| A long time ago, North America was very different from the way it is now. There were no schools, malls, highways, cars, or even cities. But there were still groups of people living throughout the continent. |  |
How did people get to North and South America?
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Some people think that the first Americans came from Asia many years ago when oceans did not cover The Bering Strait. These people started living in the north, but as the climate changed and it became cooler, they moved south. Because they were hunters, they were most likely following the animals for food. |
Groups of people formed communities where there was food.
A community is a place where people live and work together. In
these communities, the first Americans made their homes, food, and clothing from the things they found in nature.
Every group of people, including yours, has some type of culture. Culture is made up of the language you speak, the clothes you wear, the food you eat, the religion you believe in, and the things that you do from day to day. The first Americans had many different
culture groups all over North and South America.
OOPS!Columbus thought he had landed in India when he first arrived in North America, so he called the people he saw "Indians." But because they were the first people in North America, we call them Native Americans. Native American Cultures are an important part of the history of North America and the USA. |
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The Bering Strait
A strait is a narrow body of water that links two larger areas of sea. The Bering Strait is located between Russia and Alaska and connects the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean.
No one is sure about when or how the first people came to North America. One theory is that when sea levels were low at the end of the last Ice Age, hunters moved across from Asia following animals. Another theory is that early people were able to use boats to cross the sea.
However they came, artifacts show that people were living in North America at least 12,000
years ago. Some
scholars even believe that the first Americans were living in North America 20,000-25,000 years ago.
