APUSH 1.1-1.3 study guide

PK class

Why is it difficult for scholars to write with certainty about the origins of Native American cultures?

The primary sources we have are very vague.

Why is the Native time period so controversial?

It is understudied.

What are the “myths” surrounding Native American Culture?

that they lived in perfect harmony with the environment and each other and that they were savages.

What developments motivated and enabled Europeans to conquer the inhabitants of the Americas?

Superior Military, caravels, religion, technologically advanced.

What differences did Taylor highlight between Native American and European culture?

The Europeans are very technologically advanced. The amount each culture demands from the environment.

What are the similarities that Taylor highlights between European and Native culture?

similarities in torture and human sacrifice.

How did the ability to cultivate maize affect Native American cultures in Mexico and the American Southwest?

The Natives started farming instead of hunting and gathering. They were less nomadic.

How did a lack of water influence the development of Cultures in the Great Basic?

It was harder for the Natives to have farms so they didn’t take up horticulture like the majority of the Native tribes.

How did the environment shape the way of life of Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest and California?

No need for farms, lots of leisure time, lots of sculpting and jewelery making.

How did the Hohokam and Anaszi use the environmental and geographic features of the southwest to their benefit?

They placed their farms around surrounding rivers and built irrigation systems.

Why does Taylor maintain that the Anasazi culture “moved” rather than suffering a collapse?

they abandoned their towns and move to a new location with better architecture.

How did the physical features and climate of the Mississippi Valley shape land use and impact horticulture peoples of the Mississippi Valley?

They couldn’t use irrigation systems. They grew crops in the board floodplains.

How did the cultivation of crops impact Mississippi Valley population growth?

The population boomed.

How did geography and the environment impact Mississippi Valley culture?

The tribes worshipped the sun for their commonly bountiful harvests, however the harvests were bountiful because of the Mississippi river. It was also very easy for the Cahokians to build their pyramids.

Why did the population of Cahokia begin to decline in the middle of the thirteenth century?

Environmental strains. More population caused a big strain on the environment and depleted resources. Disease also spread very quickly.

Why according to Taylor did Native Americans generally cause less damage to the environment than the Europeans?

Most Native Americans lived in small nomadic groups.

What technological and epidemiological disadvantages did Native Americans have compared to the Europeans?

Steel weapons, armor, gunpowder, wind and water mills, horses, oxen.

How did the advantages in technology facilitate the European conquest.

More powerful weapons and a will to convert others to Christianity gave the Europeans a large advantage.

How did a difference in religious beliefs change how the Europeans interacted with the environment compared to the Natives?

Christianity believes that the only form of supernaturality is God, while Native Americans believe that everything has a spirit. This allowed the Europeans to conquer the New World and inflict destruction on the Environment while feeling little to no repercussions.

How did the growth of capitalism in Europe facilitate the exploratin and conquest of the New World?

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capitalism provided the funds and motivation for European powers to explore and conquer the New World.

How did the Native Americans and Europeans perceive each other?

The Europeans thought the Native Americans were primitive people. The Native Americans perceived the Europeans as unintelligent.

What two major groups of Native Americans populated the Northeast?

Algonquian and Iroquoian

How did the environment influence the way of life of the Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples?

Both groups relied heavily on the natural resources available in their respective regions. The Algonquian people relied on hunting, fishing, and gathering because it was too cold to cultivate crops. the Iroquoian people practiced agriculture due to the fertile soil in the Great Lakes region.

How were the bands of Algonquian speaking Indians of New England organized?

They had cultural and linguistic affinities. They lacked political unity. Each group also had a couple leaders.

How did the Algonquian Indians interact with the environment to obtain the necessities?

They planted their crops mixed together to prevent weeds. They hunted by lighting the forest on fire. The women used saplings and bark sheets to make wigwams.

Describe Algonquian gender roles

Men: did duties that required travel like hunting expeditions

Women: stayed at the hunting camps/villages and did the farming.

How did the mobile way of life influence Algonquian culture?

They had few possessions and heavily believed in generosity.

What values characterized Algonquian culture?

they shared and wanted everyone to be equal. No one had a majority of the food, no one starved unless everyone starved.

How did Algonquian culture differ from English culture?

English culture believed in personal possessions and being “selfish” compared to the Algonquians.

What New World products enriched Europe and financed further exploration

Precious metals, sugar, tobacco, maize, potatoes, new sources for slave labor.

How did the new crops affect the population of Europe?

Population increase

How did the competition with the Muslim world provide religious and commercial motives for European exploration?

A desire to spread Christianity and counter the influence of Islam. European powers sought to expand their territories and convert non-Christians to Christianity, viewing it as a religious duty. The Ottoman Empire's control over key trade routes to Asia prompted Europeans to seek alternative routes, leading to exploration and the discovery of new lands.

