Native American societies before contact | Period 1: 1491-1607 | AP US History | Khan Academy

Summary

This video offers a concise exploration of pre-Columbian Native American societies, highlighting their diversity and complexity shaped by environmental adaptation. It delves into the debate over the first arrivals around 12,000 years ago, possibly via a land bridge or earlier by boat. By the late 1400s, an estimated 50 million indigenous people inhabited the Americas, with agriculture, particularly maize, enabling settled life and complex societies. The script also touches on specific regional adaptations like irrigation in the Southwest, bison hunting in the Plains, and three-sister farming on the East Coast, setting the stage for the profound changes brought by European contact.

Takeaways

• 🗺️ The history of America begins around 15,000 years ago with the arrival of the first people in the Americas.
• 🌊 There is debate about how people first arrived, with theories including land bridges during the ice age and earlier arrival by boat.
• 🌱 By 5000 BCE, the domestication of maize in Mexico allowed for the development of settled agriculture and complex societies.
• 🏘️ Different native societies adapted to their environments, with some continuing a hunter-gatherer lifestyle and others developing agriculture and complex irrigation systems.
• 🦌 The Great Plains societies adapted to the dry climate by hunting bison and living in portable dwellings like teepees.
• 🌾 The Ancestral Puebloan people in the Southwest created complex irrigation projects to support maize farming in the arid environment.
• 🏞️ In the Northwest, abundant fishing resources and farming allowed for the development of large settlements like Cahokia.
• 🌽 The Mississippian and East Coast native peoples practiced 'three-sister farming,' which was a mutually beneficial method of growing corn, beans, and squash together.
• 📈 Three-sister farming contributed to a nutritious diet and high population density on the East Coast.
• 👥 Estimates suggest that by the time Europeans arrived in the late 1400s, there were approximately 50 million people living in the Americas, with 4 to 6 million in North America.
• 🌐 The arrival of Europeans in the 1500s introduced significant changes to the native societies through the introduction of new people, pathogens, plants, and animals.

Q & A

What is the commonly accepted starting point of American history, and why does the instructor suggest a different beginning?

The commonly accepted starting point of American history is either 1776 with the Declaration of Independence or 1492 when Columbus arrived. However, the instructor suggests that the history of America actually begins about 15,000 years ago with the arrival of the first people in the Americas.

What was the possible method of arrival for the first people in the Americas, according to the script?

The script mentions that around 12,000 years ago, during an ice age, the sea level was lower, and a land bridge between the Americas and Asia may have been exposed, allowing people to travel across. However, recent archaeological evidence suggests that people might have arrived earlier, possibly by boat.

What is the estimated population of the Americas when Europeans arrived in the late 1400s?

The estimated population of the Americas when Europeans arrived was about 50 million people, with four to six million living in North America.

Why was the domestication of maize around 5000 BCE significant for the development of native societies?

The domestication of maize allowed people who were originally hunters and gatherers to engage in settled agriculture. This enabled the development of villages and complex societies as they could stay in one place and cultivate their food.

How did societies in the Southwest, Plains, and Great Basin adapt to their dry climate?

Societies in these regions adapted to the dry climate by continuing their hunting and gathering way of life, hunting bison, and following animal herds. The Ancestral Puebloan people in the Southwest created complex irrigation projects to water their maize crops and lived in large cave complexes.

What was the significance of the teepee dwellings for the Native American groups living on the Great Plains?

The teepee dwellings were significant because they were easy to set up and take down, allowing the groups to follow the herds of animals, such as bison, and maintain their hunting and gathering lifestyle.

How did the Ancestral Puebloan people deal with the dry environment of the Southwest?

The Ancestral Puebloan people dealt with the dry environment by creating complex irrigation projects to water their maize crops, making use of the limited moisture available, and living in large cave complexes.

What was the primary source of food for Native Americans in the Northwest, and how did it affect their society?

Fishing in the Pacific Ocean was the primary source of food for Native Americans in the Northwest. This plentiful source of food, combined with farming, allowed for the development of large settlements like Cahokia.

What is 'three-sister farming' and how did it benefit the Mississippian peoples and other East Coast native societies?

Three-sister farming is a method where corn, beans, and squash are planted together. It was mutually beneficial as the corn served as a trellis for the beans, and the squash protected the corn's root system. This method provided a nutritious diet, allowing for a high population density on the East Coast.

What impact did the arrival of Europeans in the late 1400s and 1500s have on native societies?

