APUSH Period 1

How many people lived in the Americas by the 1490s?

50-100 Million

Over the years before Columbus, what did the Native Americans do?

They split into different tribes, developed different languages, and created cultural regions, traditions, and irrigation systems.

What did the native Americans lack?

technology and horses/oxen

What were the motives for the Europeans to explore?

the three G’s: God, Gold, and Glory

What was the Columbian exchange?

the trade of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between the New and Old World

What did the enslaved Africans do?

They were used to work on plantations and in mines against their will and for no pay

What was the Berlin Land Bridge?

a bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska. It brought over the original settlers to the Americas

What Native American groups were settled in South America?

Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas

What is so important about corn?

It provided a permanent and nutritious source of food

How many people were settled in North America in the 1490s?

1-10 million

Which part of America had more sophisticated and bigger tribes?

South America

What were the 1490s native American tribes?

Semi-nomadic, Men and Women had distinct jobs

How many languages/language families did the native American tribes have?

20 language families and over 400 languages.

What tribe was settled in the southwest (New Mexico and Arizona)?

Pueblo Indian

What did the Pueblo Indians do?

They were the first American corn growers, who lived out of adobe houses (made of dried mud), and they had elaborate irrigation systems to draw water away from rivers to grow corn.

What tribe was settled in the northeast (Great Lakes and New York)?

Iroquois confederation

What did the Iroquois confederation do?

They had a formidable political union and used the three-sister farming technique.

What was the three-sister farming technique?

A technique that grew corn, squash, and beans. The beans grow around the corn stalks, and the squash protects them with its leaves.

What did the North Western settlements and Atlantic Seaboard settlements do?

They were settled on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and they hunted and fished.

What did the Great Palins settlements do?

They were nomadic and hunted buffalo. When they were introduced to horses, it changed a lot for them because they could now hunt buffalo more easily.

Who were the first people to explore beyond Europe?

Portugal

What was the slave trade?

enslaved Africans were brought into the Americas

What technological changes helped European exploration?

Gunpowder, the printing press, and the compass.

How did religion influence European exploration?

Spanish drove out the Moors, and the Protestant Reformation encouraged the spread of religion.

How did Portugal find new routes to Asia?

By sailing around the Cape of Good Hope.

What role did slaves play in the Americas?

They were used as a labor source.

What were nation-states, and why did they emerge?

Countries where rulers gained more control, solidifying and growing their nations.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

An agreement that divided new lands between Spain and Portugal.

Which European nations explored the Americas?

England, France, Spain, and Portugal.

What economic system developed after European exploration?

Capitalism.

What was a joint-stock company?

A company where investors fund a voyage and share in the profits.

What did Balboa do?

Crossed the Panama

What did Magellan do?

Circumnavigated the world

What did Cortez do?

Conquered the Aztecs

What did Pizarro do?

Conquered the Incas

What was the encomienda System?

A Spanish labor system where Native Americans where natives were forced to work

What was the asiento system?

Spain imported enslaved Africans to the Americas for a tax

What was the middle passage?

a sea voyage that transported enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. Out of 10-15 million slaves, 10-15% died during the middle passage

What did the Africans do to resist slavery?

They resisted by revolting, slowing down work, running away, and sabotaging their work

What was the Spanish castle system?

A system where the pure-blooded Spaniards are on top with pure-blooded natives at the bottom, and everything else in between.

Who was Bartolome de las Casas?

he advocated for better treatment for the slaves and influenced the new laws of 1542

How did Europeans view Native Americans?

As inferior and useful.

How did the Spanish treat Native Americans?

Used the encomienda system, controlled Natives, forced labor.

What was the Valladolid Debate?

Casas argued Natives were equal; Sepúlveda argued against it. No side fully won.

How did the English treat Native Americans?

Settled where no large empires were, traded at first, learned farming, but later seized land, pushed tribes away, and showed little respect.

How did the French treat Native Americans?

Built good relationships, traded furs, allied with tribes, and were seen as less of a threat.

How did Native Americans survive as European settlements expanded?

Allied with Europeans, migrated west, stayed loyal to their own groups (did not unite).

What role did Africans play in America?

Brought rice, musical rhythms, singing styles, and instruments like the banjo.

How did Europeans justify slavery?

Through religion and claims of African inferiority.