Reading and Civics
More than 15,000 years ago, people came to North America, Central America, and South America.
They spread all over America, and created many different cultures and civilizations.
These people were the Native Americans, or American Indians.
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived? –> American Indians or Native Americans
There were thousands of different American Indian groups, called tribes.
Many tribes are still here today. More than 5 million Native Americans and mixed race Native Americans live in the United States now.
Each tribe has its own traditions, leaders, art, culture, and languages, too.
One example is the Pueblo tribe. Today, a Pueblo woman, Deb Haaland, is a US Representative in New Mexico. She was elected for the second time in November 2020.
In December 2020, Joe Biden chose her to be the next Secretary of the Interior. The Department of the Interior manages 507 million acres of land in the US. It is also responsible for relationships with Native Americans.
Extra information: Right now, the United States has 6 representatives in congress who are Native Americans. They are from New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Hawaii.
Name one American Indian tribe in the United States. –> Pueblo
People from Europe are called Europeans. Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to come to America.
Europeans fought American Indians, took their land, and brought diseases. Some Europeans did business with the Indians, made friendships, and even married with them. But, millions of American Indians died from these problems.
Europeans started colonies in America. These were new cities, but they still had a connection to their home country.
For example, Spain, Portugal, and England started many colonies. The people who live in colonies were called colonists.
In England, the leader of the government was a king. The British king had a lot of power, and many people did not have freedom. We use the words British and English to describe the same place.
Many English people became colonists, and came to America for more freedom.
What is one reason colonists came to America? –> Freedom
On the other hand, many people lost their freedom in America. European businessmen took more than 12 million African people to North and South America and sold them as slaves.
What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves? –> African people
By the year 1700, America was home to Native Americans, colonists, and slaves. 13 British colonies in North America are now part of the United States.
We remember those 13 original colonies in the 13 stripes of the United States.
Why does the flag have 13 stripes? –> There were 13 original colonies
There were 13 original colonies that became states. Good news: you don’t have to remember all of them!
You can remember the 3 NEW states: New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire.
Or, you can remember the 3 beautiful sisters: Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
There were 13 original states. Name three. –> New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey
- Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
- Name one American Indian tribe in the United States.
- What is one reason colonists came to America?
- What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- Why does the flag have 13 stripes?
- There were 13 original states. Name three.
