Early Development of the Americas by Difan Li

 Early Development of the Americas

By Difan Li

Did you ever wonder how the Americas came to be formed? The origins of this vast land where humanity first stepped foot can be traced back millions of years. More than 225 million years ago, the supercontinent of land on Earth broke into large landmasses, which eventually formed into our present continents. Mountain ranges formed in North America after it broke away from the supercontinent 135-25 million years ago. By 10 million years ago, the basic shape of North America was established, with eastern coastal regions, valleys, and mountain ranges.

The Ice Age covered North America with glaciers, lowering the Canadian Shield, and forming great lakes that later dried up into deserts. This icy era likewise lowered sea levels and connected land from North America to Eurasia. Asian hunters began populating the American continents, moving into the valleys as the ice decreased. Populations split into tribes with individual language, religion, and culture, forming some of the first Native American tribes. They could be distinguished by region, with the Incas in Peru, Mayans in Central America, and Aztecs in Mexico. Though they were all separated by unique lifestyles and tradition, they were all developed in technology, math, astrology, and religion, with maize and agriculture as the center of their civilization.

The cultivation of corn spread and transformed nomadic hunting into agriculture. It became the foundation of the Aztec and Incan nation-states, and many other groups saw a slow shift from hunting to agriculture. Corn reached Southwest America, where the Pueblo people resided, by 1200 BC. The Pueblos created an irrigation system for this crop. Corn cultivation reached different groups at different times. Populations North and East of the Pueblo had little development of society while the Mound Builders of the Ohio River valley, Mississippian cultures in the lower Midwest, and Anansazi people in the Southwest had great boosts in agriculture. 

By 1000 AD, maize, beans, squash, and various other crops were being farmed, sustaining large populations. Native Americans had small, sparse settlements, and a simple way of life. Women tended to the crops while men hunted and maintained fields. They had great reverence for nature and spiritual matters, but cleared vast areas for crops. Despite the widespread agriculture, Native Americans had little impact on the geographical layout of the land due to their few numbers. This would all change, however, as the 15th century rolled around, bringing with it an era of European conquest and colonization.

 

 

Works Cited

Kennedy, David M, et al. The American Pageant : A History of the Republic. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co, 2006.