APUSH: Period 1

What years does Period 1 include?

1491-1607

What is the absolute location of the U.S.?

- North America

- Western hemisphere with exception of Hawaii

- South of Canada and north of Mexico

What is the climate like in the U.S.?

Diverse; embraces every climatic zone

What mountain ranges and plateaus are found in the U.S.?

- Appalachians

- Rockies

- Other western mountains

- Alaska range

What are the United States' major waterways?

- Five Great Lakes

- St. Lawrence River

- Mississippi River

- Lesser lakes and rivers

How many federally recognized Native American tribes are there in the U.S.?

500

What heavily influences Native American lifestyle?

Nature and the environment

What is Native American economy based on?

Agriculture

- Three sister crops (corn, squash, beans)

What were Native relationships and interactions like before European conquest?

Prior to 1492, Natives in North and South America...

- Spoke vastly different languages

- Lived far from each other

- Tribes thought of one another as entirely separate and would engage in war

Where were the Aztecs from?

Central/South America

- Mesoamerica; Mexico

What are the Aztecs best known for?

- Developing capital city Tenochtitlan

- Written language

- Irrigation

Where were the Mayans from?

Central/South America

- Yucatan peninsula

What are the Mayans best known for?

- Developed large cities

- Use of complex irrigation systems and water storage

- Created huge temples

Where the Incas from?

Central/South America

- Peru

What are the Incas best known for?

- Empire of ~ 16 million

- Use of mountains for growing crops like potatoes watered by elaborate irrigation systems

Where were the Pueblo people from?

North America/Southwest

- Now New Mexico and Arizona

What are the Pueblo people best known for?

- Being a sedentary people

- Highly organized society

- Cultivated maize and other crops

Who were the North American Hunter Gatherers?

1) Ute people

- Great Plains

2) Chumash people

- California

Where were the Hopewell people from?

North America

- Mississippi

What are the Hopewell people known for?

Trading with people as far as Florida

Where were the Cahokia people from?

North America

- Mississippi

What are the Cahokia people best known for?

- Encouraged the growth of socially diversified urban areas and inhabited about 30,000 people

- Used extensive trade networks through the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico

Where were the Cherokee people from?

North America/Southeast

- Georgia, Tennessee, Carolinas, Oklahoma

What are the Cherokee people best known for?

- Advanced agriculture cultivating corn, beans, squash, etc.

- Written language

Where were the Iroquois people from?

North America/Northeast

What are the Iroquois people best known for?

- Growing the three sister crops

- Built and lived in longhouses with 30-50 family members

What was the Age of Exploration (AOE)?

Early 1400s to late 1700s

- Europeans traveled the world in search of goods, raw materials, land, and trade partners

What areas of the world did Europeans begin exploring during the AOE?

Africa, Asia, N. and S. America

- The "New World"

What were the main causes of the AOE?

1. Asian Spice Trade (preservation)

2. Crusades and Renaissance (curiosity)

3. Collapse of the Byzantine Empire (taxing trade routes)

4. Search for new trade routes (Muslim + Italian control)

5. Gold, God, Glory

Who was Christopher Columbus?

Oversea explorer in 1492

- First European to reach the Americas (i.e. New World)

- Italian sailing under Spanish command

Who was Hernan Cortes?

Oversea explorer in 1519

- Led expedition of 600 to coast of Mexico

- Responsible for the defeat of the Aztec Empire

- Spanish

What areas were included in the Spanish Empire in N. America?

Alabama, Arizona, Carolinas, Colorado, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas

What were Spanish push factors to colonize?

- Gold

- God (forcefully converting Natives)

What did Columbus originally set out to do?

Find the East Indies/islands in Southeast Asia

- Landed on the Bahamas instead

What did Columbus think of and do with his unexpected discovery?

Viewed new land as an opportunity for power and gold

- Conquered and enslaved the Taino people for his benefit

What is Columbus' legacy (i.e. opinions of him)?

1) Some believe his treatment of Natives is unforgivable

2) Others believe the trade relations he created outweigh the harm he caused

What was the Encomienda system?

