Who Owned America Before America?

So, let’s just cut to the chase: who owned America before America even existed? It’s one of those questions that gets to the heart of a complex history. When we talk about "America" today, most people picture a bustling nation made up of 50 states, 330 million people, and an incredibly diverse landscape. But if we rewind a few centuries, it wasn’t the land of the free yet — far from it. In fact, before colonization, the land was home to numerous indigenous peoples, each with their own rich history, culture, and ownership of the land.

The First Americans: Indigenous Peoples

Let’s start with the most important group: the Indigenous peoples. For thousands of years, long before Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, the land now known as the United States was inhabited by a wide variety of Native American tribes. These groups, which include the Navajo, Iroquois, Sioux, Apache, Cherokee, and many more, had deeply rooted connections to the land.

When we think about who "owned" America, it’s important to understand that the concept of ownership for these tribes was very different from how we think about it today. To them, the land wasn’t something you could "buy" or "sell" in the way we understand property ownership. Instead, the land was something sacred — it was tied to their culture, their spirituality, and their way of life. The relationship between these peoples and the land was about stewardship, not ownership in the Western sense. They didn’t mark boundaries with fences or claim plots of land the way Europeans might have. Rather, the land was shared and used according to need, customs, and seasonal migration.

Some tribes were more sedentary, establishing villages and farming, while others were nomadic, following the buffalo herds or seasonal hunting grounds. But one thing was clear: the indigenous peoples were the true stewards of the land long before European settlers ever set foot on what they would call "New World" soil.

The European Arrival: A Clash of Worlds

In the late 15th century, Europeans arrived in what is now the Americas. The first to come were the Spanish in the 1500s, followed by the French, Dutch, and eventually the English. The whole "discovery of America" story, which we’ve all heard about, doesn’t really acknowledge the vibrant civilizations that already existed here. Think about it: when Columbus landed, the Caribbean was already home to the Taíno people, and North America had a rich tapestry of societies from coast to coast.

But the Europeans didn’t exactly come in with a welcoming spirit. Instead, they brought diseases, weapons, and a belief that they had a divine right to claim the land as their own. I mean, can you imagine the shock of the Indigenous peoples when these strange men with odd clothing and aggressive behavior started to arrive? Not only did they claim the land in a completely foreign way, but they also disregarded the cultures and societies that had existed for centuries.

It wasn’t long before the Europeans, in an attempt to expand their influence and wealth, began to take control of territories. The Spanish, for example, conquered large parts of the Southwest and South America, while the English began establishing colonies along the East Coast. It was a brutal process: wars, forced displacement, and treaties (often broken) became the new reality for Native peoples.

The Colonies: The British Take Over

By the early 1600s, the English began to establish permanent colonies along the East Coast. You’ve heard of Jamestown, right? Well, that was the first permanent English settlement in America, founded in 1607. Over time, more and more English settlers arrived, claiming more and more land. At first, they tried to coexist with the native tribes, but as the colonies grew, the competition for land and resources became fierce.

A little history tidbit for you — the idea of "land ownership" that the Europeans brought with them was completely foreign to the Native Americans. It wasn’t just that they viewed land differently; they didn’t understand the European concept of individual ownership. To the Europeans, you could claim a piece of land and "own" it, building homes, farms, or even cities. For the Indigenous peoples, the land was a shared resource, not something you could "possess" in the modern sense.

So, what did the settlers do? They declared that they "owned" the land — through treaties, military force, and sometimes under the guise of exploration and discovery. And while some tribes tried to negotiate or resist, the tides were already turning in favor of the Europeans. The narrative of "who owned America" became more and more about European colonizers, despite the fact that Indigenous nations had been there for millennia.

Fast Forward: The Creation of the United States

Now, by the time we get to the late 1700s, we’ve got the American Revolution. The colonies, tired of British rule, declared their independence in 1776. They formed a new nation: the United States of America. This new nation was built on the idea of "ownership" — private property, individual rights, and territorial expansion. Yet, as America spread westward, the same process of taking land that had happened with the first colonies continued — often at the expense of the Native American tribes who lived there.

The United States eventually made a huge land grab, pushing Indigenous peoples further and further from their ancestral homes. Through the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, the idea that America was destined to expand from coast to coast, the government justified the theft and displacement of native peoples.

So, Who Owned America Before America?

Before America was America, the land belonged to the Indigenous peoples — the ones who lived here long before Europeans even knew the continent existed. They were the true owners, in a spiritual and cultural sense. But as European settlers arrived, the land was taken through war, treaties, and colonization. The concept of ownership changed drastically with the introduction of European legal systems, and that’s when the land began to be "claimed" in a way we recognize today.

It’s a tough and often uncomfortable history to reckon with, especially when you consider how the U.S. expanded. It’s a story of conquest, displacement, and a clash of worldviews. So next time someone asks "Who owned America before America?" it’s not just about who had the land — it’s about acknowledging the peoples who lived here, their cultures, and their deep connection to the land.

Who owned America? The Indigenous peoples. And their story, though often overlooked, is as much a part of America’s history as any other.

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The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.