Unit 1 B1

Lesson 2: Indigenous people of North America

Group A Scientists’ Theory: People migrated to North America from Asia during the last ice age
around 20, 000 years ago from the northern Area, which is now Russia to the Bering strait which
earlier used to be a shallow valley, because it didn’t have water.

Group B Scientists’ theory: There might have been several migrations. Evidence of settlements have
been found in Orogrande Cave in New Mexico, USA from around 35, 000 BCE. This was before Ice
Age. Early migrations could have been as early as 40, 000 BCE.

(PG 78) – Picture: Coastal Landscape in Chukotka, Russia where people might have crossed
from Asia to North America.

 The people who were living in Americas before the European explorers arrived are called
indigenous people

 Indigenous people are called First people by Canada and Native Americans by US.

 Indigenous people were called Indians because the first European explorers though they were
in west Indies when they were in Americas. Native Americans shouldn’t be called Indians.

Question - Find out the possible ways/activities adopted by the people living in
the areas mentioned.

 Arctic region- People living in these areas wore warm clothes that were layered to
prevent them from feeling cold. People used slates or antlers to move around.
People lived in igloos and used fire to cook food and for warmth in the house.
They used to go ice fishing and the main diet consisted of polar bear meat.
 Northwest coast- People in these areas had colder regions as well as warm regions
where growing crops was possible as well as leisure activities such as snow skiing.
Fishing was one of the main activities done to get food.
 Plains-Plains were dry agricultural flatlands that were used for growing crops as
well as for grazing animals. Early settlements were also built near waterways as
well.
 East- The East was enumerated with grasslands and rainforests were a variety of
wild animals and exotic plants could be found. The grasslands were suitable places
for building settlements near water bodies.
 Southeast- The southeast is a coastal are where fishing and transportation is
possible. Near the inner coastal region, settlements can be found along with the
availability of fresh food.
 Southwest- The southwest is a warmer region that is located towards the equator.
It has hot, dry summers and cool winters. Valleys were also located in these
regions which were a source of freshwater and were suitable for growing crops.
Hunting could be the main activity done to gain food and the houses were built
with timber.

Area Tribe name Activities

 Artic Region Inuit tribes Hunting and Fishing

Northwest Pacific coast Salish tribes Fishing and gathering Shellfish

California Native People Hunting, Gathering, and

Fishing

Plains Sioux tribes and Cheyenne Hunting buffalo and Migrating

tribes across the grasslands

East Iroquois tribes Holding a Confederation of the

Six Nations, thrived well into
18th century

Southeast Mound Cultures Building mounds and living

underneath them
(City of Cahokia, present day
Illinois in year 1300 CE
flourished)

This culture was still intact

when Spanish explorers

Southwest Apache and Navajo tribes Building stone pueblo cities,

(Lived in Dry areas of Arizona,
New Mexico)
carved into rock in the dry
climate of Sonoran Desert. In
Taos this style has been
maintained since 1300s as a
heritage site.

(Page 81) – Picture: Stone Pueblos.

Tribe/Region Tools and Inventions

Pacific Northwest The bark of coastal fir trees was used to make Clothing and materials
for shelter and for rain gear to keep dry in the wet climate.

Southwest Stone and mud bricks were used to make permanent housing shelters
and in other places, they carved their housing into soft stone canyon
walls.

Eastern regions of Canada They carved canoes out of trees and used them to travel great
and US – The Iroquois distances along the rivers and lakes of their region.
tribes and First Peoples

Tent Making and clothing They used arrows with stone tips to hunt buffalo. After the Spanish
in Plains Region introduced horses, they used horses to travel and hunt animals. The
native people used the skins of the buffalo and deer that they hunted
(Semi-Nomadic Pattern) to make tents and clothing to protect against the cold weather.
(Page 83 & 84) – Picture: Aztecs Language and Aztec Palace Model.

 Spanish Conquistador/Viceroy Hernando Cortes (c. 1485-1547) – conquered

Tenochtitlan in 1519, the largest city of the Aztec Empire and North America at that
time. After the conquest it became the site of Mexico City, capital city of Mexico
today.

 When Hernando Cortes entered Tenochtitlan, he found a highly civilization. The

Aztecs hade own language and highly developed system of city planning, irrigation,
agriculture, markets, public spaces, temples and a long-distance system of trade.

 Aztecs were not like other tribes. He took advantage of the rivalries among the
Mexican tribes and made some to join the him attacking the Aztecs. Cortes
impersonated the Chief of Aztec Montezuma, where he died of disease or poisoning.

 European countries had sent settlers to North America to live there and grow crops or
make products so that they could be sent back to Europe. They were called settlers.
Europeans saw the Americas was a good place to expand into and use the land and
resources as they wished.

 When Indigenous people came in contact with European settlers, they sometimes fell
ill or died (especially elderly people and children). A large number of the tribe
members died from diseases such as smallpox and other diseases. Americans lacked
immunity to diseases bought Europe.

 Indigenous people were confused and scared. They didn’t know how diseases were
transmitted. They knew anybody who had contact with Europeans became ill and
died, even if they use the blankets and clothing’s purchased from setters.

 As settlers began to arrive in great numbers, they took over the land where
indigenous people lived. Sometimes US troops were used to move the indigenous
people to make land available for the settlers. The troops had guns and cannons
which were superior to the spears and arrows the indigenous people had.

