Over 225 million years ago, a single continent existed.

Enormous land masses

began to break apart. This caused the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to open while
narrowing the Pacific Ocean. This has been proven through the discovery of the
existence of similar species of fish being found on separate continents. The continued
moving of the Earth’s crust caused mountain ranges to form. The Appalachians were
probably formed before the continental separation. The Rockies, Sierra Nevada,
Cascades, and Coast Ranges arose after the separation of the continents. The Ice Age’s
glaciers helped to form the American landscape as well. They formed thousands of lakes,
including the Great Lakes and the Great Salt Lake.

The Great Ice Age also contributed to the origins of the continent’s human
history. The lowering of the sea level exposed a land bridge connecting Eurasia and
North America in the area of the Bering Sea. Small bands of nomadic Asian hunters
immigrated over that bridge and later migrated all the way to the tip of South America.
After the Ice Age ended, the sea covered the land bridge which isolated the American
continents. About 54 million people inhabited the Americans by the time Europeans first
arrived.

The three strongest Native American tribes of the time were the Incas of Peru, the
Mayans of Central America, and the Aztecs of Mexico. The success of these tribes can
be accredited to the cultivation of maize. Even though they lacked large draft animals
and the wheel, they built elaborate cities and carried on commerce. They also were
talented at mathematics and made accurate astronomical observations.

Corn planting reached the present-day American Southwest by about 1200BC and
helped to change the Pueblo culture. They constructed intricate irrigation systems to
water their cornfields while they dwelled in multi-storied buildings.

No dense populations comparable to the Aztec empire existed in North America

outside of Mexico. Some important tribes in North America were the Mound Builders
(Ohio River valley), the Anasazis (Southwest), and the Mississippian culture (Midwest,
East St. Louis). The three sister method of farming (beans, squash, and corn) improved
the diet of the Indians. This produced some of the highest population densities in North
America especially for the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Creek Indians. The closest North
American approximation to the great nation-states of Mexico and Peru was found within
the Iroquois Confederacy. Led by Hiawatha, the confederacy developed the political and
organization skills to sustain a military alliance that menaced its neighbors.

For the most part, natives of North America lived in small, scattered, and
impermanent settlements. Women would tend to the crops while men hunted, fished,
gathered fuel, and cleared fields for planting. Many native people also based life upon
matrilinear cultures. The natives did not believe in, nor have the capability to,
manipulate nature aggressively. They did occasionally ignite massive forest fires to
create better hunting habitats. Before the arrival of Columbus less than four million
natives lived in North America.
 Norse sailors accidentally landed on the northeastern shoulder of North America
about the year AD 1000. They landed in present-day Newfoundland which was filled
with grapes, hence the name “Vinland.” No strong nation-state yearning to expand
supported these voyagers. The settlements were consequently abandoned and forgotten
about except in sagas and songs.

Europeans soon became interested in trade and conquest. Christian Crusaders

rank high among America’s indirect discovers. After their attempts of capturing the Holy
Land, they became interested