Period 1
1491-1607
Section 1
How did people get on to the American continents?
– The ______Theory
• It’s estimated that people crossed a land bridge from Asia between 25,000-35,000 years ago.
• Most early Americans were nomadic hunter-gatherers until -
The Effects of Agriculture
• After the development of agriculture:
– Groups of people become -
– Distinctive cultures begin to develop
• Tribes of Mexico, Central, and South America developed large sedentary civilizations that were –
– ______were established
– ______with populations that rivaled the largest European cities of the time.
– Accurate -
• Population at the time of European contact is estimated at over 20,000,000
• Examples:
1. ______of the Yucatan Peninsula (300-800 A.D.)
2. ______in the valley of Mexico
• Tribes of the Southwest
– Most lived in -
– ______were developed to help cultivation.
– Examples:
1. The Anasazi
2. The Pueblo
• Tribes of the Great Plains and Great Basin
– ______because of the lack of water and natural resources of the region.
– They hunted the great buffalo herds on the Great Plains, using all parts of the animals.
• Skin = clothing, and teepees
• Bones = tools and weapons
• Meat = food
– The introduction of the ______by the 15th ______revolutionized the way that many Native American tribes hunted (especially on the Great Plains).
• Tribes of Northeast and Atlantic Seaboard
– Developed a society that was primarily -
– Settled in semi-permanent villages.
• The five biggest tribes of the Northeast united to form the ______.
Reasons for European Exploration
• There were many technologies developed during the Renaissance that helped to encourage European exploration:
– Example - Navigational compasses were developed by the Arabs and used by Europeans
• The proliferation of the printing press helped to -
– Example – Major improvement in mapmaking
• A desire to find -
– Europeans wanted to find a sea route to the east, so they could avoid making the expensive and dangerous trip through the Arab countries by land.
1492 - ______, an Italian sailor, whose trip was financed by the Spanish monarchs, made land fall in the Bahamas.
– For the next century, Spanish and Portuguese explorers called ______, pushed deep into the Americas.
• ______ – Led the conquest of Mexico against Aztecs
• Francisco Pizarro –
The Effects of Spanish Exploration
1. The exchange of -
– Examples:
a) Horse, cattle, and swine did not exist in the New World prior to European contact
b) Tobacco, corn, and potatoes did not exist in the Old World prior to European contact
2. Racially mixed populations (called ______)
3. The development of labor systems (the ______).
• How did the Columbian Exchange negatively Native American culture?
– Besides the livestock, European contact brought -
• Native Americans did not have immunities built up to the European diseases, and millions died – the mortality rate was as high as ______in some regions
– Side note: On the Island of Hispaniola population dropped from over 3 million to 60,000 between the years (1494 to 1508)
Splitting Up the New World
• The first two European powers to explore the new world were the ______and the ______.
– New World land disputes threatened to throw the countries into a devastating war with each other.
– ______- An agreement between to Spain and Portugal to peacefully split up the New World land
• Portugal got -
• Spain got -
Civilizing the “Savages”
• Spanish and Portuguese explorers developed a belief in European superiority over the Native Americans
– The Europeans often exploited Native Americans for -
– The Europeans tried to force Natives to adopt European traditions and religion
• For example, Europeans were big proponents of private property, but the Indians were communal, and viewed the land as shard amongst all people.
– Many were forced into the Spanish labor system called the “______”
Labor Systems in the New World
• As the Spanish began to colonize, a labor system called the encomienda developed.
– How the encomienda worked:
• In an attempt to populate the New World more rapidly, the King of Spain would grant large plots of land to Spaniards, and give them Native Americans as slaves
– They forced Native Americans to -
Introduction of African Slavery
• Because of the high mortality rate, Native Americans did not remain the source of labor for long
– The Spanish began to -
• The vast majority of African slaves imported to the New World were brought into the Spanish and Portuguese colonies
The Spanish Mission System
• One of the ways that the European Explorers attempted to “civilize” the Native American groups was through -
– Catholic Missions were set up to -
• On the mission, the Natives were forced to work as slaves through the Encomienda
– The slavery was justified by the Spanish by claiming that forced labor was a small price to pay for eternal salvation.
The Effects of New World Exploration on the Population of Europe
1. New crops, such as ______stimulated population growth in Europe
2. Economic shift from -
– Explorers came to the New World looking to make huge profits
3. New World gold and silver ______(500% in a Century) in Europe
The Effects of New World Exploration on the Countries of Europe
• After seeing the massive wealth accumulated by the Spanish and Portuguese through their New World Exploration, other European powers (the Dutch, English, and French) began to look into New World ventures.