Unit One: AP US History

Introduction

• Video is part of the AP US History ultimate review packet

• Aim: To help students achieve an A in class and a 5 on the AP exam

• Resource includes note guides, practice exams, and multiple-choice questions

• Big Picture of Unit 1

  • Focus: Societal makeup of the Americas before and after European arrival

  • Main thesis: Native Americans were diverse, with varied societies influenced by environmental factors

  • Misconception: Native Americans are not a monolithic group; they had a variety of lifestyles and cultures

• Diversity of Native American Cultures

  • Pueblo People (Utah and Colorado)

  • Farmers with settled communities

  • Crops: beans, squash, and maize

  • Utilized advanced irrigation systems

  • Notable for cliff dwellings constructed from hardened clay bricks

  • Great Basin & Great Plains

  • Nomadic hunter-gatherers

  • Example group: Ute people

  • Organized into small, egalitarian kinship bands

  • Relied on buffalo for sustenance

  • Pacific Coast (Northwest & California)

  • Developed permanent settlements due to resource abundance

  • Chumash (California): Established villages sustaining up to 1000 people and involved in regional trade

  • Chinook (Pacific Northwest): Built plank houses for whole families and kinship groups

  • Iroquois (Northeast)

  • Farmers who lived in longhouses made from timber

  • Emphasized communal living and agriculture

  • Mississippi River Valley

  • Known for fertile soil conducive to farming

  • Major group: Cahokia, with a population of 40,000 and a centralized governance structure

• Impact of Environment on Societies

  • Native societies developed distinct, complex structures shaped by their environments

  • Engaged in extensive trade networks from North to South America

• European Arrival in the Americas

  • Key period: 1300s to 1400s saw significant change in European kingdoms, leading to centralized governance under monarchs

  • Rising upper class demanded luxury goods from Asia but faced trade route obstacles due to Muslim control

  • This prompted Europeans to seek sea-based routes for trade

• Portugal’s Early Maritime Expansion

  • Established trading posts along African coast, creating a trading post empire

  • Gained a foothold in Indian Ocean trade networks through new maritime technology

  • Examples: updated astronomical charts, astrolabe, smaller and faster ship designs

  • Utilized advancements like Latine sails and stern post rudders for navigation

• Spain’s Maritime Ventures

• Following Portugal's lead, Spain pursued maritime exploration after the Reconquista

• Motivated by the desire to spread Catholicism and seek economic opportunities

  INTRODUCTION to Christopher Columbus

• Columbus's Mission: Italian sailor Christopher Columbus sought sponsorship from Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella to find a western route to Asia for wealth.

• Departure: Columbus set sail from Spain in 1492 across the Atlantic Ocean.

Discovery of the New World

• Significant Landing: Columbus arrived at San Salvador in the Bahamas, marking a pivotal moment in both world and U.S. history.

• Interactions with Indigenous Peoples: Upon arrival, he encountered the inhabitants and noted great wealth in the available resources.

• Response in Europe: Tales of the New World prompted a competitive race among European nations (e.g., Portugal, France, England) for exploration.

The Columbian Exchange

• Definition: The transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases between the East and West, globally altering ecosystems and societies.

  • Food Transfers:

  • From the Americas: Potatoes, tomatoes, maize.

  • From Europe: Wheat, rice, soybeans.

  • Animal Transfers:

  • From the Americas: Turkeys.

  • From Europe: Cattle, pigs, horses.

  • Wealth Transfer: Gold and silver from the Americas enriched European economies.

  • Human Transfers:

  • Enslaved Africans were introduced to the Americas for labor.

  • Disease Exchange: European diseases (e.g., smallpox) devastated Native American populations.

Economic Shifts in Europe

• Impact of Wealth: Influx of wealth from the New World led to significant societal changes in Europe, shifting from feudalism to capitalism.

• Feudalism vs. Capitalism:

  • Feudalism: Peasants worked on noble's land for protection.

  • Capitalism: Focuses on private ownership and free market exchanges; influenced by joint stock companies supporting exploration.

Spanish Colonization of the Americas

• Encomienda System: This was created to control and exploit Native American labor for agriculture and precious metals.

  • Challenges:

  • Keeping natives submissive became difficult, and they suffered high death rates from European diseases.

• Solution: Importation of enslaved Africans into the Americas, as they were less likely to escape and had better immunity to diseases.

Social Structure in Spanish Colonies

• Casta System: A social hierarchy based on racial ancestry.

  • Levels:

  • Peninsulares: Spaniards born in Spain.

  • Criollos: Spaniards born in the Americas.

  • Castas: Mixed-race offspring (e.g., mestizos, mulatos) with indigenous and African background.

• Relations with Native Americans:

  • Viewed primarily as resources for exploitation and conversion to Christianity.

  • Some cultural exchanges occurred, such as agricultural techniques.

Justification for Exploitation

• European Justifications:

  • Beliefs that Native Americans were less than human, leading to cruel treatment.

  • Priests like Juan Guines de Sepulveda argued that mistreatment was beneficial to natives.

  • Bartolome de las Casas defended the humanity of natives and sought to end their slavery.

  • Biblical interpretations supported the exploitation of African labor, wrongly associating black skin with divine curse (the "Curse of Ham").

Conclusion

• This period laid the groundwork for significant social, economic, and cultural transformations between Europe and the New World, impacting history profoundly.