US History Module One

What was the epicenter of the Renaissance?

Florence, Italy.

When did the Renaissance occur?

1350 to 1600 AD.

What does Renaissance mean?

Rebirth.

True or false. By 1650 the world was pretty accurately mapped.

True.

What was an issue the Vikings had?

Their ships were exposed to the elements.

Why didn’t the Vikings stay when they made it to Newfoundland/Nova Scotia?

They were looking for wealth and they didn’t find any loot. Also the journey to get there was a difficult one.

What were the new developments in ship building technology?

Sails replaced oars (began around 1300).

More masts were added. (Could go faster).

Sternpost rudder added. (Increased the stability of ships and maneuverability).

Artillery added. (Helped Europeans conquer other people).

Magnetic compass. (Came to Europeans around 1000).

Astrolabe. (Instrument used to observe stars and planets).

What did the new developments of their ships do for the Europeans?

Important because they allowed Europeans to sail out of sight of land. To go further out on the ocean. Opened the world up to them.

What prompted Europeans to go out and discover new places?

1. Challenge Italian Trade.

2. Spices.

3. Gold.

4. Power.

5. Religion. (wanted to spread Christianity)

Who was Marco Polo and when did he live?

Venetian explorer. First European to spend a lengthy amount of time in China. Lived 1254 to 1324. Stayed at the court of Kublai Khan for several years. Brought back the idea of paper money (idea from China) and possibly eyeglasses.

True or false. Europeans didn’t initially set out to “just explore” they were originally interested in finding direct trade routes to Asia.

True.

Prince Henry the Navigator:

Portugal Explorer. Lived 1394 to 1460.

Bartholomew Diaz:

From Portugal. Lived 1450 to 1500. Successfully sailed around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Storms and mutiny made him go back. Wanted to go on to India, but had to turn back. King John the 2nd was so excited that they had reached the southern tip of Africa, he named it Good Hope.

Vasco de Gama:

Lived 1460s to 1524. Completed what Bartholomew Diaz was not able to complete. He sailed around the southern tip of Africa. Between 1497 and 1499 he made it to India and returned to Portugal to King Manuel the 1st and brought back shiploads of items.

Pedro Cabral:

Lived 1467 to 1520. From Portugal. Sighted coast of Brazil, when he thought he was coasting the Western part of Africa. First thought he discovered a large island. Eventually realized he discovered a continent and claimed it for Portugal.

What is the significance of the Portuguese and Christopher Columbus?

Their voyages to the Americas expanded humans’ understanding of the earth and water. People came to realize that Earth and water were joined together. They were one. Humans now had to grasp the global dimensions of the planet that they lived on and they learned that the world was an ocean, and all of its territories were islands.

Portuguese sailors used triangular sails and built lighter vessels called __________ so they could sail down the African coast.

Caravels.

What two people got married in 1469 and united two of the most powerful independent kingdoms on the Iberian peninsula and laid the foundation for the modern nation of Spain?

King Ferdinand of Aragon married Queen Isabella of Castile.

Historians generally recognize three motives for European exploration, which are?

God, glory and gold.

What date did American Indians encounter the Europeans for the first time?

October 12th 1492.

What advances were the ancestors of American Indians making?

Learned to use fire.

Developed weapons and tools.

Improved hunting techniques.

Learned to process and store food.

For the Iroquois, what were the roles of the men and women?

Men were hunters, fighters, spiritual leaders.

Women were responsible for plants, healing, nurturing, and order.

How did Maize transform the lives of Native Americans?

Wherever agriculture formed, it transformed the societies. More dependable supply of food, didn’t always have to hunt.

Anasazi People:

Four Corners Area. Mesa Verde. Carved their homes into cliffs. Largest village called Pueblo Bonito.

Giant Serpent Mound:

Found in Southern Ohio. Quarter of a mile long. Serpent devouring an egg.

Cahokia:

900 AD. In Illinois. 18 acres of land, 100 feet high. Trading center. People didn’t actually live there. Hold ceremonies. Lots of graves.

What were the five civilized tribes?

Choctaw, Creeks, Chickasaw, Cherokee and Seminole.

What were the two common factors that influenced the North American Tribes’ Fate?

1. Lack of unity

2. Little immunity to disease.

Who was Columbus’ Patrons?

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.

What did Columbus tell King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella?

If the Indians had access to devout religious persons knowing the language, they would all turn Christian.

Europeans thought American Indians were __________.

Savages.

Significance of Mutual Discovery:

Native Americans and Europeans came to believe that each represented a threat to the other’s survival and prosperity. That belief set them on a course toward destruction- but also toward the creation of a new culture in a new world.

What was the land bridge that existed between Asia and North America called nine to fifteen thousand years ago?

Beringia.

What were the Mesoamerican Civilizations?

Olmec, Aztec, Maya.

What was the Andean civilization?

Inca.

Amerigo Vespucci:

1454 to 1512. Convinced German mapmakers that America was distinct from Asia. Soon the name American became the name of the New World.

Francisco Coronado:

1510 to 1554. Spain commissioned him to find the fabled seven cities of Cibola which is said to be located near present day New Mexico. Discovered the Grand Cayon.

Juan Ponce de Leon:

1474 to 1521. Laid the groundwork for the settlement of Puerto Rico and Florida. Made Indians slaves and forced them to work in gold mines.

Hernando de Soto:

1500 to 1542. Went on a mission of exploration and plunder. Failed to find gold. Just killed a lot of people.

Vasco Balboa:

1475 to 1519. Discovered the Pacific Ocean while searching for gold in Panama.

What was the first permanent European civilization founded in North American?

St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. Military outpost.

John Cabot:

Cabot’s voyage to Newfoundland was never followed up. Got permission to go back by King Henry (English), but his expedition was completely lost, no one knows what happened to them.

Giovanni da Verrazano:

1485 to 1528. French king sent Italian Giovanni to explore the New World. Dropped anchor in New York Harbor, traded with Indians. Killed in the West Indies later.

Who discovered Canada?

Cartier.

Samuel de Champlain:

Father of New France. “Father of Canada”. Explored Canada. Founded Quebec as fur trading center.

Captain Francis Drake:

Explorer. Began attacking Spanish ships in the New World. Terrorize Spanish towns for Queen Elizabeth.

Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Humphrey Gilbert:

Queen Elizabeth gave them the right to inhabit and possess and remote and heathen lands not already in the possession of any Christian prince. Queen Elizabeth saying Phillip was not a Christian.

Who named Virginia?

Sir Walter Raleigh.

Roanoke Colony:

Mining gold, trade with Indians. Loot Spanish ships.

Who established the Roanoke Colony?

Sir Walter Raleigh.

What was the significance of the English taking down the Spanish armada in 1588?

Reduced Spain’s naval power, allowed the English and others easier access to the Americas and led to the Spanish Empire’s decline.