Period 1 Reading Guide (full)

These flashcards cover key concepts and historical evidence related to Native American societies, European exploration, and the Columbian Exchange.

What key concept does Key Concept 1.1 represent?

As native populations migrated and settled across North America, they developed distinct societies by adapting to their diverse environments.

How did native societies adapt to their environments?

Through innovations in agriculture, resource use, and social structure.

Name three major empires in Central and South America before 1607.

Mayan, Incan, and Aztec empires.

What were the primary crops cultivated by the Mayans and Aztecs?

Corn.

What crop was significant for the Incas?

Potatoes.

How did the cultures of North America differ from those of Central and South America?

North American societies were generally smaller and less sophisticated.

What types of settlements did most Native Americans in North America live in?

Semi-permanent settlements in small groups.

What was the role of men and women in many Native American societies?

Men hunted and made tools, while women gathered plants and grew crops.

How many language families and distinct languages were present among Native American societies?

20 language families and 400 distinct languages.

What was unique about the Southwest Settlements?

They developed farming supported by irrigation and lived in multistoried buildings.

What was the lifestyle of people living in Northwest Settlements?

They lived in permanent longhouses or plank houses and had a rich diet from hunting and gathering.

What animal was crucial for the survival of Great Plains tribes?

The buffalo.

What shelter did nomadic tribes of the Great Plains use?

Tepees.

What was Cahokia known for?

It was the largest settlement in the Midwest known for large earthen mounds.

What was the political organization of the Iroquois Confederation?

A political union of five independent tribes in the Mohawk Valley, New York.

Where were Atlantic Seaboard Settlements located?

From southern New Jersey to Florida.

What were the significant technological improvements during European exploration?

Use of gunpowder, sailing compass, improvements in shipbuilding and mapmaking.

What major religious conflict occurred in the early 1500s?

The Protestant Reformation.

What was the impact of the printing press in Europe?

It spread knowledge and information across Europe.

What did the Columbian Exchange introduce to Europe and the Americas?

Europeans learned about new crops while the Americas were introduced to sugarcane and diseases like smallpox.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

It established a dividing line between Spanish and Portuguese claims in the Americas.

Who were Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro?

Spanish conquistadors who conquered the Aztecs and Incas, respectively.

What system did the Spanish implement to control Native Americans and land?

The encomienda system.

What was the significance of the asiento system?

It required the Spanish to pay a tax per slave imported from West Africa.

How did the French view Native Americans in their expansion efforts?

As potential economic and military allies.

What characterized the English policy towards Native Americans at first?

Coexistence and sharing knowledge, such as cultivation techniques.

What was the outcome of European diseases on Native American populations?

90% of the Native American population died due to diseases like smallpox and measles.

What was the main focus of Spanish interactions with Native Americans?

Converting them to Christianity.

What effect did the Columbian Exchange have on European economy?

Increased wealth for European nations, especially Spain through gold and silver.

What was Bartolomé de Las Casas known for?

Advocating for the better treatment of Native Americans and influencing the New Laws of 1542.

What significant agricultural product did Native Americans and Europeans exchange?

Tobacco and other crops.

What were the social effects of European colonization on Native Americans?

Discrimination, disruption of social structures, and introduction of the Atlantic slave trade.

How did trade affect Native Americans during European expansion?

They were drawn into trade networks but faced exploitation and cultural disruption as a result.

What was the cultural impact of European settlement on Native American lifestyles?

Loss of lands, cultural erosion, and altered social structures due to European practices.

What did the establishment of nation-states in Europe lead to regarding exploration?

Intense competition for resources and territories in the New World.

How did the Dutch manage their claims in the Americas?

By controlling trade through the Dutch West India Company.

What was the purpose of the encomienda system?

To grant land and control over local native populations to Spanish settlers.

What cultural products, besides food, were exchanged during the Columbian Exchange?

Tobacco, sugar, and changes in agricultural practices.