APUSH Unit 1

Organizing Principle 1.1: Before the arrival of the Spanish in 1492, diverse native populations developed a wide variety of increasingly complex social, political, and economic structures based on their adaptations of available environmental resources and innovations in social/political organization. Organizing Principle 1.2: After 1492, as Spanish settlers colonized North America, new commercial networks were created, new cultural “middle grounds” developed, new social/political systems were established, and massive demographic changes occurred.

Food and its Impact

-nomadic lifestyle-->sedentary lifestyle

-Stable agriculture (maize, three sisters) resulted in...

>larger, denser populations

>more social specialization, (art, science, culture), >political specialization (power structure)

Examples of sedentary societies

-Aztec (Mesoamerica)

-Pueblo (Southwest): created irrigation systems

-Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek (Southeast): used "Three-sister farming"

-Iroquois (Northeast): both hunter gatherer and sedentary agriculture (a "mixed economy")

-Inca (South America)

Diversity Cause

Environment: The type and quantity of productive natural resources available

For example, Plains people were still nomadic due to their location. The plains are very arid; the soil was dry. They largely relied on hunting buffalo.

Similarities amongst Native Americans

-no dense populations

-largely scattered and impermanent

-largely decentralized, interdependent, family-based social/political structure ("a community of communities")

-all practiced reciprocity (you help me, I help you)

-respected nature

-similar stable crops

Pre-Renaissance Factors

1. The Vikings (1000 AD): They proved that it was possible to sail to the New World and create a settlement

2. The Crusades (1096-1270 AD): Created demand for luxury goods and the desire to search for cheaper alternative routes.

3. Marco Polo (1295): Same reason as the Crusades, but now glorified exploration.

Renaissance (circa 1450)

1. Portuguese Caravel: revolutionized long-range/ocean travel

2. Portuguese set horrible precedents...

>exploitative trade with Africa (gold, slaves)

>plantation style agriculture (large plantations of cash crops using free labor).

3. Unification of Spain

-Spain becomes a "nation-state"

-Stage was set for a Spain/Portugal rivalry (Spain looked westward)

4. Columbus "discovers" the "New World"

-led to creation of an interdependent global economy

>Africa provides labor

>Europe provides capital, markets, and technology

>New World provides raw materials

5. Creation of Colombian (Cultural) Exchange

-The process by which ideas, people, goods, diseases, etc. pass between peoples - often new "meanings/ways of living" are created

Colombian (Cultural) Exchange Effects (on the New World)

To the new world

-New animals (and some plants - sugar) to New World

-New customs (religion → Christianity)

-New diseases (affected ALL American Indians, smallpox, malaria, yellow fever)

Colombian (Cultural) Exchange Effects (on the Old World)

To the old world

-New plants (food crops, which promote population growth)

-The development of Capitalism/Mercantilism

>New World bullion (gold) (from Aztec, Inca) helped transform the world economy (led to creation money system, banking, commerce and manufacture)

Colombian (Cultural) Exchange Effects (on both)

"Middle ground"

-creation of "mestizos" (people of Spanish and Native American descent).

Demographic Changes on the New World

1. Death - 90% of American Indians died in centuries after Columbus

-Caused by...

>Warfare/aggression→ (Pizarro, Cortez - Conquistadores)

>Forced religious conversion→ (Catholic Friars/Pope's Rebellion)

>Forced Labor/enslavement (encomienda system)

>Disease (smallpox, yellow fever, malaria)

2. Reorganization of Native American Social Organization

-"Caste" system implemented onto Native Americans

-Encomienda economic system established slavery

>Pushed Indians into forced labor (plantations and mining)

-African Slaves brought to New World to work plantations and mines too

-Bi-racial/mixed race people born

Big factors of Colonization

1. Modern "nation-state" emerged

- Provided the political unity, wealth, power, ambition support colonial ventures

2. Nation-states desired new sources of wealth and profit

-Gold, other natural resources, "luxuries" from Asia, implementation of plantation economic system and exploitative slave trade for cash crops

3. Nation-states motivated by competition amongst each other

4. Desire to spread Christianity

5. Renaissance contributed to all: spread knowledge/technological achievements which allowed long-range travel, fostered the creation of nation-states, focused nations on wealth acquisition and competition with other nations

Argument for Spain's Success

-Their culture, laws, religion, and language were implemented in New World and laid the foundation for Spanish speaking nations

-They started and continued to define a new global/Atlantic economic system (3 "hubs"/points on the triangle)

Argument against Spain's Success

-They were never as strong as the looked "on paper"

>Cities/towns/missions few and far between

-Indigenous Peoples began to resent control

>Pope's Rebellion