Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

The correct answer highlights that Native Americans were the original inhabitants of the land now known as America long before European explorers and settlers arrived. They established a variety of cultures, languages, and societies that thrived for thousands of years. These diverse groups had their own ways of life, governing systems, and relationships with the land they lived on.

The other groups mentioned, like colonial settlers and European explorers, arrived after Native Americans had already established their presence in the Americas. Colonial settlers were individuals who came over from Europe to establish permanent settlements, while European explorers were the early adventurers who traveled the oceans in search of new lands and resources, often impacting the lives of Native Americans. African tribes were not indigenous to America; rather, they were forcibly brought to the continent much later through the transatlantic slave trade. This context underscores the significance of Native Americans as the first people to inhabit the Americas.