The Shaping Of North America Essay

I The Shaping of North America

A) Approx. 225 million years ago all continents were combined into one large landmass

B) Continent was help in place by the Canadian Shield

C) Ice age caused 2 mile deep sheets of ice to form (Glaciers)

D) Glaciers affected how topographical features developed

II Peopling the Americas

A) People are believed to make first land fall on Americas approximately 35,000 years ago

B) Land bridge was present in the Bering Straight.

1) Located between Siberia and Alaska

C) Nomadic hunters followed “game" migratory paths.

1) Considered the early ancestors to Native Americans

D) After Ice Age, people had difficulty migrating to Americas due to risen sea levels

E) By time of first European explorers population was about 54 million people.

1)

1) Known as one of histories most successful failures

2) Allowed for an intercontinental economy to develop

VII When Worlds Collide

A) Ecosystems “collided” causing long term repercussions

B) Introduction of new world foods to old world diets allowed for an improvement in nutrition

C) Columbus integrated the new an old world with seventeen ships containing twelve hundred men with a plethora of livestock

1) Horses reached North America via Mexico

2) Indians adopted the horse very quickly

D) Sugar cane became very prominent in the Caribbean because of Columbus’ introduction.

1) Caused a major increase in slave usage and exportation

E) Germs that covered the settlers included smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria

1) These diseases reeked havoc on the Native American Population

(a) Immune systems were not accustomed to encountering these bacterium

(b) Approx. 90% died because of these in following centuries

VIII The Spanish Conquistadores

A) South America was rich in precious metals

1) Mainly Gold and Silver

(a) Mainly in Peru and Mexico

B) Treaty of