Major Event/Epoch in American History | Time Period/Date(s) | Description and Significance of the People/Event(s) to American History | 1) Describe three different American Indian cultures prior to colonization. | 17,000B.C.–1492A.D. | One American Indian culture that existed prior to colonization was the Paleo-Indians. These were highly nomadic people who hunted mastodons, woolly mammoths, and other mammals of similar size with spears. They had nomadic tendencies, which led them to live a rather isolated way of life. This helped to avoid the spread of some extremely contagious diseases and allowed families to survive (Brands, 2012, p. 5). Another pre-colonization culture was the Plains Indians. This particular culture survived by using a combination of hunting, gathering, and farming. This development led to the establishment of villages near river valleys that assisted in the influx of population. The conditions in which the lived were optimal for multi-generation survival (Brands, 2012, p. 7). A third American Indian culture that thrived prior to colonization was the Aztecs. They were able to build enormous cities with complex governments, ruled by aggressive men. The Aztecs successfully developed their own hieroglyphic writing as well as a genuine solar calendar. Over time they conquered a great number of foes across the Valley of Mexico and participated in the practice of human sacrifice, which aligned with the maintenance of their crops. They considered human blood to be quite powerful and extremely useful in satisfying their gods. The development of the Aztec society left the Spanish in awe when they arrived (Brands, 2012, p. 7-9). | 2) The effects of British colonization on the Native Americans. | 1607- 1700 | The effects of British colonization were both great and many. The British brought with them many fatal diseases, which the