history 1302 unit 1 outline
Chapter 1
Ancient America Before 1492
I. Archaeology and History
1. Differences between Archaeologists and Historians—Both study the past, but they employ different methods; archaeologists focus on physical objects such as bones and pots, while historians focus on writing.
2. Writing and Language as Evidence—Writing is defined as a system of symbols that record spoken language; originated 8,000 years ago in China, Egypt, and Central America. Ancient Americans invented spoken languages, moved across the globe, engaged in trade and warfare, worshipped gods, and possessed forms of symbolic representation, but they did not write; what we know about these years we learn from archaeologists.
3. Artifacts and Environmental Clues as Evidence—Archaeologists study artifacts and physical objects; also look at environmental factors: scrutinize soil, geological strata, pollen, and climate to find out about ancient and pre-contact Americans; better to abbreviate and oversimplify this history than to ignore it.
II. The First Americans
A. African and Asian Origins
1. Pangaea and Continental Drift—Before human evolution, continents of North and South America were detached from the common landmass of Pangaea. About 240 million years ago, continental drift pushed the landmass apart, allowing oceans to surround land much like our current geography.
2. Homo Sapiens—Modern humans, Homo sapiens, evolved in Africa at about 400,000 BP; early humans, Homo erectus, appeared in Africa about two million years ago. Homo sapiens migrated to Africa, Europe, and Asia, but the geographic separation from North and South America prevented migration there.
3. Migration across Beringia—Two factors made migration possible; first, people adapted to the frigid climate; second, the Wisconsin glaciation (25,000 BP to 14,000 BP) caused the sea level to drop so that people could cross the land bridge of Beringia between Siberia and Alaska.
4. Paleo-Indians—Archaeologists call the first
Ancient America Before 1492
I. Archaeology and History
1. Differences between Archaeologists and Historians—Both study the past, but they employ different methods; archaeologists focus on physical objects such as bones and pots, while historians focus on writing.
2. Writing and Language as Evidence—Writing is defined as a system of symbols that record spoken language; originated 8,000 years ago in China, Egypt, and Central America. Ancient Americans invented spoken languages, moved across the globe, engaged in trade and warfare, worshipped gods, and possessed forms of symbolic representation, but they did not write; what we know about these years we learn from archaeologists.
3. Artifacts and Environmental Clues as Evidence—Archaeologists study artifacts and physical objects; also look at environmental factors: scrutinize soil, geological strata, pollen, and climate to find out about ancient and pre-contact Americans; better to abbreviate and oversimplify this history than to ignore it.
II. The First Americans
A. African and Asian Origins
1. Pangaea and Continental Drift—Before human evolution, continents of North and South America were detached from the common landmass of Pangaea. About 240 million years ago, continental drift pushed the landmass apart, allowing oceans to surround land much like our current geography.
2. Homo Sapiens—Modern humans, Homo sapiens, evolved in Africa at about 400,000 BP; early humans, Homo erectus, appeared in Africa about two million years ago. Homo sapiens migrated to Africa, Europe, and Asia, but the geographic separation from North and South America prevented migration there.
3. Migration across Beringia—Two factors made migration possible; first, people adapted to the frigid climate; second, the Wisconsin glaciation (25,000 BP to 14,000 BP) caused the sea level to drop so that people could cross the land bridge of Beringia between Siberia and Alaska.
4. Paleo-Indians—Archaeologists call the first