Question 74 of 128 · American History · Colonial Period and Independence
Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?
On the 65/20 list: one of the 20 questions for applicants 65 or older with 20 years as permanent residents.
Accepted answers
- American Indians
- Native Americans
Any one of these is accepted, unless the question asks for more than one.
Why this is the answer
Long before any European ship arrived, the Americas were home to millions of people in many nations, each with its own language, religion and form of government. In the United States they are called Native Americans or American Indians, and both names are accepted answers. The Europeans who came in the 1500s and 1600s did not find an empty land; they found tribes such as the Cherokee, the Navajo and the Sioux, and the encounters that followed shaped the country's history. Memory hook: first here, first in the answer.