Period 1: 1491 - 1607

what is the significance of 1491?

America had vast indigenous societies and civilizations

what happened in 1492?

Columbus arrived in America

what is the significance of 1607?

founding of the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia

where did the Native American come from?

land bridge from Asia to America; Bering Strait

what was the effect of the Bering Strait?

different groups in two continents and separation of diverse tribes; patterns of settlement

what are some similarities among the Native Americans?

• most men were hunter-gatherers

• religious beliefs (mono, poly, anim, pan)

• communal living (family groups and clans)

• closeness to nature

• matrilineal societies

• language

what were some differences among the Native Americans?

• nomads

• semi-sedentary (farming and hunting)

• sedentary (strictly farming)

what is Mesoamerica?

• Central America and Mexico

• birthplace of civilization

what are characteristics of a sedentary lifestyle?

maize, led to empires/complex societies, and change from hunting and gathering

what are some characteristics of a complex society?

• specialized labor

• technology

• hierarchy

• culture

• central government

• neighborhoods

• dense populations

describe the Mayans

• lived in Mexico and Guatemala

• polytheistic

• human sacrifice

• engineers of monuments

• written language

• mathematicians

• social hierarchy

describe the Aztecs

• successors to Mayans

• Mexico and Central America

• demanded tribute from others

• built Tenochtitlan which was surrounded by a lake

• last emperor was Montezuma II

describe the Incas

• Andes Mountains

• Machu Picchu

• elaborate road networks allowing them to rule more effectively

• last emperor: Atahualapa

describe the Iroquois

• northeast

• semi-sedentary

• matrilineal societies

• longhouses

• Iroquois Confederacy that united 6 tribes into a democratic organization

• Hurons is their natural enemy

describe the Mississippian Culture

• Mississippian Valley

• mound builders

• chiefdoms

• pottery makers and metallurgy

• heavily influenced by southeastern tribes

describe the Pueblo Culture

• southwest

• four corners (Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico)

• engineers for multi-story homes on cliffs

• sophisticated irrigation system

• semi-sedentary

• later conquered by Spanish

what were some disadvantages of the Native Americans compared to the Europeans?

• no horses or donkeys

• no transportation

• no weaponry

what are the three sisters in agriculture?

bean, squash, and maize

what are some factors of exploration?

• the start of nations created the desire for wealth and power

• everyone wanted spices from Asia so they started to try to find different routes to Asia

what were some technological changes and advancements made on ships? what did it allow for?

lateen sail, caravel, compass, and astrolabe led to longer sea voyages

which country led sea exploration? what did they control? who was their enemy?

• Portugal

• controlled sea route to Asia

• biggest competition was Spain

what was created between Spanish and Portuguese for world domination?

the Treaty of Tordesilla where the pope split the world for these two empires

how were conquests justified?

• by religion and saying god wanted them to do this

• if they refused to convert, they were allowed to conquer

after Columbus’s voyage what happened?

Spanish began to colonize the Americas

when the Spanish got to the Caribbean islands, what did they name it? what was discovered here?

• Hispaniola (DR and Haiti)

• gold was discovered

what pattern did Columbus create in the Americas?

enslaving the indigenous people and exploiting them

what did the Europeans demand? what happened to the Native Americans if production wasn’t satisfying the Europeans?

• demanded gold

• indigenous people were heavily punished

what followed Columbus? what was their objective?

• conquistadors

• gold and wealth

who was Ferdinand Magellan?

• 1st to circumnavigate the world in 1519

• sailing for Spain

who was Hernan Cortes?

• conquered Aztecs

• burnt ships arrival

• goes to Tenochtitlan where Aztecs welcome him as a god

• Spanish lose 1st fight, but then came back with the second

• in 1521, 15k killed and Aztecs lost

who was Francisco Pizzaro?

conquered Inca in 1533 (none left)

who were Ferdinand Magellan, Hernan Cortes, and Francisco Pizzaro?

conquistadors

what was the Spanish hierarchal system?

1. peninsulares

2. creoles

3. mestizos

4. mulats, indigenous, enslaved

what is the encomienda system?

allowed Spanish to forcibly take land and enslave the indigenous people

European continue to push ___. (pattern)

west

why were indigenous people not good slaves?

they knew the land better and they would die easily from diseases

what were the effects of Spain?

• transformation of an entire continent culturally, physically, religiously (language, diet, new race: Mestizo)

what did the Spanish conquer and claim?

• conquered Pueblos of southwest

• claimed Florida (St. Augustine) in 1565

due to forced religious conversions with the indigenous there was eventually…?

syncretism with their cultures and the Spanish

who revolted in 1680? what did it led to?

• the Pueblos revolted against the Spanish, gained control for 12 years

• led to social changes like no more forced conversions

why did Spanish stop colonization?

because gold ran out around the 1550s

Spanish colonization led to the Colombian Exchange. explain what that is

• exchange of plants, animals, food, ideas, and diseases between the New World and Old World

• food like maize, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, and the three sisters were sent from the Americas to Europe leading to food surplus and population growth

• animal came from Europe to America transforming culture and way of life

• diseases devastated Native populations like smallpox

who helped reform the encomienda system? what else did he do?

• De las Casas

• advocated for the the rights of Native Americans

what was France doing?

finding sea route to Asia

in the early 17th century, who founded Quebec, capital of New France?

Samuel de Champlain

what did the French do for profits?

fur trade with indigenous people

how did the French treat the indigenous people differently?

they were more friendly and learned their customs and language allowing both to benefit economically

the French claimed most of the ___ and ___.

Ohio Valley and Louisiana

Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church and created?

Anglican Church

English has more freedom to?

begin exploration

Elizabeth I takes the throne after Henry VIII. what were her dreams?

• expand empire and spread Protestantism

what did Elizabeth I authorize?

• secretive tax on Spanish by “sea dogs”

• expeditions to the Americas

who was one of the most famous sea dogs?

Francis Drake

who did Elizabeth I send to the Americas? what did he do?

sent Sir Walter Raleigh who named Virginia in 1530s

who was mad because of the secretive English tax? what happened as a result?

• Spain is mad

• King Phillip sent Spanish Armada to attack England in 1508, but got defeated

what did the defeat of the Spanish Armada lead to?

opened Atlantic Ocean to trade and America for colonization

why were Native Americans enslaved?

they desired a controlled labor force

what did a desire for a controlled labor force lead to? and what did that lead to?

trans-Atlantic slave trade which leds to African slavery

where were most Africans taken from? was it done purposely?

• West Africa

• no, it was geographically the most convenient location to take people to bring them to America

what are some West African traits?

• farmers

• matrilineal

• believed in supreme creator, but also pantheistic

• many different languages

• traded prisoners of war with Europeans, but raids on farms were common

what did West Africans who were captured had to endure?

the Middle Passage across the Atlantic to the Americans where many died of cruel conditions

how was slavery different in Africa?

• African slaves in Africa were able to be free, marry, and be educated

• African slaves in America were not free, did not have rights, and were highly race-based

most people from Africa end up going to?

Brazil and Caribbean

what new culture emerges within the Africans? how do they endure their circumstances?

• African Americans

• use music, dance, religion, storytelling, and language to endure their situation

• adopted traits of Christianity

• “pidgin” mix of languages

did prejudice against Africans exist before or after slavery?

after because they received the title of slavery and were seen as inferior after