Welcome, we explore a powerful yet often overlooked part of America's past—Native Americans and the Birth of the USA (1600s–1700s). While textbooks often spotlight European settlers and revolutionary leaders, this film highlights the indispensable roles indigenous peoples played. From early interactions with Pilgrims and colonists, to alliances during wars, and their diplomatic negotiations, Native American nations actively shaped the fate of a forming America. Tribes like the Powhatan, Wampanoag, Iroquois, and Cherokee were not passive observers—they were participants, leaders, and at times, resistance fighters. As European colonies grew, Native strategies shifted—from cooperation to conflict. Join us as we uncover the treaties, betrayals, contributions, and courage that defined indigenous involvement in the earliest chapters of the United States.
✅ SOURCES
Calloway, C. G. (2006). The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America.
Richter, D. K. (2001). Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America.
Mann, C. C. (2006). 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.
Taylor, A. (2016). American Colonies: The Settling of North America.
Dowd, G. E. (1992). A Spirited Resistance: The North American Indian Struggle for Unity, 1745–1815.
Hoxie, F. E. (2001). A Final Promise: The Campaign to Assimilate the Indians, 1880–1920.
Merrell, J. H. (1999). Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier.
Explore #NativeAmericanHistory, #USAFounding, #ColonialAmerica, #IndigenousVoices, and #HiddenHistory.
✅ SOURCES
Calloway, C. G. (2006). The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America.
Richter, D. K. (2001). Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America.
Mann, C. C. (2006). 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.
Taylor, A. (2016). American Colonies: The Settling of North America.
Dowd, G. E. (1992). A Spirited Resistance: The North American Indian Struggle for Unity, 1745–1815.
Hoxie, F. E. (2001). A Final Promise: The Campaign to Assimilate the Indians, 1880–1920.
Merrell, J. H. (1999). Into the American Woods: Negotiators on the Pennsylvania Frontier.
Explore #NativeAmericanHistory, #USAFounding, #ColonialAmerica, #IndigenousVoices, and #HiddenHistory.
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LearningTranscript
00:00What were Native Americans' names?
00:02And why did they call it the United States of America?
00:06We're going way back to learn about the first people who settled in North America
00:10and the European settlers that followed.
00:13Back in the late 1600s and early 1700s,
00:16the land that would become the United States of America
00:19was inhabited by hundreds of different Native American tribes.
00:23These tribes had their own distinct cultures, languages, and names for the lands they lived on.
00:28They didn't call it America.
00:30That name came later.
00:31They called it by names that related to their local geography or their own tribal affiliation.
00:37For example, the Cherokee people called their home in present-day Georgia and North Carolina,
00:42Annie, Utah, which translates to our homeland.
00:46The Choctaw called their territory in present-day Mississippi and Alabama the Red Nation,
00:51referring to themselves as the Red People because of their reddish skin tones.
00:56And the Lakota people called their ancestral lands in the Great Plains region,
01:01the Dakota Territory, after one of their subgroups, the Dakota.
01:06The Inca people called their mountain home in present-day Bolivia and Peru,
01:11Tawantinsuyu, meaning the four regions as it encompassed four distinct regions,
01:17the jungle, the mountains, the desert, and the coast.
01:21It wasn't until European explorers began venturing into these lands that
01:25the idea of naming the entire continent became a topic of conversation.
01:30Initially, when they arrived, they thought they were actually in India.
01:34So they started calling the natives Indians.
01:37But then they realized they were not actually in India.
01:41So they started calling this newfound land America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci,
01:47an Italian explorer who was the first to realize that this land was actually a new continent.
01:52In reality, though, there wasn't just one single Native American culture.
01:56It was made up of hundreds of different groups with their own unique names and languages.
02:01For example, there were three main regions where most Native Americans lived during this time period,
02:07the East Coast, the Great Lakes region, and the Southwest.
02:11Each of these regions had its own collection of tribes with their own names.
02:16On the East Coast, there were many different tribes, including the Iroquois Confederacy,
02:21which was made up of five different nations, the Mohawk, Onondaga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Tuscarora peoples.