How did the printing press and the Reconquista help to facilitate exploration and conquest?

the printing press facilitated exploration and conquest by disseminating knowledge, while the Reconquista provided valuable resources and knowledge that contributed to the success of exploratory expeditions.

What is a caravel and how is it significant?

The caravel was a hybrid ship that was able to avoid the obstacles in the mediterranean set up by the Muslims.

How were exploratory voyages financed in Spain and Portugal?

Private funding

What technologies and agreements enabled Portuguese explorers to gain access to the resources of Africa?

Superior ships and weapons along with agreements with local leaders.

What resources did the Portuguese seek to exploit from Africa?

Slaves, ivory, gold, and spices.

What New World crops expanded the food supply and population of Europe?

Cassava, maize, potatoes.

How did the transplanting of a New World crop affect Africa?

it caused increased agricultural productivity and food security. These crops improved nutrition and reducing famine. This also caused a growth in the black population putting more people into the slave trade making it a desirable business.

What crops, animals, and diseases did Europeans introduce into the New World?

Wheat, barley, rye, oats, grasses, grapevine, weeds, horses, honey bees, pigs, mules, sheep, cattle, rats, smallpox chickenpox, influenze, malaria, measles, yellow fever.

What were the consequences of ecological imperialism in the New World?

deterioration and destruction of native people, the environment, and ecosystems

What practices caused Europeans to selectively shape the environment of the New World?

Their livestock killed the Native American's crops, the plants the Europeans brought disrupted the ecosystems. They cut down lots of trees to make Caravels, exposing lots of soil causing nutrients to be destroyed.

What was the demographic disaster that Taylor alludes to?

The selective shaping of the Native’s environment.

What strategies did the Great Plains Indians and the Navajo employ to retain their autonomy even in the face of challenges posed by the arrival of the Europeans?

The Great Plains Indians used horses to gain faster mobility, the Navajo domesticated European sheep to make clothes and traded for firearms to defend their canyons.

What roles did Native Americans play as European nations competed with each other to dominate the New World?

They were used for guides, trading partners, religious converts, and military allies.

Approximately how many Spaniards and how many Native Americans lived in the Americas in the mid-sixteenth century?

20 million natives, 7 million spaniards

What was the “black legend”?

A legend that Spaniards were the most derogatory to the Natives out of all the Europeans.

Was the black legend true?

no

Identify and explain the significance of the various factors that enabled the Spaniards to dominate the inhabitants of the New World.

The Spaniards had gunpowder and horses. They made alliances with powerful Native tribes. They also spread a ton of disease which convinced the Natives that the Gods were on the side of the Spaniards.

Explain the encomienda system?

The natives would work on the Spaniard’s land and give their profits to the Spaniards in exchange for protection from their enemies.

How did the Spanish justify the use of military force agains thte native inhabitants of the Americas.

The Spanish passed a law that stated “if natives did not convert to Christianity, War would be just”.

Why did the Spaniards think they were superior to the Natives?

The Spaniards thought the Natives believed in Pagans.

How did gold and silver from the New World affect the economic development of Spain along with the Netherlands, England, and France?

The gold and silver caused MASSIVE inflation which caused a poverty crisis.

How did Dominican friars like Bartolome de las Casas challenge the actions of the conquistadors? What alternative did the priests provide?

They protested saying the Bible says to love everyone. The priests said that the Natives should surrender their religion and convert.

How did the Natives attempt to preserve their cultural autonomy?

They would practice their religion in secret

Define syncretism and provide an example

**Syncretism** is the merging or blending of different religions.An example is the blending of indigenous beliefs with Catholicism in Latin America.

What factors contributed to the decline in the Native population? What was the extent of the decline by 1620?

Disease, hunger, erosion. 10 million to 1 million.

What Spaniards were most likely to immigrate to the New World?

The single Spanish men looking to get rich, lots of Artisans.

Define mestizo

A mixed child of Spanish and Native descent.

What was the racial hierarchy in New Spain?

Pure spanish, mestizo, mulatto, native, african

What were the various Spanish motives for establishing a colony in the Rio Grande?

Silver mines, save Indian souls, gain more tax payers.

What did the Royal Orders for New Discoveries require?

After 1573 New Discoveries were now called pacifications instead of conquests.

Why did Don Juan de Onate come into conflict with the Pueblo?

He seized a Pueblo resulting in Onate’s soldiers extorting maize, deerskins, cotton blankets, buffalo robes, firewood, and women. This did not make the Pueblo like him very much.

What happened at Acoma in 1598-99?

Onate’s nephew led an extortion patrol to Acoma. Native warriors killed the nephew and 10 soldiers. Onate decided to make an example out of Acoma and killed 800 men, women, and children in 3 days. He then imprisoned 500 survivors and trialed them for treason and murder. All Pueblo Indians under the age of 12 were sent to be servants for Christian families. All Indians over the age of 12 were slaves for 20 years. Those who were male and over 25 had a foot severed so that they could not run.