The arrival of Europeans introduced an unprecedented amount of change in the Americas, including the introduction of new people, pathogens, plants, and animals, which significantly altered the native societies.

How long had native societies been evolving by the time Europeans began to arrive in the Americas?

Native societies had been evolving for over 14,000 years by the time Europeans began to arrive in the late 1400s and 1500s.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Early American History and Native Societies

This paragraph provides an introduction to the history of America, emphasizing that it begins much earlier than commonly thought, around 15,000 years ago with the arrival of the first people in the Americas. It discusses scholarly debates about the timing and method of these early migrations, suggesting that people may have arrived during or even before the ice age via a land bridge or by boats. The paragraph outlines the spread of these early societies throughout the Americas and estimates the population at the time of European arrival in the late 1400s, highlighting the domestication of maize around 5000 BCE as a pivotal moment that enabled settled agriculture and the development of complex societies. It also gives examples of how different regions adapted to their environments, such as the Great Plains, Southwest, and Northwest, with specific mention of the Ancestral Puebloan people's irrigation projects and the three-sister farming technique of the East Coast.

05:02

🛶 Encounter of Native Societies with Europeans

The second paragraph focuses on the period when Europeans began to arrive in the Americas during the late 15th and 16th centuries. It emphasizes the profound impact of this encounter, which brought about significant changes due to the introduction of new people, pathogens, plants, and animals. The paragraph suggests that the long-standing development of native societies, which had been evolving for over 14,000 years, faced an unprecedented transformation with the arrival of Europeans, marking a turning point in American history.

Keywords

💡American history

American history refers to the historical narrative and development of the United States, which traditionally begins with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. However, the video script emphasizes that the true beginning of American history dates back to approximately 15,000 years ago with the first human arrivals in the Americas. This keyword is central to the video's theme, which aims to provide a broader perspective on the history of the Americas beyond the conventional starting points.

💡Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a significant historical document, often considered the birth of the United States, as it declared the thirteen American colonies' independence from British rule in 1776. The script mentions it as a common starting point for American history, contrasting it with the earlier history of the continent that began with the first human arrivals.

💡Columbus

Columbus, referring to Christopher Columbus, is a figure commonly associated with the discovery of the Americas by Europeans in 1492. The script uses Columbus' arrival as another point of reference for the beginning of American history, but also challenges this notion by discussing the much earlier presence of native populations.

💡Native societies

Native societies in the context of the video refers to the indigenous populations that inhabited the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. The script aims to provide an overview of these societies, highlighting their diversity and complexity, and how they adapted to and interacted with their environments over thousands of years.

💡Archaeological evidence

Archaeological evidence pertains to the physical remains and artifacts that provide information about past human activities and environments. The script mentions recent archaeological findings that suggest people may have been in the Americas earlier than previously thought, challenging the traditional narrative of human arrival via a land bridge during an ice age.

💡Domestication of maize

The domestication of maize, or corn, around 5000 BCE, is a pivotal point in the script. It signifies the transition from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled agriculture for some native societies in Mexico. This development allowed for the establishment of villages and more complex societies, which is a key aspect of the video's exploration of native American development.

💡Settled agriculture

Settled agriculture refers to the practice of cultivating crops and raising livestock in a permanent location, as opposed to a nomadic lifestyle. The script explains how the domestication of maize enabled certain native societies to engage in settled agriculture, leading to the development of more complex social structures and the establishment of permanent settlements.

💡Three-sister farming

Three-sister farming is a traditional agricultural technique used by Native Americans, where corn, beans, and squash are planted together. The script describes this method as mutually beneficial for the plants, with the corn providing support for the beans and the squash shading the ground to protect the root system of the corn. This farming technique is highlighted in the video as a key aspect of the agricultural practices of the East Coast native peoples.

💡Cahokia

Cahokia was a large settlement near modern-day St. Louis, which the script mentions as an example of a large settlement developed by the Mississippian peoples. At its peak, Cahokia may have had a population of 25,000-40,000 residents, illustrating the scale and complexity of some native societies before European contact.

💡European arrival

The European arrival in the late 1400s and 1500s is a significant turning point in the script's narrative. It marks the beginning of a period of unprecedented change in the Americas due to the introduction of European people, pathogens, plants, and animals, which had profound impacts on the native societies that had been evolving for over 14,000 years.

💡Diversity and complexity

Diversity and complexity are used in the script to describe the wide range of native societies that existed in the Americas before European contact. These societies varied greatly in their social structures, agricultural practices, and ways of life, adapting to the diverse environments they inhabited. The script emphasizes the importance of recognizing this diversity and complexity when discussing the history of the Americas.

