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Showing posts with the label U.S. History

Mapping the DNA of American Natives

University of Illinois anthropology professor Ripan Malhi has analyzed DNA samples to try and determine how humans made their way to the Americas 15,000 years ago. They looked closely at mitochondrial genome that comes from mothers and found a stronger connection to the ancient past. The natives of Prince Rupert Island have the same genetic background as their ancestors. The natives of Northern California were complex hunter-gatherers while those of Mexico transitioned to agriculture.  Two general theories appear to dominate the American migration theories. One is that people moved across an ice shelf from Europe and another is that Asianic people used boats to move down the California coast. No one really knows what happened. Both theories have been challenged at one time or another based upon artifact finding, carbon dating, and anthropology studies.  The genetic studies are interesting in that they can help connect peoples from the Americas to those in other areas. Most

Celebrating National Independence Day

Independence Day is a celebration of charting a new course in America’s history. Freeing ourselves from the British afforded the opportunities to develop one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen. Few believed that the nation would be able to make its way through the turmoil of a war with a much more powerful mother country.   They didn’t know how it would turn out in the end but they risked much to grasp the impossible.  The Declaration of Independence was a thought that spread throughout the colonies quickly.   It was as much as a mental declaration as it was a military and economic proclamation. It was founded in basic human rights and the right to self-determination. This was not something that could happen under the European collective mindset.  Without the independence of government needed in the new world as well the lessons of individualism learned from Native Americans   our country would not exist today. Throughout this time, we have overcome confli