America had thousands of years of human history before Columbus began centuries of European invasions after AD 1600. The land had long been settled by Native Americans who had developed extensive, varied and long-lasting cultures across the continent. This book looks at the pre-European Native American story in its own right. The story is much more complex than recognized in the past; the cultures of the indigenous nations were more sophisticated, politically and socially - they werent simple and primitive as they were traditionally represented, and their economic development at the time of invasion, and indeed afterwards, was very similar to that of the European settlers.

America before the European Invasions

tells the story of those millennia from first migrations into the continent to the brink of massive European invasions. Beginning with Upper Paleolithic immigrants from Asia, through the inventions of agriculture, cities and kingdoms, American First Nations are integral to United States history. They explored the continent, pioneered its waterways and mountain passes, cleared forests, irrigated deserts and ranched its Great Plains. Taking over First Nations crops, fields, and towns, Europeans justified their conquests by denying the abundant evidence of American Indian civilizations, claiming they were bestial savages destined to vanish. Alice Kehoes pioneering work is a powerful fusion of archaeology with historical records, challenging our efforts to know Americas long pre-European history.

 

Alice Kehoe is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has written the major college text North American Indians: A Comprehensive Account.

 

 

"America had fifteen thousand years of history before Christopher Colombus kicked-off centuries of European invasions. This book tells the story of the American Indian nations and their world before the Europeans.. Focusing on people rather than potsherds and arrowheads, this is an original approach for pre-history. Beginning with the immigrants from Asia, through inventions of agriculture, cities and kingdoms, American First Nations are integral to the history of the United States. They explored the continent, pioneered its waterways and mountain passes, cleared forests, irrigated deserts, and ranched its great plains. Invading Europeans justified their conquests by denying the evidence of American Indian civilizations. Using her familiarity with the archaeological remains and remnants, Alice Kehoe builds a fascinating prehistory, highlighting the research puzzles along the way. This book presents an enthralling look at the depth and diversity of American history - before the Europeans and the deadly epidemics they brought with them decimated whole nations. For readers interested in American and Native American history.

Alice Kehoe is an archaeologist and enthnographer with extensive excavation experience.  She is the author of The Ghost Dance: Ethnohistory and Revitalization; The Land of Prehistory:  A Critical History of American Archaeology; Shamans and Religion: An Anthropological Exploration in Critical Thinking.

List of illustrations. Acknowledgements. Introduction: History without Documents 1.First Americans 2. The Archaic Period: 7000-1000BCE 3.Nuclear America 4.Early Woodland, 1000-100BC 5.Middle Woodland, 100BC-AD400 6.The West Coast 7.Alaska 8.The Interior West 9.The American Southwest 10.The Mississippian Period, AD 950-1600 11.Late Woodland, to AD 1600 12.Overview: the United States, 1600 13.Issues and Puzzles Index