APUSH Mr. Symons
Outline: Chapter 1 - The Meeting of Cultures I. America Before Columbus * At first, early settlers of America formed small nomadic groups, hunting and fishing to obtain food. * Gradually, stable civilizations were formed, many of substantial sizes and variety. II. The Civilizations of the South * The greatest of these civilizations were in South America and in Mexico * These civilizations developed complex political systems and large networks of paved roads that unified the civilization Incas in Peru. * The Mayas created a written language, a numerical system, an accurate calendar, and an advanced agricultural system-they were eventually succeeded by the Aztecs, a nomadic warrior tribe from the North. * The Aztecs formed elaborate administrative, educational, and medical systems-their religion required human sacrifice. * The Aztec capital was Tenochtitlan, with one of the largest populations of any city during the time, with impressive buildings. III. The Civilizations of the North * Civilizations in the North were not as elaborate as those in the South. * Societies were mainly based on fishing, gathering, fishing or a combination of the three. * Some communities were only agricultural. * The most elaborate were in the Southwest, where irrigation systems were built-built pueblos. * Most tribes were agricultural. * Historians disagree with each other mainly because they interpret the events that occurred in the past differently. * Events in the present can influence how a historian analyzes history. * There is no truth; history is based on different interpretations of events. * In the Northeastern tribes, land was exploited quickly and then left-man tribes were linked by linguistic roots-different language groups were: the Algonquin tribes, the Iroquois Confederation, and the Muskogee. *