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What interaction between First Peoples and European colonists is a major theme of American history?

Their interactions were often violent, with colonists using terror to dispossess First Peoples.

What was the impact of European diseases on Native American populations?

Approximately 90% of Native Americans succumbed to lethal pathogens brought by Europeans.

What significant migration event allowed humans to cross into the Americas?

Migration across the Bering Land Bridge.

What was a major characteristic of population density in pre-colonial America?

Population density was low, with estimates as low as one person per square mile.

What was Tenochtitlan?

The largest pre-colonial Native-American city, capital of the Aztec empire with about 250,000 residents at its peak in the 15th century.

What structural feature did the residents of Cahokia build?

Small earthen mounds used to elevate their buildings.

How did Native Americans typically clear land for agriculture?

By using fire to clear forests, facilitating nutrient absorption and improving soil fertility.

What was the main agricultural technique used by the Hohokam?

They built dams and canals for irrigation in a hot, dry region.

How did the Agawam practice their semi-nomadic lifestyle?

They combined settled agriculture with hunting and gathering, using fire to clear fields.

What was the European misunderstanding regarding Native American land use?

Europeans believed abandoned fields were open for claiming, while Native Americans did not see themselves as relinquishing land.

What did the Agawam grant to William Pynchon in their land negotiation?

Rights to use the land similarly to how they used it, but not ownership of the land itself.

Why did Native Americans lack immunity to European diseases?

They had no prior exposure to these diseases before European contact.

What was the psychological impact of disease on Native American society?

It caused social bonds to break down as communities suffered massive depopulation.

What resulted from the significant decline in the Native American population due to disease?

European settlers turned to bringing in labor from Europe and enslaving Africans for their farms and plantations.