United States History Student Edition

02

Migration to the Americas

The First Peoples Arrive GUIDING QUESTION How did geography influence the original settlement of North America? The written history of the Americas is several hundred years old, yet human beings have been living on these continents for thousands of years. Where did these peoples come from? How and when did they get here? Many Native American peoples have long-held beliefs about their origins. The Iroquois people, from what is today the northeast region of the United States, tell of a world of two realms—the sky and a place of water that lies below. When one of the superior beings from the sky realm, called Sky Woman, fell to the world of water, she was saved by two swans. The Great Turtle, who swam in the waters, wished to make a home for Sky Woman. He had other animals swim to the bottom of the sea to bring up soil to place on his back. That soil on the turtle’s back grew and spread, becoming the lands that surround the Iroquois. Sky Woman became the ancestor of all the Iroquois. Today, scientists seek answers about the origins of the Native Americans. Using carbon dating of artifacts and other types of evidence, archaeologists have offered some possible answers to questions about the first Americans. It is generally agreed that the first humans came to the Americas from Asia. This migration (my•GRAY•shuhn), or movement of people from one area to another, occurred more than 13,000 years ago.

READING STRATEGY Analyzing Key Ideas and Details As you read, take notes about any cause-and- effect relationships that are described in the text. Such relationships might include information about the ice ages, migrations, nomadic life, and farming life.

Effects

Causes

Archaeologists have found thousands of cobs of maize, or ancient American corn, in a cave in what is now Honduras. Carbon dating has enabled scientists to study how cultivation changed maize over time: the smaller cob shown here dates to about 2100 B.C.E., the larger cob from about 200 B.C.E.

FLORIDA BENCHMARKS

• SS.8.G.1.1 • SS.8.G.4.1

migration the movement of people into a new area

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