🪶 Native American Societies
Before 1492, what agricultural development had a major influence on many Native American cultures?
🌽 The cultivation and spread of maize (corn)
What term describes the exchange of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres?
Columbian Exchange
Which European country established a large empire in Mexico and much of South and Central America?
Spain
What system gave Spanish colonists the right to demand labor and tribute from Native Americans?
Encomienda system
What religion did Spanish missionaries attempt to spread among Native Americans?
Christianity/Catholicism
Which European animal had the greatest impact on the lives of Plains Indians before 1800?
Horses
What important American crop became known as “corn” by Europeans?
Corn/maize
What was one major economic motivation for European exploration and colonization?
Wealth/profit/trade/resources
What economic system developed around large-scale production of crops such as sugar and tobacco?
Plantation economy
What was one major reason Spanish conquistadors were able to conquer Native American empires?
European diseases, alliances with Native groups, military technology, horses, and internal divisions
What does the distribution of Native American populations before European contact demonstrate about North America?
Native populations were unevenly distributed across regions
What does the distribution of Native American populations before European contact demonstrate about North America?
Epidemic diseases/population decline
According to Richard Hakluyt, why did England want to establish fortified colonies along major rivers?
Protect colonies, control trade routes, compete with other European nations, and maintain power
Which group provided much of the forced labor on plantations in the Americas?
Enslaved Africans
According to Las Casas, what evidence demonstrated that Native Americans had organized societies?
Large cities, organized governments, laws, religion, and customs
How did Native American societies demonstrate political and social complexity before European arrival?
Different societies developed organized communities, governments, economies, and cultural practices
How did the introduction of European diseases affect Native American populations?
Europeans introduced diseases to which Native populations had limited immunity
How did European competition influence exploration and colonization in the Americas?
European nations competed for economic and political influence
How did the plantation economy connect Africa, Europe, and the Americas?
American crops → European consumers → European investment → African forced labor → Atlantic trade
How did Native Americans respond to European colonization and missionary efforts?
Resistance, negotiation, trade, alliances, adaptation, and rejection of European religious demands
Cause & Effect: Explain how the introduction of horses changed the societies and economies of Plains Indians.
Horses increased mobility, hunting ability, warfare, and access to resources for Plains peoples
Cause & Effect: Explain how the Columbian Exchange transformed both the Americas and Europe.
Transformed diets, populations, agriculture, and economies across the Atlantic
Document Connection: Hakluyt emphasized learning Native languages, customs, and manners. What does this reveal about European goals in North America?
Europeans needed knowledge of Native societies to establish successful colonies and trade relationships
Why did plantation agriculture contribute to the growth of the transatlantic slave trade?
Labor-intensive crops such as sugar created enormous demand for coerced labor
Why did Bartolomé de Las Casas criticize Spanish treatment of Native Americans?
Las Casas argued Native Americans had organized societies and did not deserve exploitation or loss of freedom