Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

The correct answer is American Indians because they were the original inhabitants of the continent long before European explorers and settlers arrived. American Indians, also known as Native Americans, have rich and diverse cultures, languages, and histories that date back thousands of years across the various regions of what is now the United States.

While colonists refer to the European settlers who came after the arrival of explorers in the 15th century, they did not exist in America before Europeans arrived. The terms Asians and Africans can refer to various groups from those continents; however, they do not accurately represent the first peoples to inhabit North America. These populations may have had migratory connections to North America over time but did not settle in the same way as American Indians did prior to European colonization.