River which runs through the middle
 western part of the Interior Plains is called the
Great Plains and is drier and flatter
2
The Rocky Mountains and Beyond
 Rockies cover much of the western US and are
its largest and longest range
 The Great Basin is a dry area between the
Rockies and the coastal range, it’s sometimes
called the intermountain region
Chapter 1, Lesson 2: Ancient Indians
The Land Bridge Story
 several theories behind how the first Americans
came to the continent
 land bridge called Beringia could have appeared
between Russia and Alaska during the Ice Ages
around 12,000 years ago
 much of earth’s water was trapped in glaciers,
causing the ocean level to drop which made the
land appear
 hunters and their bands followed large mammals
across the bridge to North America moving
VERY slowly, taking hundreds of years to cross
the bridge and eventually migrate across the
Americas
3
Other Arrival Theories
 people could have crossed Beringia during an
earlier Ice Age because older artifacts have been
found
 also could have traveled by boat living on fish
during the crossing
Origin Stories
 Native Americans tell legends about their history
including origin stories which tell how people
came to be and how the world was made
Early Ways of Life
 the early people were most likely nomads,
following herds of animals to hunt
 ancient Indians ate the meat and used every part
of the animal for tools and shelter
 they had to work together to kill the huge
animals including making weapons with
sharpened stones, clubs, axes, and blades
 the atlatl allowed hunters to throw spears faster
and farther and clovis points made for sharper
spears
 as the climate warmed, the large animals died out
and the people were forced to find new sources
of food like fish and smaller animals, and
cultivating plants
4
A New Way of Life
 people began to gather food and store it which
changed their lifeways
 cultivated agriculture to plant seeds
 maize became the most important crop in the
Americas
 people began staying in one place for longer,
built stronger homes, and started villages which
allowed them to form tribes
 over time each tribe developed it’s culture based
on the climate and natural resources in their area
Chapter 1, Lesson 3: Early Civilizations
The Olmec
 oldest civilization- from 1500 BC to AD 300 the
Olmecs ruled Southern Mexico
 believe they used the river for travel and trade
and developed a counting system and calendar
 called the “mother culture” because many
civilizations continued using their advancements
5
The Maya
 AD 300-AD 900 developed writing system based
on hieroglyphs
 divided into social classes including religious
leaders, important families, traders and farmers
 advancements lived on after their fall
Mound Builders
 many tribes that built earthworks mounds
including Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian
cultures 1,000 BC to AD 1500
 Adena lived in the Ohio River Valley and used
mounds for burials
 Hopewell lived in the central US and had a large
trade system with paths from the Rockies to
Lake Superior
 Mississippian lived in the Miss. River Valley and
were ruled by religious leaders
The Ancient Puebloans
 lived in the four corners area of US and built
apartment-like homes against canyon walls
 developed surplus food storage due to harsh
environment
 believe huge drought caused people to leave area
6