 After 350 Years, the population of the indigenous people were so small that they
mostly relocated to isolated areas called the reservations.
Video Facts –

 The Aztecs Lived in the Mesoamerican area, mostly modern Mexico around 1325 CE. They had a string
warrior culture and The Mexica were the ruling people of Aztec. They were Warriors and Nomads

 The Mexica/Aztecs built the city of Tenochtitlan on an island surrounded by Lake Texcoco. Tenochtitlan
became the most powerful city in Mesoamerica, and one of the largest cities in the world.

 The Twin pyramids are said to have been built in the exact place where the eagle was seen eating a snake
while sitting on a cactus. This eagle appears on the flag of Mexico today.

 Palace, markets, gardens, zoos, and aquariums were built on the island as well. Bridges were built to
access the city surrounded by the lake. The bridges had parts that could be moved to allow boats to move
for transport. The city had canals so that it could be traveled.

 There were plots of land within the lake to farm crops on and Built a levee which allowed fresh water to
enter but blocked saltwater (as well as aqueducts).

 Social hierarchy: Nobles (received goods and services from common people-were the only class allowed
to wear jewelry and decorated capes) Landowners Commoners (most lived in calpulli) Serfs
Slaves (punishment for certain crimes)

 Aztecs were not born slaves. Captured soldiers who are not sacrificed became slaves. To pay of debt the
sold into slavery. Slaveowners were responsible for taking care of their slaves and slaves had their own
rights and freedom. Slaves were freed when their owners died.
 Extra Facts -

 Commoners learned to be warriors and started training at the age of 15.

 Noble children attended school at around the age of 6. They earned to become priests and
government officials while also getting some military training.
 Schools had harsh punishments for bad behavior
 Noble children > Commoner children
 Shared ancestors and climate with other groups in Mesoamerica and interacted with them.
 The Aztec developed a solar calendar based on the Mayan calendar.
 The Aztecs created hot chocolate
 Cocoa beans were also used as money, as well as for making chocolate.
 Said to have been related to the Toltec people (historians don’t agree on this!).
 Toltecness = Having art, culture, civilization and sophistication, the opposite of those who have
not yet settled into cities.
 The Aztecs admired their gods greatly, building pyramids and creating theatre where people
impersonated the gods. Thought that the gods controlled all-natural events.
 Believed that the sun needed human sacrifice to rise every day.
 King Montezuma ruled in the early 1500s. the Aztecs saw several bad omens. Omens meant that
something bad was going to happen.
 Omens: The temple of the serpent god was burned down; bolt struck another temple, and a
strange animal was caught by some fishermen.
 In 1519, Spanish conquerors arrived in Mesoamerica near where the Aztecs lived. King
Montezuma was imprisoned, and the Aztec civilization fell soon after.

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 Unit 1 B1

Lesson 4: American Civil War and Reconstruction

 If the cost of labor is lesser then the goods will be cheaper

 If the cost of labor is higher, then the goods will be expensive
 Goods and services all will have same impact.

The War with Mexico

 Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821. In 1824 Republic of Mexico

(Independent) began to strengthen its ties with territories in North (Texas, California,
New Mexico). However, California spilt from Mexico in 1848 and became
independent and later joined the United States as State.

 Rivalries between Mexicans and Americans for the control for the American
Southwest resulted in a two-year war between United States and Mexico (Poverty,
Destruction, Food Shortage). The war ended when American troops entered Mexico
City, Mexico surrendered in 1848 and US forced Mexico to give up its territories
Southwest Territories (New Mexico & Arizona with Mexican territories. So, the US
extended from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean.

 During the war southern plantations were destroyed. Slaves were homeless. The
slavery system began to break do and more slaves escaped to join the south or the
Union (Northern) troops as they approached. (Poverty, War, Destruction, Food
Shortages).
American Civil War

 The American civil war was fought for more economical reasons than for human right issues.
The industrial north relies on paid labor and was the manufacturing center of the US. The
agricultural south relied on large numbers of enslaved people to produce cotton; it was the most
important cash crop of that time.

 In 1821, Cotton Gin was invented by Eli Whitney. It made cotton cloth cheaper and faster to
produce. Most of the clothes were woven on power looms in the North, only cotton was grown
int her south.

 Southern states wanted to sell their cotton to foreign countries which would pay more than the
factory owners in Northern states. They also wanted new territories to adopt their slavery-based
systems rather than paid labor-based system in North.

 Some states wanted to stop being a part of South or US. On February 4, 1861, seven states met
and formed the confederate states (Joined by treaty) of America, declaring Jefferson Davis as
their president. Other states joined later making it 13 states. For some the American civil war was
fought to keep US together more than freeing enslaved people.

 The North was richer than the south. North had a population of 22 Million while the south’s
population was only 9.5 million. One third of the people were enslaved and weren’t expected to
fight.

 Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in 1864 and he was committed in keeping the country
together. The North thought they could win the war very easily, but because of the new weapon
and warfare practices on land caused loss of men and supplies. Both sides became overburdened
trying to get supplies, medical care and more soldiers to fight in the war. Both North and South
drafted new troops into the army. Draft a requirement of men to serve in the army.

 After that, Some freed African-Americans became inspirational leaders. The former slave and
self educated African America, Frederick Douglass, had a series of meetings with President
Lincoln.