Unit 1 - Period 1: 1491 - 1607 (1.1)

1.1 Context

Objective: Explain the context for European encounters in the Americas from 1491 to 1607.

  • Columbus’s first voyage was a turning point in world history because it initiated lasting contact between people on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This, and European exploration and settlement in the Americas, impacted how people on every continent lived.

  • Jamestown settlement marked the beginning of the framework of a new nation.

Cultural Diversity in the Americas.

  • Existing cultures varied greatly because of differences in geography and climate. Cultures developed different trains in response to environment. Ex: sugar grown on tropical islands, forests had lots of animals, and fertile soil allowed for growing corn (maize).

  • Native Americans also transformed environments to support life (example: people in dry regions created irrigation systems).

Motives for Exploration.

  • European explorers (and later, other like the Spanish, Portuguese, and French) competed for land in the Americas.

  • “God, Gold, and Glory”

    • Some explorers were motivated by desire to spread Christianity

    • Some by desire to become wealthy. Examples: Finding new trade routes to Asia, establishing trade posts, operating gold or silver mines, or developing plantations.

  • Because the land was already inhabited, Europeans often used violence to subdue or drive away natives.

Transatlantic Exchange.

  • Exploration into the Americas kicked off a transatlantic trade of animals, plans, and germs known as the Columbian Exchange that changed life for people across the world.

  • Crops from the Americas changed the diet of Europeans.

    • Corn (maize), potatoes, and tomatoes.

  • The population of native people in a region declined by 90% within a century after the arrival of Europeans.

Addition of Enslaved Africans.

  • Enslaved Africans were kidnapped and brought to the Americas by Europeans to work in mines and on plantations.

European Colonies

  • Spanish and Portuguese explorers and settlers developed colonies that depended on natives and enslaved Africans for labor in agriculture and mining precious metals.

Key Questions

  1. Describe a historical context for understanding the diverse Native American cultures that had developed in the Americas by the 1490s.

  2. Explain a historical context for the European exploration in the Americas from the 1490s to early 1600s.

  3. Explain a historical context for the interactions between Europeans and Native Americans int he period from 1491 to 1607.