Describe how geographic changes and the movement of people facilitated the peopling of the Americas.

The sea level decreased due to glaciers which caused the appearance of a land bridge connecting the tip of Asia and North America. Asian nomads ventured into North America, and they eventually became what we know today as Native Americans. Then, the glaciers melted, sea level rose, and the land bridge disappeared separating the new Americans from the rest of the world.

What was Native American life like before European contact? How were the various Native American societies similar or different?

Native Americans had sophisticated civilizations. The Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs, for example, had advanced agricultural practices that fed many people, advanced math, and accurate astronomy. Aztecs also had religious sacrifices. Each tribe lived in different environments and had different cultures, history, traditions, rivalries, and economies. For example, tribes near the coast tended to be more dependent on fishing and whaling rather than farming. Most were tribes that depended on farming, and they all had some form of government.

What factors led to Europe’s increased exploration in Africa Asia and the Americas?

Factors that led to Europe’s increased exploration included competition with other countries, conquest, and trade. For example. Asia had many goods that appealed to Europe like silk, medical drugs, perfumes, draperies, and spices, which were good for trade.

What is the Columbian Exchange?  What are some of the results of the Columbian Exchange?

The Columbian Exchange was the encounter between Europeans and Native Americans. The results of the Columbian Exchange were the introduction of diseases, like smallpox, and animals to North America, and the introduction of crops to Europe which then spread all throughout the rest of the world.

What was the role of conquistadors and encomienda in establishing a Spanish Empire in the New World?

Encomienda was when Natives were given to colonists in return for Christianizing them, which was essentially slavery. Conquistadors owned many enslaved Natives because of the encomienda system. This asserted the Spanish’ control over the New World and supported their settlement of the land.

What was the geographic extent of the Spanish Empire in the New World?  What nations were challenging Spain’s dominance in the New World and where?

The Spanish now had hundreds of cities and towns in America and about 160,000 people. In Mexico, they had a few minor battles with the Aztecs. However, later on, France started colonizing the New World in present day Florida, it posed a threat to the Spanish.