Spanish policy in Latin America

- Monarchs granted conquistador/encomenderos the right to demand labor from Natives

What were the unintended consequences of the Encomienda system?

Transmission of communicable diseases through contact with Europeans (smallpox, measles, influenza)

- Death due to disease and harsh labor conditions

How did the Spanish replace dying Natives?

Import enslaved West Africans

What was Requeirimiento?

Spanish policy in Latin America

- Granted Spanish monarchs the authority to claim land in the Americas under the condition that they would convert whoever was found there

What were the impacts of different Spanish policies in Latin America?

- Any Native who converted to Christianity was "protected" from enslavement

- Anyone who resisted was enslaved under the Encomienda system

What is an example of Native resistance to the Spanish?

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

- Successful uprising by Pueblo people in New Mexico against Spanish colonial rule

- Driven by religious persecution, forced labor, cultural suppression

- Led by Po'Pay

What were the results of the Pueblo Revolt?

Expulsion of Spanish settlers and the restoration of Pueblo autonomy for 12 years

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

Signed in 1492 between Spain and Portugal

Purpose

- Avoid war between the nations over colonies in N. and S. America

Solution

- Divide territories of the New World

How did most Europeans view Natives and what did this lead them to do?

- Looked down on Natives

- Only viewed them as valuable for economic gain

- Used them for slave labor through colonization

Who was Bartolome de Las Casas?

Major critic of treatment of Natives

- Spanish priest who participated in the enslavement of Natives

- Became an eventual advocate for their better treatment

What was the Valladolid Debate?

Major debate in Spanish court (1550)

- Decided fate of the Encomienda system

Debaters

1) Juan Gines de Sepulveda

2) Bartolome de Las Casas

Matter at hand

- Should Native enslavement continue under the Encomienda system?

Conclusion

- No true winner

What was the impact of the Valladolid Debate?

First time in European history that the morality of colonization and treatment of indigenous people was contemplated and debated

What was the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade/African Diaspora?

Brutal system of forcible capture and transport of West Africans to the Americas

What were West Africans forced to do once transported to the Americas via Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?

Be slaves and plant cash crops for European economic benefit

- Labor created a whole new economy in European colonies

What caused the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?

Development of plantations in the Americas

What are plantations?

Large estates operated by the owner and farmed by workers living on it

- Cash crops: tobacco, sugar, cotton

What was Triangular Trade?

Three way system of trade during 1600s-1800s between Europe, Africa, and the Americas

- Facilitated the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade through Middle Passage

What was the Middle Passage?

Forced journey of enslaved Africans to the Americas

- Brutal on ships

- Millions died on the way to colonies due to disease, mistreatment, suicide

What was the Slave Trade Act?

Passed by GB to reform conditions seen on the Middle Passage

What was the Columbian Exchange?

Global exchange of people, plants, animals, ideas, technology, and disease between Africa, Europe, and the Americas

- Started by Columbus

- Facilitated by Triangular Trade

What were the effects of the Columbian Exchange?

1) Introduction of new food crops to Europe

2) Transfer of new products and ideas encouraged economic growth

Impact

- Changed the political, social, and economic institutions of all people involved

What was mercantilism?

Economic theory that trade generates wealth

- Control of trade in hopes of enhancing national power at the expense of rival countries

How did mercantilism work?

1) Key aspects are acquiring colonies to provide a favorable balance of trade

2) Colonies supplied parent nation with raw materials and served as market for its export

Why did colonies use mercantilism?

Trade with colonies increased European capital

What were charter companies?

Created by the state (British, Dutch or French govs)

- Financed by their gov to explore, build ships, hire soldiers, and establish colonies/plantations in the name of mother country

Why were charter companies established?

It was impossible at the time for countries to establish, develop, protect, and run their colonies and world trade at the same time

What rights did charter companies have?

Granted rights similar to a small gov

- With consent of mother country, could negotiate with local rulers

- Collect and distribute land

- Formulate basic justice (according to mother country law)

- Hire soldiers for trade and colony protection