The Southeast Indian tribes were known for their agricultural success. Examine their farming practices, pottery, mound building traditions, and societal structure in the following summary. Also included are pictures, maps, critical...

A brief overview of three ways early Native Americans engaged in economic activities. These included farming, trading goods, and hunting.

All of the treaties that were negotiated between Native Americans and the United States government can be accessed here. Charles J. Kappler's Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties, which is the primary reference for treaty texts, is fully...

Students explore different aspects of the cultures of the First Americans in this lesson plan. Stereotypes are often associated with Native Americans through movies and in the context of the Thanksgiving holiday. Specific information and...

Learn the factors, forces or reasons people moved from one geographic area to another in early America.

The America that greeted the first Europeans was, thus, far from an empty wilderness. It is now thought that as many people lived in the Western Hemisphere as in Western Europe at that time -- about 40 million. Estimates of the number of...

The theory of coastal migration of early Americans down the coast of California has been gaining much consideration. Read about some of the evidence supporting this theory.

Presents key ideas for examining the cultures of Native American tribes that lived in North America in early colonial times. Discusses the major groups, the way of life of each group, and where they lived.

An archaeologist's study of Western Wisconsin, this site helps us understand the early people living in Wisconsin 12,000 years ago.

This unit features the rich oral tradition of Native Americans storytelling in various genres predating the introduction and influence of English writings, bringing three contemporary authors to light. RI.11-12.8 seminal U.S. texts,...

Read a letter through which Sam Houston recruits Indian tribes "to act in the policing of" Texas. This site includes images of the original letter, as well as line-by-line transcription of the handwritten text.

Read this letter by Sam Houston through which he "asks for American help in preventing uprising in Nacogdoches, 1836." This site includes images of the original letter, as well as line-by-line transcription of the handwritten text.

Read a letter through which Chief Bowl of the Cherokees writes to Sam Houston, hoping to have a face-to-face meeting with him concerning Native American relations. Includes an image of the original letter as well as line-by-line...

Take a peek inside the Republic of Texas' relations with the Native Americans in the early nineteenth century.

While studying early American exploration students will view the maps Sir Francis Drake used in his attacks of the Spanish in the New World. This lesson plan makes use of primary source maps to help the students learn how to analyze them.

Learn about the impact of US government policies of assimilation, relocation, and urbanization on Native American identity and culture in this series of videos from the American Masters film Words from a Bear: N. Scott Momaday. Years...

By 1640 the British had solid colonies established along the New England coast and the Chesapeake Bay. In between were the Dutch and the tiny Swedish community. To the west were the original Americans, then called Indians.

A chronological timeline of early European exploration and development in Texas spanning from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

This elementary-friendly site from the Department of Humanities Computing at the University of Groningen provides information on the French and Indian War. The print is large and the vocabulary is manageable. Contains some awkward...

A map of the land inhabited by Indian tribes in the eastern part of the United States before European settlement. Map shows linguistic stocks as well as culture areas, major, and minor tribes.

An early map of the southeastern North America around 1776, showing the American Indian Nations of the region at the time. The map shows colonial boundaries extending from the Atlantic coast to the Mississippi River, towns, forts, and...

By 1640 the British had solid colonies established along the New England coast and the Chesapeake Bay. In between were the Dutch and the tiny Swedish community. To the west were the original Americans, the Indians.

Read this letter through which the interim president of Texas wrote to Michel B. Menard, "a trader and adopted member of the Shawnee nation," asking Menard "to negotiate a peace treaty with the Shawnees, Delawares, and Kickapoos." This...

Following the Revolutionary War, more and more settlers began to migrate into what was the territory of the Indians. By the early 19th century, there was open hostilty between whites and Indians. Farmers wanted more land and the Indians...