glaciers receded

paleo-indian hunters

hunting mastodons, horses, bison, 4 species of mammoth, giant beavers

approximately 25,000 paleo-hunters

(which increased to 120,000 when Europeans arrived)

started planting corn and beans

more people were supported with agriculture than hunting

forced out the hunter/gathers

used other food sources

oysters and quahogs, some of the first ones harvested were 20" across

increasing people lead to forcing them to use more and more labor to gather food

but not so much effort as to limit the population

some hunter/gathering tribes put up forts to stem the expansion of the farming indians and protected their hunting grounds

Indians depended on many things from the forest

deer, they burned forest to keep a continual level of disturbance and meadows for deer foraging

(they had cut down all the trees along shores by the time the Europeans arrived )

English boats were fishing off New Foundland

John Cabot's voyage to establish and English colony

England's population had doubled in the previous century

diseases that were brought from Europe cased massive epidemics

population of natives from 120,000 down to about 16,000 in 1600AD

English custom was to give the whole farm to the oldest son

the other son's and daughters had to find other livelihood

in New England, "extra" sons moved to Ohio valley

Seth Thomas built clocks that had "perfectly" replaceable parts

allowed displacement of artisan/craft manufacturing

there was a concentration of labor from other immigrations

Irish and others