Highlights

The history of America begins around 15,000 years ago with the first arrival of people in the Americas.

Scholarly debate exists on how people first arrived, with theories including land bridges during the ice age and earlier boat travel.

Archeological evidence suggests that people may have been in the Americas during the ice age, indicating an earlier arrival than previously thought.

By the late 1400s, there were an estimated 50 million people living in the Americas, with 4 to 6 million in North America.

The domestication of maize around 5000 BCE allowed for the development of settled agriculture and complex societies.

Native American societies adapted to their environments, developing around natural resources and climate conditions.

Societies in the dry Southwest, Plains, and Great Basin adapted through hunting, gathering, and complex irrigation projects.

The Ancestral Puebloan people created large cave complexes and developed sophisticated irrigation for maize farming.

Native Americans of the Great Plains continued a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle, following bison herds.

In the Northwest, abundant fishing and farming allowed for large settlements and a stable food source.

The Mississippian peoples developed large settlements like Cahokia, which may have had 25,000-40,000 residents at its peak.

Three-sister farming, combining corn, beans, and squash, was a mutually beneficial agricultural practice on the East Coast.

Three-sister farming allowed for a nutritious diet and supported high population density on the East Coast.

By the time Europeans arrived in the late 1400s and 1500s, native societies had been evolving for over 14,000 years.

The introduction of Europeans brought an unprecedented amount of change to the Americas through the spread of pathogens, plants, and animals.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] Often when we think about

the beginning of American history,

we think 1776, with the Declaration of Independence,

or maybe 1492, when Columbus arrived in the Americas.

But the history of America really begins

about 15,000 years ago,

when people first arrived in the Americas.

In this video, I want to provide a very brief overview

of native societies before contact

to give you an idea of just how diverse

and complex these societies were,

as native groups adapted to

and interacted with their environments.

Now there's recently been a scholarly debate

about how people first arrived.

We know that maybe 12,000 years ago,

during an ice age, the sea level was lower,

and so a spit of land in between

the Americas and Asia was exposed,

over which people may have traveled.

But recent archeological evidence suggests

that people were perhaps already in the Americas

at the time of this ice age,

so it's possible

that they may have come earlier in boats.

Now however it was that they arrived,

they spread north and south

and east throughout the Americas

so that by the time that Europeans arrived in the late 1400s

there were perhaps 50

million people.

That's kind of a mid-range number for the estimates,

that historians have made,

living in the Americas.

And of those, four to six million

were living in North America.

So how did these societies develop?

Well, a really big moment was around 5000 BCE,

when people in Mexico domesticated corn,

maize, as it's also known.

And domesticating maize meant that people

who had originally been hunters, gatherers,

following herds of animals

could partake in settled agriculture.

So they could develop villages, complex societies.

This isn't to say that they stopped hunting or gathering,

but they began staying in one place.

So let's zoom in a little bit and take a look

at some of the major societies in these regions.

Native American societies developed

around their natural environments,

using the resources that were available to them.

For example, the Southwest, Plains and Great Basin

were quite dry.

A lot of desert.

And so societies in these regions

adapted to the dry climate in several ways.

For example, Native American groups

that lived on the Great Plains

continued their hunting and gathering way of life.

Hunting bison,

and following the herds of animals

in teepees,

which were dwellings that were easy

to set up and then take down.

People in the Southwest, like the Ancestral Puebloan people,

dealt with this dry environment

by creating very complex irrigation projects

so that they could water their maize crops

using what little moisture there was.

The Puebloans lived in large cave complexes

as agriculture allowed them to grow their population.

In the Northwest, fishing in the Pacific Ocean

gave Native Americans a plentiful source of food,

while farming allowed the Mississippian peoples

to develop large settlements, like Cahokia,

near modern day St. Louis, which, at its peak,

may have had as many as 25,000-40,000 residents.

The Mississippians and other East Coast native peoples

relied a lot on what's known as three-sister farming,

in which people would plant corn, beans and squash together,

which was mutually beneficial to all three plants,

as the corn served as a trellis for the beans,

and the squash protected the root system of the corn.

All three together create a very nutritious diet,

which allowed for a relatively high population density

on the East Coast.

So by the time that Europeans began to arrive

in the late 1400s and 1500s,

native societies had been evolving for over 14,000 years.

But the introduction of European people, pathogens,

plants, and animals would introduce

an unprecedented amount of change in the Americas.