Transcript Alabama History Chapter 1

Alabama History
Chapter 1
Mrs. Wallace
Where is Alabama?
• Alabama is located in the southeastern United States on the continent
of North America in the Northern/Western Hemisphere.
• Alabama is bordered by Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of
Mexico to the South, Mississippi to the west, and Tennessee to the
north.
Paleo Indians
• The first people of Alabama arrived approximately 12,000
years ago. We believe they crossed the Bering Strait on a
land bridge that connected Asia and North America.
• The first people of Alabama were Paleo Indians.
Vocabulary to Know
• Archaeologists- study past cultures by
looking at their tools, weapons, buildings,
and other remains
• Prehistoric- means before history was
written down
• Geologists- scientists who study how the
earth was formed
The 5 Geographic Provinces of Alabama
• The Highland Rim- level plains of fertile soil and gently
rolling hills
• Cumberland Plateau- steep canyons and coal deposits
• The Ridge and Valley Province- includes Birmingham and
Red Mountain- known for iron ore, coal, and limestone
• The Piedmont Province- means “foot of the mountains”
Mount Cheaha (the highest point in Alabama is located
here)
• The Coastal Plain- The border between the Piedmont and
the Coastal Plain is called the fall line. It makes up more
than half of the state. A band of dark rich soil called the
black belt is found in the Coastal Plain.
The 5 Geographic Provinces of Alabama
Paleo Indians
• When the Paleo Indians came to Alabama they
came following herds of now extinct food
animals. They were hunters and gatherers.
• The Paleo Indians found places to live that would
be both safe and close to food sources.
• Paleo Indians were skilled at using natural
resources. They were also excellent artists.
Scientists have found petroglyphs carved into
rocks. These offer clues about the religious
beliefs.
• Paleo Indians hunted large prehistoric animals like
mastodons and woolly mammoths.
Archaic Indians
• Like the Paleo Indians, the Archaic Indians were
hunters and gatherers. The Archaic Indians made
use of other resources too.
• Unlike the Paleo Indians, Archaic Indians tended to
stay longer in one place.
• Archaic Indians lived on the rivers, where they
harvested fish and shellfish during the summer. In
the fall and winter they moved to the forests to
collect nuts and to hunt.
• Archaic people developed many tools, such as
the atlatl, or throwing stick for hunting. Burial
sites show that the Archaic Indians traded for
special items.
Archaic Indians
• Vocabulary: Horticulture: Archaic Indians
paid attention to where certain plants grew
well and tried to encourage plant growth.
• Archaeologists believe that finding rare or
precious items in a person’s grave probably
meant they were important to the group.
Scientists also think the Archaic people
believed in life after death.
• Archaic Indians made bowls and other
items from stone.
Archaic Indian and Atlatl
Woodland Indians
• The Woodland Indians began making pottery to
cook and store food with. They also developed
the bow and arrow, which improved hunting.
• The Woodland Indians had a healthier, more
dependable diet, and as a result the population
grew.
• The Woodland Indians stayed in one
place for at least a season.
• Leaders began to form during the
Woodland time period.
The Rivers of Alabama
• Tennessee River – In the north; dips down into the northeastern
corner of the state, then flows northwest and down again.
• Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers – On the western side of
the state.
• Alabama River – Formed where the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers
join.
• Cahaba River – Joins to the Alabama River; flows down from the
mountains near Birmingham.
• Mobile River – Formed where the Alabama meets the
Tombigbee.
• Chattahoochee River – To the east; forms part of the boundary
with Georgia.
Alabama Rivers
Mississippian Period and Native
Americans
• Native Americans were attracted to the abundant plant
and animal life found in and along these waterways.
• With hundreds of miles of waterways, Native Americans
did not have to travel far to find good water and
transportation.
• People during the Mississippian period lived in chiefdoms.
Chiefs and priests lived in town, and they made the laws
and led the people in peace and war.
• Mississippians still hunted and fished, but farming was
central to their society.
• Mississippian society included nobles and commoners.
Nobles were related to the chief or priests. Commoners
served the nobles.
Moundville
• The Moundville site contains some twenty
mounds. The largest is almost sixty feet tall and
covers nearly two acres.
• The mounds may not have been built primarily for
tombs. Houses of the chiefs and priests were
located on the flat tops of some of the mounds.
• When a chief or priest died, his followers might
burn or tear down his house, add a new layer of
dirt, and build a new house for the next leader.
Moundville
Bottle Creek
• Located on an island in the delta of the Mobile
and Tensaw Rivers.
• Contained at least eighteen mounds, and the city
was the social and governmental center of the
region.
• Both Moundville and Bottle Creek went into
decline and people began moving away, leaving
the sites all but deserted. We do not know for sure
why the Mississippian culture declined. Scientists
think warfare and diseases brought by Europeans
caused this decline.
Vocabulary to Know
• migration – the movement of people or animals from
one place to another
• fossil – remains of a living thing from a former geologic
age
• inhabitants – people who live in a particular place
• erosion – the wearing away of land by wind, water, or
weather over a long period of time
• middens – garbage dumps used by Archaic Indians
• chiefdoms – groups of tribes with common goals and
beliefs that unite for power
• palisades – a fence of stakes set firmly in the ground to
enclose or protect a place