Mapping Our Continent
These four main directions on a compass rose are North, South, East, and West.
This ancient, frozen or dried-up path is one of the main pathways scientists believe early humans crossed from Siberia into Alaska.
What is Beringia (Land Bridge)?
Historians look at these first-hand items—like maps, letters, and tools created during the time of study—to get direct clues about the past.
What are primary sources?
Families traveling to the western frontier often packed their lives into these large, covered vehicles pulled by oxen.
What are covered wagons (or wagon trains)?
In the mid-1800s, the U.S. was deeply and dangerously divided over whether this unfair system should be allowed to expand into new western territories.
What is Canada?
This helpful part of a map explains what different symbols, colors, or lines mean.
What is a map key (or legend)?
Built out of clay, stone, and wood, these multi-story "apartment-style" cliff dwellings were created by Indigenous groups in the hot desert Southwest.
What are pueblos (or cliff dwellings)?
These seafaring warriors from Scandinavia were actually the first Europeans to land on the Atlantic coast of North America, centuries before Columbus.
Who were the Vikings?
In 1803, the United States vastly increased its size by purchasing this massive piece of land from France.
What is the Louisiana Purchase?
This word describes a shared way of life, including a group's language, food, traditions, and clothing.
What is culture?
This massive body of water lies directly to the south of the United States and borders Mexico's eastern coast.
What is the Gulf of Mexico?
Indigenous societies across the continent relied on these local materials, plants, and animals to survive and build their economies.
What are natural resources?
European empires sent explorers across the ocean searching for new land, glory, and a faster trade route to this wealthy continent.
What is Asia?
In the mid-1800s, the U.S. was deeply and dangerously divided over whether this unfair system should be allowed to expand into new western territories.
What is slavery?
This type of physical map uses special lines or colors to show how high mountains are or how flat plains are.
What is a topographic map?
This longest river system in the United States flows all the way from Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico and was used heavily for trade.
What is the Mississippi River?
This type of scientist studies physical objects left behind, like stone tools, ceramics, and ancient mounds, to learn how people lived long ago.
What is an archaeologist?
This local Indigenous nation famously interacted with, helped, and formed alliances with the early English settlers in Massachusetts.
Who are the Wampanoag?
This is the document written and issued by Congress which outlined rules and regulations for the establishment of territories out west.
Unlike a physical map, this type of map shows lines that mark out state and national borders, along with major cities.
What is a political map?
Geographers use this specific tool on a map to figure out the actual distance between two real-world places.
What is a map scale?
A highly organized society in the Mississippi River Valley built a massive ancient city famous for its giant dirt structures, called _________.
What are Cahokia Mounds?
These are the 3 motivating factors that drove European explorers to travel beyond their borders.
What is Gold, Glory, and God?
What is war, treaty, purchase, and annexation?
This person invented the Cotton Engine (Gin) that ultimately increased the demands for slaves to pick more cotton for their owners.
Who was Eli Whitney?