Graphic from: http://www.crystalinks.com/iceage.html
Graphic from: http://www.crystalinks.com/iceage.html
When I was in fifth grade I was told that the first Americans were the Indians.
I accepted that, and never asked, "Where did they come from?"
Let's explore that question.
Our textbook explains that people from Asia migrated to the Americas over a land bridge that was formed during the ice age. I found that some scientists and historians think that it would also be possible to come to the Americas in boats, around the ice, from Europe.
No single people settled in these lands, but all who came may have remained because this environemt supported the hunting and gathering of the earliest peoples. Later, cultures developed that were based around agriculture. This new venture was also succesful on our continent.
Beringia: View a map that shows the changes that occured. This evidence shows that migration occured over the land bridge that was formed. Some scientists found DNA evidence that people who crossed the land bridge may have come from Mongolia.
Other points of view: Because of confirmed settlements in southern areas, scientists think that wateways may have been used by early inhabitants to settle the Americas.