9781422283561

Introduction

T he massive continent of North America stretches from the Arctic Circle to the north almost as far south as the Equator . The land has five major geographical regions. In the far north there is the cold tundra , a treeless and shelterless area; in Canada the land is covered with forests and woods; the wide, flat plains of North America start in Canada and almost reach the Gulf of Mexico; finally there are two major mountain ranges, the Rockies on the west coast and the Appalachians on the east. The Climate All these geographical areas have four seasons. In the north the winters are long and very cold while summers are short, and in the south the summers are hot and dry while winters rarely produce snow. Now imagine the kinds of people who lived in North America 500 years ago. Scattered over this vast and varied continent, they had very different ways of life depending on where they lived. They must have been very strong to survive in areas that might have been freezing cold or desperately hot and dry. In 1500 there were many different peoples in North America and more than 500 languages were spoken. The Europeans In 1492 Columbus sailed into the history books as the “discoverer” of the Americas. At the time no one realized how dramatic the results of his landing would be. The events of the past 500 years tell the story of the effect colonization has had on the inhabitants of North America. Exploring this Book This book is divided into six chapters. The first one describes the migration of peoples to North America–the first explorers. The second looks at the different nations of the Native Americans. The next two chapters relate the exploration of North America by Europeans and the impact their arrival had on the Native Americans. Finally we look at North America today and the lives of modern- day Native Americans.

A huge totem pole made by the Native Americans of the Northwest (see page 19). Totem poles stood outside the family’s house; some of them were as tall as 50 feet (15 m).

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