America Before the European Invasions

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 weren't 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 Kehoe's pioneering work is a powerful fusion of archaeology with historical records, challenging our efforts to know America's 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.