Ashley Lopez1

US History

28 July 2020

AP US History essay

Long before the Europeans arrived in the America’s, many Native American groups had

already been around and developed for years. But, just because they are all in the

Americas does not mean they all live the same way , they all lived in different

environments and faced many different challenges. For example, the Eskimos lives

were completely different from those of the Cherokee, Aztecs,Sioux, and the Iroquois.

They all live on the same land, just in different regions.

For instance, the Cherokee was made up of seven clans that reached from the

Appalachian mountains to the Mississippi river, and from the Ohio river to the Piedmont

which is now Georgia and Alabama. They lived in The Appalachian Region, The

Coastal Plains and the Interior Plains with access to rivers making travel easier. The

Cherokee nation consisted of about 22,000 people in the 1600s, but it was a bit different

for everyone. For those living in the Appalachians, warm winds from the south and cold

winds from the north brought long,cold winters, but also was the ideal temperature for

hunting and breeding fish. The people living in the Coastal Plains experienced cold and

snowy winters, and hot humid summers. Since this part of the nation was located more

southern they were at risk of hurricanes, they had to build their homes partly under the
ground. The part of the nation in the Interior Plains was not influenced by the ocean,

because of this they endured harsh winters and summers with little to no rain.

In addition to the Cherokee, the Eskimos lived in the subarctic regions that

include the northern edge of Northern America (which was home to about 25,000

eskimos), parts of Greenland(home to about 10,000), and parts of eastern Siberia(

home to about 2,000). The Eskimos had to deal with very harsh winters almost all year

round and mountains with blizzards and no place to plant crops can make finding food a

bit difficult. They would have to wear a bundle of clothes because of the harsh weather

conditions.

Furthermore, the Aztecs occupied what is now north and central Mexico. They

had to face intense weather conditions so they had to stay near water systems that

benefited them agriculturally, the Aztecs were descendents of professional hunters and

gatherers. Their resources included rivers, mountains, lakes, and reeds for thatching

and wreathing. Their demographics consisted of many different people, white, african

american, and mexican.

Moreover, the Sioux Nation was made up of three divisions, Eastern Dakota, Western

Dakota, and the Lakota. They lived mostly in the Great Plains, with the flat landscape,

scorching summers, and fertile soil makes it a great place to farm and hunt. They lived

in tepees, which allowed them to pack up and leave often. The nation consists of about

150,000 people spread around seven tribes. The most important animal they would use

was the bison, it was a source of food, clothing, housing, and many other things.
 Lastly, the Iroquois occupied the Northeastern part of North America with soil

great for farming crops. They experienced very extreme weather from all seasons, the

summers were extremely hot and the winters brought storms and blizzards.They lived in

Longhouses that were about 200 feet long, one house could fit almost 20 families and

they were very difficult to build. The nation consisted of about 125,000 people and are

best known for inventing Canada’s national sport, Lacrosse.

In conclusion, life in pre-colonial America proved to be challenging for the

natives, they all dealt with harsh conditions and adapted to them. They had to come up

with their own clothing only with what was available to them. Most had no source of

protection from illness. However, many of these native tribes are still thriving today in

one way or another.

 Citations

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/precontact-and-early-colonial-era/before-co
ntact/a/pre-contact-americas-lesson-summary

http://www.aboutnorthgeorgia.com/ang/The_Cherokee

https://thecherokeenations.weebly.com/geography1.html

https://www.factmonster.com/eskimos#:~:text=The%20Eskimos%20are%20the%20most,a%20s
ector%20of%20eastern%20Siberia.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eskimo-people

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/aztecs#:~:text=Early%20Aztec%20History,-The
%20exact%20origins&text=The%20Aztecs%20appeared%20in%20Mesoamerica,dominant%20
Mesoamerican%20civilization%2C%20the%20Toltecs.

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/aztecs#:~:text=Early%20Aztec%20History,-The
%20exact%20origins&text=The%20Aztecs%20appeared%20in%20Mesoamerica,dominant%20
Mesoamerican%20civilization%2C%20the%20Toltecs.

https://www.ducksters.com/history/native_american_sioux_nation.php

https://iroquoisgroup24.weebly.com/setting-and-location.html