The First Civilizations of North America

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In chapter one, the first civilizations of North America, most of the issues presented in the history are popular among many Americans and the readers as well. The indigenous people who occupied North America even before its discovery by Christopher Columbus were of Asian origin. For this reason, Christopher Columbus named them the red Indians.

It is explained that during the ice age, small groups of people crossed the Bering Strait which at that time was a narrow bridge connecting Siberia to Alaska. From Alaska, these people moved downwards through the coastline and another part of that group moved through the plains and the icy Rocky Mountains.

In the Great Plains, these people hunted different types of animals, among them mammoths, which were twice the weight of an elephant, Great Plains bison, lions, camels and giraffes.

Several thousand years after the red Indians moved from Siberia, they spread through out America. With the end of the ice age, people settled in different areas across the continent and this was followed changes in the ecosystem. The ice age melted away and there was the inception of warmer global temperatures. The warm temperatures led to the rise of sea levels, which in turn created new lakes, and rivers.

The emergence of these new ecosystems paved way for greater diversity as more animals and plants interacted. People also started hunting smaller animals as the bigger ones were now becoming scarce and extinct. They also resulted into using advanced tools, mostly crafted from stones, for killing the animals. The hunting and farming practices led to the inception of new cultures.

For example, the people from the Great Plains hunted the descendants of the much smaller bison. Those in the deserts opted for smaller game, others in seeds and others in edible plants. For the people living near the Pacific Ocean, their main occupation was fishing. It was also during this period that people developed their distinct languages, cultures, social organizations, governments and religions.

These technological and cultural unities within different areas led to development of regional diversities. The different cultures created included the ancient Mexico, which was associated with the domestication of plants such as beans, corn, potatoes and tomatoes.

As food production increased, populations also grew and people began specializing in different types of occupations. These occupations included becoming warriors, artists, architects among others.

According to the article, no innovation proved more crucial than the manipulation of plants in the human history. Increased food production led to increased population. In addition to domestication of corn, the fist Americans also gave to the world a variety of other basic foods such as tomatoes, potatoes and maize. These basic foods have grown to become staple foods in many regions.

Three fifth of domesticated food in the world trace their origins to America. These foods have revolutionized the world either for good or for ill. The American crops have become integral to diets all over the world. Plants like potatoes helped in averting poverty and boosted populations across Europe after they were introduced to those places.

Landscaping also took place during the period of plants domestication. While most of the people in the world believe that the Amazon forest has never been touched by human beings, evidence shows that part of the Amazon forest was created by the early farmers either directly or indirectly. Whereas farmers in the other areas were domesticating plants for their gardens, farmers in the Amazon cultivated food-bearing trees.

Because of that, it is a now a known fact that there are more than 70 different species of domesticated trees in the Amazon. The Native Americans also worked tirelessly to improve the soil quality in the Amazon. This was done by mixing it with charcoal and other organic materials.

These soils are currently ten times more productive than the untreated soils. Although not many people understand the origin of the Amazon, the article demonstrates that the Native Americans planted most of the trees.

The native North Americans also transformed their environments by some moving forests. For example, the Anasazis transported more than 20000 trees in order to build floors and roofs of monumental buildings in Chaco canyon. Fire was also used in reshaping landscapes across North America since it was used in consuming the undergrowth and fallen trees.

Using this technique, the inhabitants were also able to manage both forests and animals. Burning of the plants enriched soil, which at the same time encouraged growth of grass and bushes. The grass and bushes attracted new to game animals such as deer, elk, and rabbits among others. Through burning of the forests and bushes, the Native Americans paved way for the growth of grass and other important plants.

The first Americans were faced by tough problems, which many of us try to ignore. The geographic and climate diversity made the transfer of technology and communication from one place to the other a major problem. The north-south orientation of the American erected barriers to plant and animal movements.

Sometimes the transfer even never occurred. The dramatic variations in the climate also delayed the transfer for example of agriculture from Mexico to regions north of Rio Grande. These were brought by major differences such as day lengths, growing season, temperatures, and rainfall.

This meant that farmers had to experiment until they could perfect the desired crops for each region. Communication problem made it hard for people in one region to enjoy the successful innovations other people within the same region were enjoying (Davidson, Brian, Christine, Mark and Stoff 13).

Animals and their illness brought another challenge. Most diseases affecting humans originated from animals. People embraced agriculture and started living close with animals in crowded places. As a result, they created environments that conducive for evolution and transmission of diseases. For example, diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis and measles traced their origins from cattle diseases.

While the farmers in these regions paid the price by becoming sick and some dying, in the long run it helped in creating a hardened population towards illnesses. Survivors of these crises struggled to create new communities and political systems. People also embraced new and more flexible systems.

When the Europeans arrived the continent, north of present day Mexico had cities, towns and successful farms. Millions of people lived in diverse ways. Some relied fully on agriculture, others on hunting and fishing while others relied on both. At contact, millions of men, women and children, who spoke diverse languages and were characterized by different political, cultural and social diversities, (Davidson, et al. 15), occupied the land.

Work Cited

Davidson, James, Delay Brian, Heyrman Christine, Lytle Mark and Stoff, M. U.S: A Narrative History, Volume 1: To 1865. New York: McGraw Hill, 2012. Print.

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The First Civilizations of North America

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