APUSH Unit 1 Review: 1491-1607

The Americas Before European Contact

  • Southwest:
    • Farmers, primarily cultivating maize.
    • Developed advanced irrigation systems to support agriculture.
    • Established small urban centers constructed from hardened clay bricks.
  • Great Basin/Plains:
    • Nomadic hunter-gatherers, heavily reliant on buffalo.
    • Organized in small, egalitarian kinship bands.
  • Pacific Coast:
    • Established permanent villages, some with nearly 1,000 residents.
    • Relied on the abundance of fish, small game, and plant life.
    • Engaged in coastal trade with neighboring communities.
  • Northeast:
    • Farmers living in villages characterized by longhouses.
    • Access to abundant resources such as timber, furs, and fish.
  • Mississippi River:
    • Farmers who benefited from the region's rich soil.
    • Engaged in river-based trade networks.
  • Examples of Native Societies:
    • Pueblo, Anasazi (known for Mesa Verde cliff dwellings).
    • Ute.
    • Chumash in California, Chinook in the Pacific Northwest.
    • Iroquois.
    • Cahokia (population of 10-30,000) with a strong, centralized government.

The Old World and European Exploration

  • Context of the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) in the Late 15th Century:
    • Development of strong, more centralized states in Europe.
    • Increased demand for luxury goods from China and India.
    • Islamic states making Eurasian trade difficult for Europeans.
    • Portuguese "trading-post empire" in Africa and India.
    • Advancements in maritime technology and shipbuilding.
    • Reconquista and unification of Spain.
  • Primary Objectives of Spanish Exploration and Colonialism:
    • Find new sources of wealth in Asian markets.
    • Evolved into extracting resources (gold/silver/tobacco/sugar) from the land.
    • Spread religion (Christianity).

The Columbian Exchange

  • Definition:
    • The transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases from the East (Old World) to the West (New World) and vice versa.
  • Impact:
    • Crops and animals transferred resulted in a significant population increase in Europe.
    • Diseases (e.g., smallpox) brought by Europeans decimated Native American populations.
  • Examples of Goods Transferred:
    • From Americas: Tomatoes, potatoes, maize, turkeys.
    • From Europe: Wheat, rice, soybeans, horses, cows, pigs.

Old World Meets New World

  • Role of Religion in Spanish Colonial Society:
    • Incentivized and forced conversion of Native Americans to Christianity.
    • Religion used to support both further subjugation of Native Americans and to advocate for their better treatment.
    • Justification of slavery in some cases, such as through the "Mark of Ham" narrative.
    • Denominational differences become more significant after the Reformation in Europe.
    • Notable figures: Sepulveda (advocated for harsh treatment) vs. Las Casas (advocated for better treatment).
  • Development of African-Based Chattel Slavery in the New World:
    • Spanish copied Portuguese blueprint for implementation of African-based chattel slavery
    • Factors contributing to the rise of African slavery:
      • Native Americans were more familiar with the environment but were dying from disease and overwork.
      • Africans were unfamiliar with the Americas, and the slave trade was already flourishing and inexpensive.
  • How the Spanish Established and Maintained their Colonies:
    • Political Factors:
      • Royally appointed colonial governors.
    • Economic Factors:
      • Encomienda system using forced native labor and later enslaved Africans.
      • Haciendas: plantations, ranches, and mines.
    • Social Factors:
      • Casta system established a racial hierarchy: Peninsulares, Criollos, Mestizos, Indios, Mulattoes, Zambos, Negros (and many more).