The Americas Before Europeans
11th Grade · Social Studies · 59 min
Lesson Preview
Learning Objective
I can analyze the diverse cultures and societies of the Americas before European contact.
- 1
The history of America begins about 15,000 years ago when people first arrived in the Americas, but a major turning point was around 5000 BCE when people in Mexico domesticated corn/maize.
- 2
Native American societies in the Southwest adapted to the dry climate by creating complex irrigation projects, while those on the Great Plains continued hunting and gathering.
- 3
The Mississippian peoples relied on three sister farming, planting corn, beans, and squash together, which allowed for a relatively high population density on the East Coast.
