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What did Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs have in common?
They had organized societies, extensive trade, and created accurate calendars
What food did Central and South American tribes rely on?
Mayas & Aztecs: corn/maize
Incas: potatoes
What were social structures like in NA?
Men: hunted & made tools
Women: gathered plants, nuts, or grew crops
How many language families were there in NA?
20, which resulted in over 400 distinct languages among American Indians
Describe SW tribes like the Hohokam & Pueblos:
They lived in caves, under cliffs, & in multi-story buildings
Cultivated maize → irrigation systems & economic growth
Resulted in more wealth - creating social classes
Describe NW tribes like the Chinooks
They lived in permanent longhouses and made totem poles to preserves stories
Had rich diets from hunting, fishing, and gathering nuts/berries
The mountains they lived near provided a barrier & isolated them from other tribes
Describe tribes from the Great Basin/Plains:
Most tribes hunted Buffalo for food, crafting tools, & clothing
Nomadic tribes lived in tepees - easily transportable
Farmer tribes settled by rivers and lived in earthen lodges - they grew crops like beans & traded
They acquired horses in the 17th century, so tribes like the Sioux followed Buffalo herds
Migration was common (e.g. Apache went south from Canada to Texas)
Describe Mississippi River Valley tribes like the Natchez:
Rich diets from hunting, fishing, and agriculture
Lived in villages of adobe houses & carved long canoes from Cypress trees
Lots of permanent settlements
Cahokia tribe was the largest midwest settlement (30k+)
Describe NE tribes
Many moved to fresh land, since farming techniques exhausted the soil
Iroquois Confederation: political union of 5 distinct tribes from NY - powerful during American Rev.
Describe Atlantic Seaboard tribes (NJ to FL)
Descendants of woodland mound builders: built timber & bark lodgings near rivers
Rivers + Atlantic Ocean = rich source of food
The 15-16th century Renaissance in Europe resulted in:
gunpowder, sailing compasses, and the printing press (for maps)
Queen Isabella & King Ferdinand united Spain under…
Christian faith & thus funded Columbus’s expedition
What was the Protestant Reformation?
A period in which early 16th century Christians in N. European country revolted against the Pope’s authority
Resulted in various forms of Christianity → providing motive for exploration
Who blocked the main land route to Asia in the 15th century?
The Ottoman Turks
Portuguese Henry the Navigator did what?
Used a sea route to trade with Asia that went South along Africa’s west coast, and then East towards Asia
Columbus aimed to do what?
Sail West to find a shorter route to trade with Asia
What was the line of demarcation?
A line drawn by the Pope to separate territories claimed by Spain and Portugal
Spain = west of line; Portugal = east
What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
Portugal claimed Brazil & Spain the rest of the Americas
What was exchanged during the Columbian Exchange?
European learned about beans, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, & tobacco; they contracted syphilis
Changed the diets of people in Eurasia → population growth
Native Americans learned about sugar cane, bluegrasses, pigs, horses, the wheel, and guns
The native population rapidly declined due to disease like smallpox and measles, which they had no immunity to
As populations grew in Europe, what emerged?
Capitalism since there were new resources for trading
Political power shifted to wealthy merchants
As capitalism emerged, what else did?
Joint-stock companies, which reduced individual risk and promoted economic growth
Spanish journeys secured Spain’s initial supremacy in the Americas because…
They had lots of gold & silver
e.g) Cortés’ conquest of the Aztecs & Pizarro’s conquest of the Incas
What was the encomienda system?
Encomenderos (Spaniards) were granted a portion of land, and the Natives who lived on the land became laborers in farms/the mines
What caused the downfall of the encomienda system?
Catholics in opposition to the system (Bartolomé de Las Casas), Mestizos not being forced to work, & more enslaved Africans
What was the asiento system?
colonists paid a tax to the Spanish king for each slave they imported to America
What was the Spanish Caste system?
A rigid class system that was dominated by pure-blooded Spaniards
Who was Bartolomé de las Casas?
an advocate for better treatment of Indians who pushed the New Laws of 1542, which ended Indian slavery and led to the downfall of the encomienda system
What was the Valladolid Debate about?
the role of Indians in Spanish colonies
Las Casas argued that Europeans were morally equal to Indians
de SepĂşlveda argued Indians were less than human
Initially, English settlers & Indians..
coexisted & traded
e.g) Indians taught settlers how to grow corn, hunt, and traded furs for English goods like tools
What eventually happened between the English and Native Americans?
The English seized the Indians’ land for their growing population and expelled the Natives
The French viewed Native Americans as…
potential economic and military allies - so they built good relationships
The French had trading posts in the Great Lakes & Mississippi River, they exchanged their goods for fur
How did Native Americans try to protect their cultures?
By making alliances with one European power or another or by migrating west
What were some of the underlying causes of the Columbian Exchange?
The 3 G’s: god, gold, and glory
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