Module 1 – An Old “New” World (1400s–1700s)

When did the first humans arrive in North America?

Around 18,000–15,000 BCE during the last Ice Age.

How did the first humans migrate to North America?

By crossing the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia) from Asia.

Why was the Ice Age important to early migration?

Lower sea levels exposed land bridges that allowed migration.

Why is it inaccurate to describe North America as “empty” before 1492?

Indigenous peoples lived in large, diverse, organized societies long before Europeans arrived.

Mesoamerica

Central Mexico and parts of Central America.

Mayans

Known for writing systems, mathematics, astronomy, and city-states.

Aztecs

Built an empire through military conquest, tribute systems, and political control.

Why are Mesoamerican civilizations considered advanced?

They had complex governments, economies, religions, architecture, and scientific knowledge.

Mississippian societies

Large mound-building cities, agriculture, and trade networks.

Plains Indians

Nomadic peoples who relied heavily on bison hunting due to grassland geography.

Algonquian societies

Lived in smaller, independent communities.

Iroquois Confederacy

A powerful political alliance among several Native nations.

Why study Native American cultures regionally?

Geography shaped economy, housing, social organization, and survival strategies.

God, Gold, and Glory

The three main motivations for European exploration.

God (European exploration)

Desire to spread Christianity.

Gold (European exploration)

Search for wealth, resources, and trade routes.

Glory (European exploration)

National power, prestige, and competition.

Exploration vs. Colonization

Exploration involved discovery; colonization involved permanent settlement and control.

Spain

Established the largest early empire in the Americas.

Portugal

Colonized Brazil and controlled Atlantic trade routes.

France

Focused on Canada (New France) and the Mississippi River region.

How did English colonization differ from Spanish colonization?

England emphasized settler colonies rather than gold extraction.

Why did England colonize later than Spain and France?

Internal conflicts, fewer resources, and late maritime expansion.

Primary economic goal of English colonization

Profit through agriculture, trade, and land ownership.

Jamestown (1607)

The first permanent English colony in North America.

Tobacco

The cash crop that made Virginia economically successful.

1619

Year the first Africans arrived in Virginia.

Early African labor status

Often treated similarly to indentured servants.

Virginia Slave Codes of 1705

Established slavery as permanent, hereditary, and race-based.

Maryland

Founded as a refuge for Catholics.

Plymouth Colony

Founded by Pilgrims and governed by the Mayflower Compact.

Rhode Island

Founded to promote religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Pennsylvania

Known for religious tolerance, Quaker leadership, and peaceful Native relations.

Georgia

Founded as a buffer colony against Spanish Florida and a place for debtors.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies exist to benefit the mother country.

Navigation Acts

Laws controlling colonial trade to ensure profits went to England.

Salutary Neglect

England’s loose enforcement of colonial laws.

Effects of salutary neglect

Encouraged self-government, economic independence, and local political power.

Why is salutary neglect historically significant?

Colonists grew accustomed to autonomy, making later British control unpopular.