This was especially the case in Central America, where great societies, including the Mayas and the Mexicas ( me-SHEE-kas, called Aztecs by Europeans) thrived on farm crops.įarming and its accompanying stability allowed the Mayas and Mexicas to leave a deeper cultural imprint than hunter-gatherers had. Caves in Mexico have yielded corn cobs scientists have dated as 6,000 years old, or even older.Ĭorn, squash, and beans-the three sisters-were the cornerstone of ancient Native American agriculture. But the critical change came with the switch to agriculture around 5000 BC. Others fished and gathered seeds, nuts, and berries. Now the hunters went after smaller animals, more reminiscent of today’s typical game. The first kinds of prey included mammoths, camels, and giant armadillos that could weigh up to a ton. Over time the great mammals died out due to overhunting and climate change. The earliest Americans were nomadic and hunted massive mammals with stone-tipped spears. Native Americans and the Three Sisters of Farming It was Europeans who lumped all Native American people together as one common ethnicity. These societies did not see themselves as Indians-that term would have made no sense to these disparate tribes. By the time of Columbus’s arrival in the late 1400s, the Americas had hundreds of indigenous societies with different religions, languages, and governments. The new people of the Americas became cut off from Asia as well as from the European and African continents that would so heavily shape America’s future. They established societies here long before Christopher Columbus discovered America.Įventually Beringia disappeared due to rising ocean levels. Did they all go across an Ice Age land bridge called Beringia, located at the Bering Strait, and move southeast across the continent? Or did some travel on boats hugging the Pacific Coast, entering the Americas from points farther south? We don’t know for sure, but there is little disagreement that most of the first Americans came from Northeast Asia. Archaeologists say these sites raise new questions about how the original Americans moved into the Americas from Northeast Asia. Scientists date charcoal from the hearth at about 14,500 years old. Discovery of a similarly dated settlement in Chile uncovered the footprint of a child next to a hearth. That test dated the site to 15,500 years or older. Using a method known as optically stimulated luminescence, scientists at Buttermilk Creek tested the soil in which the artifacts were found to determine when the minerals in the dirt were last exposed to sunlight. This is an instance where one’s faith makes a direct difference in how one assesses history. But the chronology of America’s original human settlements will look quite different depending on how you view the age of the earth and how long ago you believe humanity originated. Had God even created humankind 15,500 years ago? This is not the place to debate about the topic of human origins. But archaeologists working at Buttermilk Creek, a central Texas dig site, recently found evidence of human settlement, including tools and weapons, that date to as early as 15,500 years ago.įor some Christian readers, this will raise a question. These were the Clovis people, named for the New Mexico town where their carved spear points were unearthed in 1929. For almost a century, scientists thought the first people arrived in North America some 13,000 years ago. The earliest human settlements in America are shrouded in archaeological mystery. Mark Noll, professor of history emeritus, University of Notre Dame, and research professor of history, Regent College It is an ideal book for students new to American history as well as for older readers who would like a sprightly, objective, and discerning refresher.” “Thomas Kidd explores the entirety of American history in this carefully researched and clearly written text. George Marsden, professor of history emeritus, University of Notre Dame “Thomas Kidd has succeeded well in providing a high quality American history text that integrates the usual political and social history with its religious dimensions.” Students will come away from American History well-informed, and better prepared to wrestle with the political and cultural changes that have dramatically transformed contemporary American life. In clear, readable prose, and with attention to well-known and more obscure figures from American history, Kidd gives a robust account of the events, people, and ideas that gave shape to our nation. This sweeping narrative spans the full scope of American history from the first Native American societies to the political and cultural struggles of contemporary times. In this combined edition, the full content of volumes 1 and 2 of Thomas Kidd’s American History are brought together in a single, accessible textbook.
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