Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?

The correct answer is that Native Americans lived in America before the arrival of Europeans. Native Americans are the indigenous peoples of the continent, having established diverse cultures, languages, and societies thousands of years prior to European exploration and colonization. Their history in America is rich and complex, encompassing a variety of tribes and communities with distinct traditions and ways of life.

While people of African descent, often enslaved, arrived in America alongside European settlers, they did not inhabit the region prior to European exploration. Similarly, European settlers themselves were the newcomers arriving from across the Atlantic. Although there were migrations from Asia to the Americas via land or coastal routes, these occurred long before the modern era of European exploration. Thus, the presence of Native Americans represents the original inhabitants of the land, making them the most accurate choice for this question.