AP U.S. History Unit 1

1491-1607

Native Americans before Europeans

Complex societies & culture

Native American Contributions

Maize, farming techniques, allowed for Europeans to survive in the Americas

Christopher Columbus

Sailed in 1492 for Spain in search of a route to Asia but ended up stumbling upon the Americas.

Columbian Exchange

The trade between the new and old world, which involved goods, food and mainly disease.

Capitalism

Private ownership, free market economy & trading

Joint Stock Company

A group of investors that came together to fund exploration expeditions because countries could not afford to fund them on their own at the time.

Spain with Native Americans

More interested in conversion to christianity than $

Encomienda System

labor system, enslaved Natives, forced to work for the spaniards

Natives reaction to Spaniards

Natives rebelled and had numerous conflicts with the spaniards, dying of disease, population rapidly decreasing

Casta System

A hierarchy system created by the spaniards to label natives and Africans as less than

Sepulveda

Natives are less than human

Las Casas

Defended native people