(2) APUSH Unit 1 REVIEW (Period 1: 1491-1607)—Everything You NEED to Know

Introduction to Unit 1 of AP US History

• Focus of Unit 1: Understand the societal structure of the Americas before European arrival and the impact of European exploration and colonization on native peoples

Diversity of Native American Societies

• Native American cultures were diverse, not monolithic, and adapted based on their environments.

• Various lifestyles among Native Americans:

  • Farmers: E.g., Pueblo people in Utah and Colorado, known for:

    • Agricultural practices: farming “three sisters” — maize, beans, and squash.

    • Advanced irrigation systems for crop watering.

    • Architectural feats: cliff dwellings from hardened clay bricks.

  • Hunter-Gatherers: E.g., Ute peoples in the Great Plains:

    • Nomadic lifestyle focused on hunting buffalo.

    • Organized in small, egalitarian kinship bands.

  • Coastal Settlements: E.g., Chumash in California:

    • Developed permanent villages and engaged in extensive trade networks.

    • Capable of sustaining large populations.

  • Pacific Northwest: E.g., Chinook peoples:

    • Built plank houses for family kinship groups.

  • Northeast: E.g., Iroquois:

    • Farming culture living in communal longhouses made from timber.

  • Mississippi River Valley: E.g., Cahokia:

    • Large centralized civilization (10,000-30,000 people) thriving on agriculture and trade.

Arrival of Europeans

• European kingdoms in the 1300s-1400s:

  • Experienced political unification and centralization, leading to a wealthy merchant class.

  • Motivation for exploration: Desire for luxury goods and alternative trade routes due to Muslim control of land routes.

• Portugal's Role:

  • Established the first sea-based trade routes.

  • Utilized new maritime technologies: updated astronomical charts, astrolabe, and new ship designs for trade.

• Spain's Role and Christopher Columbus:

  • Columbus sought sponsorship to sail west for new trade routes and landed in the Caribbean in 1492, initiating European interest in the Americas.

The Columbian Exchange

• Definition: Transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the East and West following Columbus's arrival.

• Key Transfers:

  • Americas to Europe: potatoes, tomatoes, maize.

  • Europe to Americas: wheat, rice, soybeans, livestock (cattle, pigs, horses).

  • Introduction of disease: smallpox devastated Native American populations; Europeans received syphilis.

Economic and Social Changes in Europe

• Shift from feudalism to capitalism due to influx of wealth from the Americas.

• Rise of joint-stock companies for funding exploration, allowing risk-sharing among investors.

Spanish Colonization and the Encomienda System

• Spain's initial focus on agriculture over precious metals.

• Introduced the encomienda system: natives forced to work on plantations, leading to severe population decline due to disease.

• Shift to African slave labor due to native population decline and knowledge of local geography.

Casta System and Social Hierarchy

• Spain established a new social hierarchy based on racial ancestry:

  • Peninsulares: Spaniards born in Spain.

  • Criollos (Creoles): Spaniards born in the Americas.

  • Castas: people of mixed ancestry (Mestizos, Mulattos) and enslaved Africans at the bottom.

Justification of Exploitation

• Europeans developed belief systems to justify the mistreatment of Native Americans and Africans:

  • Perception of natives as inferior led to harsh treatment.

  • Bartolomé de las Casas advocated for native humanity versus Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda's views.

  • Biblical misinterpretations supported slavery: perceived as a divine curse based on the story of Noah's son Ham.