•First Americans: They came from Asia during the last Ice Age, between 20,000-20,000 years ago, and crossed a land bridge that connected Asia with North America. They followed herds of animals and lived as nomads.

Land Bridge: Berengia

ASIA

NORTH AMERICA

•Stone Age Man: Early people did not know how to farm and used stone and wood for weapons. They gathered food from the environment and hunted in order to survive.

•Over thousands of years, groups of humans migrated into the America’s and spread to all parts. They developed different cultures due the environment in which they lived and the natural resources around them. These early people became the Native Americans.

•Nomads: People who move from place to place in search of food.

Animal skin clothing.

Stone and wood weapons.

•Glaciers covered much of Northern Hemisphere.

•These early Native Americans spread throughout the America’s and created different cultures. The cultures that these early Native Americans developed depended on their environment and the natural resources that they had to use. They lived during the Prehistoric Period and have only left behind artifacts. They did not know how to write (No written records).

Artifact: Objects made by man such as tools, weapons, and jewelry. Example: arrowheadsArcheologist: Scientists who study artifacts to learn about early people. Prehistory: Time before written records were kept. Culture: The way of life for a group of people. Primary Source: A source of information created by a person who witnessed the event. For example; a photograph, a journal entry, a letter home from a soldier. Secondary Source: A source of information created by a person who did not witness an event, but relied on others for their information. For example; a textbook.

•Ice Age man found in grave with artifacts.

•Original print of the Declaration of Independence: Primary Source

•Painting of Washington crossing the Delaware River done in 1851 by German artist: Secondary Source

•Archeologists searching for artifacts in dig site in order to study the way people lived.

The First Americans:

1. With which field of study are the terms artifact, carbon dating, and dig site associated?(a) archeology (b) economics (c) civics (d) sociology

2. What is the primary method archaeologists use to study history?(a) reading diaries of a given group of people (c) observing people in their natural environment

(b) Examining artifacts of a group of people (d) practicing local customs of people

3. Which is a primary source for evidence that Columbus sailed to find a new route to the Indies in 1492?(a) a television show about the explorations of Columbus(b) a letter from the current ambassador from Spain describing the voyage(c) a painting showing Columbus landing in the New World(d) a diary entry written by a crew member aboard Columbus ship

4. Which document is considered a primary source?(a) a textbook account of the American Revolution(b) a personal diary kept by a person who fought during the American Revolution(c) an encyclopedia article about the Reconstruction Period(d) a biography of the life of John D. Rockefeller

5. Which source of information is an example of a primary source?(a) encyclopedia (b) dictionary (c) thesaurus (d) journal entry

The First Americans:

6. Which source would provide an archaeologist with a primary source of information about pre-Columbian Indians whosettled in New York?

(a) an article about the Iroquois in an encyclopedia(b) an interview with a historian who specializes in early American cultures(c) artifacts left by the Iroquois(d) a social studies textbook

7. A primary source telling about the troubles of life as an American plantation slave would most likely be found in:(a) the Encyclopedia Britannica (c) the Emancipation Proclamation(b) A diary kept by a slave (d) a current U.S. history textbook

8. Which is a primary source for evidence of the first Dutch settlement in what is now New York?(a) a letter from a Dutch settler describing New Amsterdam(b) an article in a history magazine about the colony of New Netherlands(c) a diary entry by someone who toured a New York history museum in 2006(d) an interview with a historian who researches early European settlements in New York

9. The best of example of an artifact is a:(a) animal bone (b) fossilized plant (c) human bone (d) arrow head made from stone

The First Americans:

10. Which term best describes a people’s entire way of life?(a) technology (b) environment (c) religion (d) culture

11. The study of economics focuses on:(a) production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services(b) Earth and its relationship to our environment(c) different types of governments and how they operate(d) past cultures of different peoples

12. A scholar of which of these fields would be most likely to discover new information about the pre-Columbian Indians who settled in New York?

(a) sociology (b) geography (c) psychology (d) archaeology

13. The First Americans developed many different styles or ways of living. The best explanation for this is that each culture:

(a) planned to be different (c) decided to keep all their Asian traditions(b) had to follow a written plan (d) was shaped and influenced by their environment around

them

14. The study of prehistoric Americans is often made difficult because early American’s:(a) left too many artifacts to keep track of (c) left no written records because they did not know how to write(b) used all of the animal fossils for fuel (d) moved around to much and did not create permanent settlements

The First Americans:

15. The most widely accepted theory of the earliest human migration to the Americas is that people:(a) crossed the polar ice cap from Norway to northern Canada(b) walked across a land bridge from Asia to Alaska(c) used seagoing vessels to sail from Africa to Central America(d) traveled in rafts and small boats from Pacific islands to South America

Base your answer to question 16 on the map and your knowledge of social studies.

16. The map indicates that the first Americans:(a) only reached Canada (c) crossed from Asia(b) traveled just one route (d) never settled in Central America

17. During the Ice Age, humans crossed a land bridge between Asia and America because they were:

(a) looking for gold, silver, and spices (c) following game animals for food (b) moving west to start a new life (d) looking for cheap land to buy