native american history midterm

settler colonialism: what is settler colonialism, and why is it important?

A form of colonization where settlers come to stay and replace Indigenous peoples, not just exploit resources. It's an ongoing system meant to erase Native presence and claim land permanently. It explains how countries like the U.S. were built on Native displacement.

cahokia: what was cahokia, and why is it important to native american history?

A major Mississippian city near present-day St. Louis (1000-1350 CE). Its large mounds and trade networks show that pre-contact Native societies were complex, urban, and organized long before European arrival.

iroquois confederacy: who made up the iroquois confederacy, and what is its historical significance?

Alliance of five (later six) nations-Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They governed under the Great Law of Peace, showing advanced political structure and diplomacy that influenced U.S. democracy.

the new world/black robe: what do the films show about colonization?

They depict early encounters between Europeans and Natives, revealing cultural misunderstanding, religious conflict, and power dynamics. Both show how colonization shaped Indigenous life and identity.

columbian exchange: what was the columbian exchange, and what impact did it have?

The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old and New Worlds after 1492. It transformed global diets, economies, and populations often devastating Native peoples through disease and displacement.

romantic vs rationalist: what were the romantic and rationalist worldviews, and how did they affect views of natives?

Romantics idealized nature and "noble savages," while Rationalists emphasized reason and civilization. Both views shaped how Europeans justified colonization and misrepresented Indigenous peoples.

requerimiento: what was the requerimiento, and why is it significant?

A 1513 Spanish document read to Indigenous peoples demanding they accept Spanish rule and Christianity-or face war. It shows how conquest was justified through religious language and moral superiority.

fur trade: what was the fur trade, and why is it central to french indigenous relations?

The exchange of furs for European goods tied to kinship and alliances. It created a "middle ground" of cultural exchange and interdependence between the French and Native nations.

praying towns: what we’re praying towns, and what was their purpose?

English-settled villages (like Natick) where "Christianized" Natives lived under strict colonial control. Intended to convert and "civilize" Natives, but also to monitor and assimilate them-connected to Jean O'Brien's idea of Native resistance within colonization.

wampanoags: who were the wampanoags, and what role did they play in early colonial history?

An Indigenous nation in present-day Massachusetts who allied with and later fought against English settlers. Led by Metacom (King Philip), they played a key role in King Philip's War.

natick: what was natick, and why is it significant?

One of John Eliot's Praying Towns in Massachusetts. Jean O'Brien calls it an example of Native survival and resistance within colonization, challenging the "vanishing Indian" myth.

metacom/king philips war: what was king philips war, and why is it important?

A 1675-1676 conflict between New England Natives (led by Metacom) and English colonists over land, betrayal, and broken promises. It was one of the bloodiest wars in U.S. history and symbolized Native resistance and loss.

deer island: what happened at deer island during king philips war?

It became an internment site where Christian Indians were imprisoned by English colonists, showing English fear and betrayal of even allied Natives. Many died from cold and starvation.

the middle ground: what is the middle ground and why is it an important concept?

Historian Richard White's idea describing spaces of cultural negotiation between Natives and Europeans, especially in French territories. It shows mutual adaptation but is sometimes criticized for romanticizing cooperation.