APUSH Exam Review - TP 1 (EXPLORERS)

1491-1607; includes natives, explorers/conquistadors, and the beginnings of colonization in the western hemisphere

What is the span of the “Explorer” Period (TP1)?

1491-1607

What were the three groups of Central/South Native Americans?

Aztecs (Mexico), Incas (Andes Mountains in Peru), Mayans (Yucatan peninsula in Mexico)

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec empire; one of the world’s largest cities at the time (pop. 250,000)

Why did the Aztec empire fall?

Hernan Cortes’s forces had SUPERIOR WEAPONS, ALLIES IN NEIGHBORING AREAS, and SMALLPOX, to which the Aztecs were not immune.

What was the effect of maize/corn?

It spread north into the American Southwest and supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies. It was praised for its nutritional value, its ease in growing, and versatility (could be incorporated into many different recipes). When it spread to Europe, it lessened starvation and caused a spike in European population.

What was the difference between North American civilizations and Central and South American societies?

Central and South Americans had organized, large-scale cities built with advanced technologies that included roads, irrigation systems, and trade networks, while the North was a lot more isolated. However, both developed fishing, farming, and hunting techniques and created unique political and religious systems.

What were some groups of Northern Native Americans?

-Moundbuilders (Mississippi River - LA to OH); large trade center

-Western Natives - Hopi/Zuni (AZ and NM); perfected techniques of desert farming

-Plains Natives (Great Plains); primarily hunted bison and grew maize, beans, and squash, and traded

-Pacific Coast Natives (West Coast); independently fished, hunted sea mammals, and foraged

-Eastern Natives (Gulf of Mexico to Canada); really into trade, lived off of corn, squash, beans, deer, and turkey

-Iroquois (New England)

Cahokia

Center of the Mississippi River Valley civilization near St. Louis; remained the largest settled community in North America until NYC and Philadelphia in 1800

Pueblos

Small self-sufficient villages the Western Native Americans lived in

European views of Native Americans

-some saw them as gentle and advanced

→Bartolome de Las Casas: “the entire human race is one”; viewed the natives as true subjects of the Spanish crown who should be given rights and freedom

-others argued they were uncivilized savages (the more prominent view)

→Juan Gines de Sepulveda: “natives are less than human”; they benefieted from serving the Spaniards w/ encomienda system

-believed that they deserved the land so they could just take it

**Las Casas vs Sepúlveda = VALLADOLID DEBATE

Motives for exploration/colonization

God, Gold, Glory

Why were European countries searching for a direct sea route to Asia?

Asia (especially China) had a lot of desired products and resources; a sea route would be faster and the Europeans wanted to be the ones controlling it.

Caravel

a ship better suited for long travels

Compass

a navigational tool that used a magnet to indicate direction

Columbus

Italian explorer who thought he could reach Asia by travelling west; sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, ran into the Caribbean on his journey in 1492 (so he “discovered” America)

John Cabot

An English merchant from Genoa who wanted to try exploring; landed in Canada in 1497

conquistadores

spanish explorers

Hernan Cortes

the first conquistador to find a major civilization (Aztecs); toppled their society

Columbian exchange

American/Europe trade agreement where unique goods and people were shipped back and forth across the Atlantic

COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE: Europe to America (products)

Rice, wheat, livestock, sugarcane, DISEASE (smallpox, influenza, measles)

COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE: America to Europe (products)

Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, tobacco

Treaty of Tordesillas

treaty with Spain and Portugal to settle territory disputes; drew a vertical line running north-south on the map, and granted Spain all territory west of it and Portugal all territory east of it

Caste system

Europeans (born in Spain) - Granted the most power

Creoles - European by blood but born in the New World; bypassed for “true” Spanish

Mestizos - Mixed ancestry (part European/part Native); made up most of the population since most of the settlers were single men

Natives - had no European blood and were on the lowest tier of the system

Encomienda system

Spanish enslaved the natives and forced them to do labor

Haciendas

large plantations owned by wealthy Spanish landlords; forced native labor was used to farm and mine the gold/silver from the land

Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther founded a new strain of Christianity by pointing out the Catholic Church’s faults (especially corruption). Caused a civil war between Orthodox Catholics and Protestants. Furthered Spanish desire to convert natives to Catholicism

Repartimiento system

A labor system requiring native workers to perform tasks for Spanish projects, theoretically compensated for their labor, while still farming for themselves. Replaced encomienda

Black Legend

Spain’s reputation as vicious conquerors and cruel exploiters

Hernando de Soto

an explorer whose expedition quickly gained a reputation as cruel and brutal, as he and his crew raped and tortured their way around the Gulf of Mexico and the American Southwest, spreading disease and enslaving natives everywhere

Spanish Florida

The first Spanish colony established in the 16th century, known for its missions, settlements, and conflicts with Native American tribes and European powers; established as a military ‘base’ to protect Cuba

Pueblo Revolt

a 1680 uprising of Pueblo Indians against Spanish colonizers in New Mexico, aimed at reclaiming their land and culture. The revolt was primarily led by the leader Popé and resulted in a temporary expulsion of the Spanish from the region.

French colonization

centered around fur trade; maintained friendly relations with natives

Dutch colonization

focused on trade; emphasized religious freedom; centered in New York

Henry Hudson

An English sea explorer known for his explorations of present-day Canada and the northeastern United States, particularly the Hudson River, which is named after him.

Borderlands

The places where the territory lines begin to blur and were almost a joint of cultures. Boundaries were constantly moving, and the overlaps created a unique blend of the surrounding cultures.