Why was Santa Fe founded?

to serve as a center for Spanish colonization and to facilitate trade and missionary efforts in the region.

How does Las Casas portray the native inhabitants of the Americas?

That they are innocent children being taken advantage of because of their generosity and hospitality.

How did the Spanish treat the Native Americans according to Las Casas?

They were very cruel. Torture, rape, murder, exploitation

How did the Spanish justify their behavior towards the Native Americans?

They said that God willed it as it is a Christian’s goal to acquire gold and be rich.

Describe the New Mexican economy.

Not very good, most citizens were very poor. New Mexico had the lowest standard of living.

What types of Spaniards were likely to emigrate to New Mexico?

Desperate people who lacked opprotunity.

How was the caste system structured in New Mexico?

The elite, mestizos, indian slaves

Why was the gold and silver sent back to Spain a “mixed blessing” according to Taylor?

It was a large sum of money, however it caused MASSIVE inflation.

How did imperial competition and maritime enmity shape relations among the Spanish, Dutch, French, and English during the 16th century?

Weak manufacturing in Spain caused Dutch manufacturers to strengthen. Indian and Hispanic customers turned to Dutch, English, and French traders.

Why is the concept of Indian trade dependency controversial?

There are lots of differing perspectives on the benefits and risks associated with Indian trade dependency.

What does Taylor argue about Indian trade dependency regarding mutuality?

He argues that both sides of the controversy miss the deepening mutuality of dependency.

What were the major differences between Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples?

The major differences between Algonquian and Iroquoian peoples include language, social structure, and political organization.

How did the French approach the Iroqouian and Algonquian differences?

They formed alliances with the Algonquian tribes, such as the Huron, and established trade relationships. The French often supported their Algonquian allies against the Iroquois, leading to a complex and dynamic relationship between the French and these indigenous groups.

What commodity was central to French-Indian trade?

Fur

How did Indians incorporate alcohol into their lives?

They got drunk as a shortcut to spiritual trances

What other European products and tools did Indians adopt and adapt?

They adopted shiny metals, metal tools and weapons, and iron/brass kettles.

What role did the bestowing of gifts play in Indian-French trade?

They would give gifts as a sign of trust of acceptance.

How did French trade reshape the environment in North America?

French trade started a supply and demand system. This caused the Natives to hunt more than they usually do causing the Beaver to almost go extinct.

How was the French Jesuits’ approach different from that of Spanish Franciscans in terms of their missionary efforts?

The french did not utilize force to try to convert the Natives and instead tried to dod it civilly, utilizing alliances and trade as an advantage.

What role did social status play in Jesuit-Indian relations?

The Native’s believed the Jesuits were superior and that they could not survive without French trade, this caused them to convert.

Why did the French fail in their attempts to control their Indian allies?

The French failed because they wanted to have power over the Natives, but they couldn’t keep that power because they needed them for Trade.

Why did the French fail to capitalize on their large population at home in terms of migration and settlement in New France?

The French failed because the residents of France would rather live in the known rather than the unknown.

What role did religion play in the settling of New France?

French law forbade certain religions from settling in New France.

What types of French people emigrated to New France?

Poor and footloose young men with waiting ships.

What New World destination was most attractive for French emigrants?

French Guiana

How did settlement in New France affect French women in Canada?

Women were able to commit to celibacy, they could run schools, aslyums, and hospitals.

How did the French attempt to keep Indian allies and maintain peace?

The French respected the Indians’ autonomy. They did this so that they could utilize them to defend Canada.

What does Richard White mean by “the middle ground”

He means that the French accommodated the Indians some and the Indians accommodated the French some.

What fueled and facilitated Dutch imperial motivations?

The netherlands were an economic and military giant.

What advantages did the Netherlands have?

Most efficient merchant marine and fishing fleet, massive military, huge economy.

What was the Dutch relationship to religion?

The Dutch practiced religious toleration.

What impact did the Dutch relationship to religion have on the Dutch economy?

This allowed domestic autonomy which caused some provinces to be extremely wealthy.

How did the Dutch approach missionary activities in New Netherland?

The Dutch let the religious minorities practice their own religion freely.

How did the way the Dutch approached missionary activities affect trade?

This caused them to succeed in trade and have an economic boom.

What was the Dutch West India Company?

The Dutch West India Company was a trading company established by the Dutch Republic in 1621.

Describe Dutch relations with Native Americans

They didn’t care what religion the Native’s followed and utilized them for trade. The Natives were aware of this and knew that once the beavers went extinct the Dutch wouldn’t be so friendly. In the lower Hudson Valley the Native’s didn’t like the colonists.