APUSH Unit 1: Native America and European Contact Notes

Overview of AP U.S. History (APUSH) Unit 1
  • Time Period Covered: 1491-1607
  • Focus: Native American societies and initial contact with Europeans.
Native American Societies Before European Contact
  • Complex and Diverse Societies: Native Americans developed various forms of social organization before European arrival.
    • Chinook: Coastal farming villages.
    • Mississippian Civilization: Farmers like the Cahokia, known for their large urban centers.
    • Iroquois: Family-based kinship networks.
    • Mesoamerican Civilizations: Great city-based civilizations such as the Maya and Incas.
Interaction Among Native Tribes
  • Trade and Cultural Exchange: Indigenous peoples engaged in trade, borrowing technologies, beliefs, and agricultural practices, notably maize, which was significant to their sustenance and agrarian practices.
Arrival of Europeans
  • First European Contact: The first Europeans to arrive were those sponsored by Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, led by Christopher Columbus.
  • The Columbian Exchange: A significant transference of plants, animals, diseases, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, resulting in both benefits and detriments to various societies involved.
Spanish Colonial System
  • Encomienda System: Instituted forced labor of Native Americans by Spanish colonizers, which laid the groundwork for exploitation in the new territories.
  • Casta System: A social hierarchy established by the Spanish that categorized individuals into castes based on their race and origin for taxation purposes. This system included:
    • Colonists (Spanish settlers)
    • Natives (indigenous peoples)
    • Enslaved Africans
      This caste-like structure affected socio-economic relations and interactions between different groups.