Native Americans lived in the Southeast Region before the European explores arrived. They lived in villages along rivers. There were a lot of villages along the Mississippi River. The Native Americans hunted and fished for food. They also grew crops in their gardens.

The first Europeans to arrive in the Southeast were explorers from Spain. Ponce de Leon explored Florida in 1513. Hernando De Soto explored the Southeast Region in the 1540's. In 1588, Sir Walter Raleigh tried to start an English settlement in the Southeast. The settlers were killed by Indians. Spain also claimed land in the Southeast.
 

Activity 8: The People and the History of the Southeast Region