#3 When and How did humans
come to the Americas?
Pages 10 - 16 Part 1

Bering Land Bridge Route

1- Why do you think people crossed the land bridge?

• A. They were following their food. People's main goal was to find food to survive. They weren't trying to discover a new continent; they were just following the big herds of animals they hunted.

• B. They were curious. Humans have always wanted to know what's over the next hill. Younger, more adventurous people probably pushed into new areas just to see what was there.

• C. They were escaping from enemies. Groups of people have always fought over the best land. It's possible that some groups were forced to leave their homes by stronger enemies and had to cross the land bridge to find a new, safe place to live.

2- What challenges might they have faced in the cold?

• A. Finding shelter. The biggest challenge was the freezing cold. They would have to constantly search for caves or build huts from animal skins just to survive the nights.

• B. Finding food. In a frozen world, there were very few plants to eat. If they couldn't find any animals to hunt, they would quickly face starvation.

• C. Getting sick or hurt. With no doctors or medicine, a simple broken bone or a bad cold could easily become deadly. The freezing weather would have made any injury or sickness much more dangerous.

Overland Route

3- Why do you think people kept moving south after crossing into North America?

• A. To find warmer weather. As people moved south, they would have found more sunshine, more plants to eat, and different kinds of animals. Life would have been easier in a warmer climate.

• B. To find more space. As families grew larger over many years, they would have needed more room and more hunting grounds. To avoid fighting, groups probably split off and moved south into empty land.

• C. It was their way of life. These people were nomads, meaning they were used to moving around. They didn't think about staying in one spot; their culture was to follow the animals, which naturally led them further south.

Coastal Route

4- Do you think traveling along the coast by water was easier or harder than walking over land? Why?

• A. It was easier. Traveling by boat would have been faster than walking. They also could have eaten fish, seals, and other seafood, which was probably easier to find than hunting mammoths on the frozen land.

• B. It was harder. Early boats could have easily been destroyed by huge storms or icy water. One bad storm could kill everyone, making it much more dangerous than walking on solid ground.

• C. It was just different. Both ways were incredibly hard and required different skills. Land travelers had to survive blizzards, while boat travelers had to survive storms. Both were experts at survival.

Possible Route from Europe

5- Do you think people had the tools and technology to travel across the ocean from Europe 18,000 to 24,000 years ago? Why or why not?

• A. Yes, it's possible. People back then were very smart and could build strong boats from wood and animal skins. It would have been a very hard trip, but not impossible for skilled hunters and sailors.

• B. No, it's very unlikely. They did not have the tools to build a boat that could survive giant ocean storms. Their tools were made of stone and bone, which were probably not strong enough to build a true ocean-crossing ship.

• C. Maybe, but only by accident. It's possible a group of hunters in a small boat were blown out to sea by a freak storm. They might have gotten lucky and drifted all the way to America, but they couldn't have planned a trip like that.