Building Our Country: Chapter 1: The First Americans, Lessons 1–3

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. migrate
    move from one country or region to another and settle there
    They have found evidence that early arrivals migrated, or moved, to the Americas in several different ways.
  2. hunter
    someone who tracks and kills game
    They lived in North America as hunter-gatherers, traveling from place to place in search of animals to hunt, fish to catch, and fruit and nuts to collect.
  3. gather
    assemble or get together
    They lived in North America as hunter-gatherers, traveling from place to place in search of animals to hunt, fish to catch, and fruit and nuts to collect.
  4. geography
    study of the earth's surface
    They found that the geography, or land and bodies of water of a place, varied.
  5. climate
    the weather in some location averaged over a period of time
    The climate, the weather in a place over time, was also different in each region.
  6. influence
    shape or give direction to
    Often, the geography and climate influenced where people decided to settle and how they used the resources of an area.
  7. distribute
    spread throughout a given area
    Resources are distributed differently across continents.
  8. nomad
    a member of a people who have no permanent home
    They were nomads, people who move within a specific region to follow herds of animals and collect food.
  9. agriculture
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
    When people began practicing agriculture about 10,000 years ago, they modified their environment.
  10. technology
    the practical application of science to commerce or industry
    They needed to bring water from nearby rivers to their crops. This kind of technology, or the use of scientific knowledge or tools to do work, is called irrigation.
  11. irrigation
    the act of supplying dry land with water by artificial means
    They needed to bring water from nearby rivers to their crops. This kind of technology, or the use of scientific knowledge or tools to do work, is called irrigation.
  12. civilization
    a society in an advanced state of social development
    Eventually, something called civilizations developed. In civilizations, there are organized systems of government, religion, and learning.
  13. custom
    a specific practice of long standing
    Customs, or ways of life that are repeated on a regular basis, are a part of a group's culture.
  14. tradition
    a specific practice of long standing
    Tradition is a custom or belief that is passed from one generation to the next.
  15. folklore
    the unwritten stories and proverbs and songs of a culture
    Folktales were and still are important to American Indian custom and tradition. They are part of folklore, or traditional customs, beliefs, and stories.
  16. aspect
    a characteristic to be considered
    Through folklore, American Indians could pass on aspects of their culture that are still practiced by some descendants today.
  17. ancestor
    someone from whom you are descended
    An ancestor is a relative who lived in the past.
  18. maintain
    keep in a certain state, position, or activity
    Maintaining a steady food supply was a major focus of everyday life.
  19. government
    the system or form by which a community is ruled
    Some developed a government, a system for making rules and decisions.
  20. council
    a body serving in an administrative capacity
    A council is a decision-making body that could be made up of a group's single leader or a small group of leaders.
  21. confederacy
    a union of political organizations
    They formed a confederacy, a group whose members share the same goals.
  22. advise
    give advice to
    The tribal council selected the chief, but the chief did not make decisions for the group. He acted more as an adviser.
  23. establish
    set up or found
    Around 1600, in what is today New York State, five different nations joined to establish a league or a confederacy.
  24. league
    an association of states or individuals for common action
    Around 1600, in what is today New York State, five different nations joined to establish a league or a confederacy.
  25. economy
    the system of production and distribution and consumption
    An economy is the system by which a group makes, shares, and uses goods.
  26. commodity
    any good that can be bought and sold
    After Europeans arrived, furs would become a key commodity, or a trade good that is a raw material and not manufactured, for American Indians.
  27. network
    a system of intersecting lines or channels
    Groups in this region set up trading networks, or systems of trade routes that connected different areas.
Created on Wed Jul 14 13:40:32 EDT 2021 (updated Mon Jul 19 10:52:33 EDT 2021)

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