APUSH Chapter 1: Native Societies, European Exploration, and Colonial Models

What belief system is characterized by the idea that non-human entities possess a spiritual essence?

Animism

What were the three motivations driving European exploration in the New World?

Gold, Glory, God

What significant event occurred in 1492 that marked a turning point in American history?

Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The trans-Atlantic transfer of people, diseases, foods, animals, and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

What was the primary economy of the Southwest Native American societies?

Irrigated agriculture, particularly maize cultivation.

Which Native American group is known for its mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies?

Iroquois Confederacy

What was the Encomienda System?

A grant of land and Indigenous labor to Spanish colonists, functioning as a form of forced labor.

What was the first permanent European settlement in North America?

St. Augustine, Florida (1565)

What was the outcome of the Pueblo Revolt in 1680?

Indigenous peoples overthrew Spanish authority, destroyed churches, and killed colonists.

Who criticized Spanish atrocities against Indigenous peoples in 1552?

Bartolomé de Las Casas

What economic doctrine asserts that colonies exist to enrich the mother country?

Mercantilism

What was the primary goal of Spanish colonization?

Conquest and conversion of Indigenous peoples.

How did French colonial approaches differ from English approaches?

French emphasized trade and alliances with Native groups, while English focused on settler colonies and resource exploitation.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

A papal-mediated line dividing the globe between Spain (west) and Portugal (east).

What were the notable cultural features of the Great Basin and Plains Native American societies?

Nomadic bison hunting and mobility, later enhanced by horse adoption.

What demographic impact did the Columbian Exchange have on Native populations?

Diseases like smallpox led to up to 90% mortality in some Native populations.

What was the primary economic model of the Dutch in their colonies?

Commerce through trade partnerships and limited settlement.

What was the relationship between Spain and Native peoples during colonization?

Characterized by conquest, forced labor, and aggressive Catholic conversion efforts.

What was the significance of maize in the Columbian Exchange?

Maize was exported to Europe, contributing to European population growth.

What was the primary economic focus of English colonies?

Settlement and profit, with minimal intermarriage and displacement of Native peoples.

What did the emergence of Mestizo and Mulatto populations signify in Spanish territories?

The creation of socially stratified, mixed-heritage societies.

What characterized the Atlantic Coast and Northeast Native American economies?

Mixed farming and foraging.

What was the role of horses introduced by Spaniards in Native American societies?

They revolutionized Plains mobility and hunting.