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Some old mounds reflecting Indian settlements in the territory which is now the United States of America have been discovered, such as the Adena burial mounds and Mississippian platform towns.<ref>Melissa L. Meyer, Dean R. Snow, Charles L. Cohen, Russell Thornton, Donald A. Grinde Jr., Leah Dilworth "Indian History and Culture"  The Oxford Companion to United States History. Paul S. Boyer, ed. Oxford University Press 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  University of Tampa.  4 August 2008  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t119.e0758-s0002></ref>  The [[Cahokia Mounds]] in Southern Illinois (just east of [[St. Louis]]) reflect an Indian community dating back as early as A.D. 1000 or 1100.<ref>http://www.cahokiamounds.com/mystery_01.html</ref>  That community practiced human sacrifice, as did the [[Aztecs]] and [[Mayans]] in [[Mesoamerica]] (Mexico and Central America) and the [[Incas]] in [[South America]] prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

Some old mounds reflecting Indian settlements in the territory which is now the United States of America have been discovered, such as the Adena burial mounds and Mississippian platform towns.<ref>Melissa L. Meyer, Dean R. Snow, Charles L. Cohen, Russell Thornton, Donald A. Grinde Jr., Leah Dilworth "Indian History and Culture"  The Oxford Companion to United States History. Paul S. Boyer, ed. Oxford University Press 2001. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  University of Tampa.  4 August 2008  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t119.e0758-s0002></ref>  The [[Cahokia Mounds]] in Southern Illinois (just east of [[St. Louis]]) reflect an Indian community dating back as early as A.D. 1000 or 1100.<ref>http://www.cahokiamounds.com/mystery_01.html</ref>  That community practiced human sacrifice, as did the [[Aztecs]] and [[Mayans]] in [[Mesoamerica]] (Mexico and Central America) and the [[Incas]] in [[South America]] prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.

The Indians in what is now the USA were [[nomads]] who traveled across wide areas.  In contrast to the indigenous peoples of Central and South America, they did not read and write, and they lacked a monetary system.  They were organized by tribes and some had very simple forms of government.  There was the [[Iroquois Confederacy]] that united some Indians, but typically there was a lack of unity that led to their easy defeat by Europeans. The Indians did introduce [[tobacco]] and [[corn]] to Europeans, and they became widely popular back in Europe.  Europeans also brought new things to the Indians, such as horses and guns.

When talking about Indian cultures, it is important not to clump all Indian Peoples into one "American Indian".  The Indians in what is now the USA were a diverse selection of cultures, which included [[nomads]] from the middle of the US, settled colonies in the North West Coast, with rich and developed systems of religion and property ownership, and Eastern tribes with large townships, formal treaties, and fully established governmental systems.    Though many, if not most tribes, did not have a formal monetary systems, the Cherokee and the Iroquois Nations had established monetary systems.  None of the tribes of the North American continent had any formal writing systems. The Indians did introduce [[tobacco]] and [[corn]] to Europeans, and they became widely popular back in Europe.  Europeans also brought new things to the Indians, such as horses and guns.

Archaeological and historical evidence obtained in the 20th century showed that the Vinland colony, established around A.D. 1000 by the Viking [[Leif Ericson]], was on the island now known as [[Newfoundland]], in the far east of Canada.  There is limited physical evidence of the colony and it is not known what eventually happened to it. It did not last long and there is no sign of any Viking colony in what is now the United States.<ref>"People have been looking hard for hundreds of years and there is no archaeological evidence in this part [New England]— it's certainly possible, the Vikings were incredible boat handlers — '''but there is no evidence'''," observed one university history professor.[http://farshores.org/a04viki.htm]</ref>.

Archaeological and historical evidence obtained in the 20th century showed that the Vinland colony, established around A.D. 1000 by the Viking [[Leif Ericson]], was on the island now known as [[Newfoundland]], in the far east of Canada.  There is limited physical evidence of the colony and it is not known what eventually happened to it. It did not last long and there is no sign of any Viking colony in what is now the United States.<ref>"People have been looking hard for hundreds of years and there is no archaeological evidence in this part [New England]— it's certainly possible, the Vikings were incredible boat handlers — '''but there is no evidence'''," observed one university history professor.[http://farshores.org/a04viki.htm]</ref>.