Period 1 APUSH

Name and identify the 3 largest civilizations in the Americas before Spanish contact.

Aztec (Mexico), Maya (Yucatán/Central America), Inca (Andes, Peru).

What crop allowed for the most growth in the Americas?

Maize (corn).

How did Mesoamerican civilizations differ from North American tribes?

Mesoamericans developed large urban centers, complex governments, and advanced agriculture; North American tribes were more decentralized, smaller, and adapted to diverse environments.

What were the 3 Great Motivators for Spanish colonization?

God (spread Catholicism), Gold (wealth), Glory (power/status).

What is the term for a Spanish explorer?

Conquistador.

From where did conquistadors get resources and support?

The Spanish Crown (monarchs) and private investors.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

Transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, and technology between the Old World and New World after 1492.

How did it affect Native peoples in the Americas?

Devastated by disease, loss of population, social disruption, introduction of new animals like horses.

How did it affect Europeans?

Population growth, new crops (potatoes, maize), improved diets, economic expansion, shift to mercantilism.

What did North American tribes do for a living?

Hunting, gathering, farming (corn, beans, squash), fishing; adapted to their environment (Plains = buffalo hunting, Northeast = mixed agriculture).

What changes did Natives experience after the Columbian Exchange?

Population decline, cultural disruption, new tools/animals, but also some advantages like horses increasing mobility.

What were interactions between the Spanish and Natives like?

Conquest, forced labor (encomienda system), conversion to Christianity, intermarriage (mestizos).

How were Natives incorporated into Spanish society?

Mainly as laborers in the encomienda system; some integrated through intermarriage (mestizo class).

Why did some Spaniards want to help the Natives?

Religious compassion (e.g., Las Casas argued they were human and deserved rights).

Who were the two main debaters over Native treatment?

Bartolomé de Las Casas (defended Natives) vs. Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda (argued they were inferior and could be enslaved).

Why did Natives rebel against Spanish influence?

To resist forced labor, land seizure, religious conversion, and cultural suppression.

How did the Spanish respond to Native resistance?

Brutal military suppression, though some compromises (e.g., Pueblo Revolt temporarily expelled Spaniards).

How successful were Spanish efforts to colonize North America?

Limited success compared to Latin America; fewer resources found, strong Native resistance, focus shifted to wealthier regions.

What did the Spanish expect to find in North America?

Gold, silver, and large civilizations like the Aztec or Inca.

What influenced Spanish colonial decisions?

Economics, Native resistance, lack of resources, rivalry with other European powers.