Before America: A New Video Series from Echoes of America

What was North America like long before the United States existed?

Our new video series, Before America, explores the Indigenous peoples, communities, trade networks, and civilizations whose histories stretch back long before European arrival.

Episode 1 explores

• The diversity of Indigenous life across North America
• The Mississippi River and its networks of exchange
• Cahokia, one of the largest urban centers north of Mexico at its height
• What archaeology reveals—and what it cannot tell us on its own

The episode features narrated storytelling and artistic historical reconstructions, with sources for further reading.

Watch Episode 1 and explore the historical sources on Echoes of America.

Indigenous history is not only the story of the distant past. Indigenous peoples, cultures, and traditions continue today.