Adam Taylor

                                                                                                                                                Per. 3 A.P. U.S. History

                                                                                                                                                1 Juli 2004

                                                                                                                                                Chapter 1 Outline

Converging Cultures

I. The Migration to America

                1. The Asian Migration to America we know started at least 10,000 years ago due to Folsom discoveries.

                2. Scienctist presently believed that the migration started as early as 15,000-30,000 years ago.

                                A. Scientist study ancient ways of life by studying bones, artifacts, and using DNA, and radiocarbon dating.

                                                1. Radiocarbon, is the measuring amounts of carbon 14 to see the age of an object.

                3. Circa 100,000 years ago a ice age heat the earth.

                                A. When this happened the water levels dropped due to water freezing.

                                                1. Thus creating a land bridge out of the Aleutian Islands.

                                                                A. This allowed people to migrate from Asia as they followed their food the Mammoth. 

                                                                B. These people where called nomads.

II. Early Civilizations of Mesoamerica

                1. Started circa 9,000-10,000 years ago agricultural revolution, that allowed people to settle down and farm.

                2. First crops were pumpkins, peppers, squashes, gourds, beans, and the most important maize.

                3. With this came the dawn of civilization in Mesoamerica.

                4. The fist of these civilizations in Mesoamerica was Olmec which emerge between 1500-1200 B.C., near Veracruz Mexico.

                                A. This civilization had large village, temples, pyramids, and sculptors and monuments weighing 20 tons.

                5. There people’s ideas spread throughout Mesoamerica, and their influence caused the construction of Teotihucan near modern day Mexico City.

                                A. These city was located near the volcano with obsidian.

                                B. This city lasted from 300 B.C. to 650 A.D.

                6. Then Teotihucan influence spread circa 200 A.D. and due to it emerged the Mayan culture on the Yucatan Peninsula.

                                A. The people of the Mayans were great at mathematics, and engineering.

                                                1. Some of their inventions were like the calendar, 61 m high pyramids.

                7. The Mayans thrived until 900 A.D. due to unknown reasons.

                                A. Two theories has risen one that the farming failed when all the top soil was washed away because all the woods had been removed, and two that invaders from the north came in.

                8. Meanwhile the Toltec began to thrive.

                                A. They built large palaces, temples, and pyramids, and the fist to use copper and gold for art and jewelry.

                                B. Circa 1200 A.D. they were conquered by the Chichimec to the north. 

                9. The Chichimec called the Mexica built the city of Tenochtitlan in 1325. These people would be known as Aztec.

                                A. By 1500 when the Europeans arrived 5 million people where under the Aztec.

III. North American Cultures

                1. It was not long until the technology of farming spread up to the North America and through the Mississippi River.

                2. The Hohokam, a group in south-central Arizona, that was started circa 300 A.D. and lasted to 1300 but started to decline by 1500 was gone.

                                A. They built great irrigation canals for their farming, but flooding and fighting for their land ended their civilization.

                3. The Anasazi,  from the Navajo word meaning ancient ones, lived in the four corners.

                                A. The people made networks to collect water.

                                B. Between 850-1100 they built large multi-story buildings abode and cut stone with connecting passageways, and made circular ceremonial rooms called kivas.

                                C. Circa 1130 they suffered a horrible drought that lasted at least 50 years, then another one hit them in 1270.

                4. The Adean and Hopewell Cultures.

                                A. These cultures thrived in North American about the same time as the Olmec thrived.

                                                1. These people made woodworking and dugout canoes and nets. 

                                                2. Circa 1000 B.C. the people started to bury their death.

                                                3. The Adean Culture lasted between 1000B.C. to 200 A.D.

                                                4. The Hopewell Cultures where people who made earth art, and farmed and had permanent villages.

                                                5. The Hopewell Culture thrived between 100 B.C. to 400 A.D.

                5. The Mississippi Culture where great builders.

                                A. Located on the Mississippi River, these people made cities like Cahokia that peaked between 1050-1250 A.D.

                                                1. They also built pyramids, and Monks Mound.

                                                2. Their culture spread and started three other cities at least on rivers on or branching off the Mississippi River. 

                                                3. Then it all collapse around 1300 A.D.