02:30They lived in what is now known as the Northeastern Woodlands, and they spoke a language called Iroquoian.
02:37Other tribes on the East Coast included the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Creek, and the Seminole.
02:44In the Great Lakes region, there were tribes like the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Arapaho, and the Kiowa, just to name a few.
02:52They lived in what is now known as the Great Plains, and they spoke a language called Algonquian.
02:58And in the Southwest, there were tribes like the Navajo, the Apache, the Hopi, and the Zuni.
03:05They lived in what is now known as the Southwestern Woodlands, and they spoke a language called Athabascan.
03:11Each of these tribes had their own unique culture, traditions, and names for their homelands.
03:17For example, the Navajo people called their homeland Dinatsa, which means the people in their language,
03:24and the Apache people called theirs Nish, which meant people.
03:28The term Native Americans is actually a broad term that encompasses all of the indigenous peoples of the United States,
03:35including those who lived in Alaska, Hawaii, and the many different islands of the Pacific Ocean.
03:41These indigenous peoples had their own unique cultures, languages, and names for their homelands as well.
03:48For example, in Hawaii, the native people are called Kanaka Maoli, which means real people.
03:55And in Alaska, the native peoples are known by several names, including Inupiat, Yupik, and Tlingit,
04:04each representing different language groups.
04:07The first European explorers to make it to the continental United States were the Spanish,
04:12followed by the French, and then the English.
04:15Each of these countries had its own name for the land and the people they encountered.
04:20The Spanish called the area La Nueva España, meaning New Spain,
04:26and they thought they were actually in India, so they called the Native Americans Indios.
04:31The French called it La Nouvelle France, meaning New France,
04:35and they also used the term Sauvage to refer to the Native Americans.
04:40The English were the last of the major European powers to arrive on the east coast of the United States,
04:45and they called it Virginia, after the Virgin Queen Elizabeth III.
04:50They also used the term Indians to refer to the native peoples, just like the Spanish and the French had.
04:57But where did the name United States come from?
05:00Well, when the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain in 1776,
05:06they created a new government called the United States, in order to unite the thirteen colonies under one banner.
05:13This new country was made up of individual states that were sovereign and independent from each other.
05:19This concept of a union of states was novel at the time,
05:22and it set the stage for the addition of more states to join the Union in the future.
05:27As new territories were acquired and developed, they too would eventually become states within the United States.
05:34As for the Native Americans, their cultures and traditions have survived for centuries,
05:39despite the many challenges they have faced.
05:41Today, there are over 570 federally recognized tribes in the United States,
05:47with each having their own unique history and heritage.
05:50In recent years, there has been a growing movement to recognize and respect the indigenous peoples of the United States,
05:57and to celebrate their contributions to American culture.
06:00Many people are also working to preserve their languages, traditions, and histories for future generations.
06:07Overall, the United States is a vast and diverse country with a rich history that dates back thousands of years.
06:15From the earliest inhabitants to the European settlers and everyone who has come since,
06:20the United States is a nation built by people from all over the world who have contributed to its unique character and identity.
06:27The United States is a big place, and the term Native American encompasses hundreds of different tribes
06:34with their own unique cultures and names for their homelands.
06:37From the Navajo to the Apache to the Iroquois, each tribe has its own distinct history and heritage.
06:44When the Europeans arrived, they brought with them new diseases that devastated Native American populations.
06:50They also claimed the land for their own and began to push the natives further and further west.
06:56Despite all this, the Native Americans have survived and continue to thrive today.
07:01Their cultures and traditions are still very much alive and well,
07:05and their contributions to American society are finally being recognized.
07:10If you want to learn more about Native American culture, there are many resources available.
07:16You can visit a local museum or cultural center, read books or articles, or even watch documentaries.
07:23There is so much to learn about this fascinating part of American history, and it is well worth the effort.
07:29Well, that's all we have for today.
07:32Thanks for watching, and see you next time!