Topic 1.2: Native American’s Pre-Contact
What are three examples of central and South American societies with complex religion, hierarchy, city structures, and governments?
Aztecs/Mexica: Tenochitlan capital city→ complex and huge. Written language, irrigation and priests upheld religion centered around fertility of land. Human Sacrifice to gods
Maya: On Yucatan peninsula, complex cities and irrigatio/water storage systems and large pyramids (chichen itza)
Inca: In Andes w/ rule across mountain range. Complex land and terrace farming along fertile mountain valleys. Grew potatoes, corn, and watered by complex irrigation
What were the 3 Reason’s For Exploration? Bonus if you can put it into historical context.
Gold - European powers sought to acquire wealth through discovering new trade routes (like a route to Asia [Christopher Columbus]), metals, and valuable resources
God - Europeans had a great desire to spread Christianity, fulfilling the divine mandate to spread their faith
Glory - European desire to achieve glory by expanding their empire and gaining recognition on the world stage
Bonus - There was a large population increase after Black Plague, and European states were unifying politically.
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of animals, plants, diseases, people, and minerals between Afro-Eurasia and America
What is an example of mercantilism?
Joint Stock Companies privatized exploration (British and Dutch) w/ Limited Liability
How did native societies and Spanish colonizers interact and adapt to each other's cultures?
Natives sought European metal tools, and traded with Europeans for farming and hunting, horses, and guns for warfare
Europeans wanted a connection to the lucrative fur trade, leading to intermarriage w/ natives (Brit and More French)
These complex Native American Societies used what to nutritional food to support their economies and societies?
They all cultivated Maize, a nutritious form of corn, and spread across America to Pacific and Southwest America.
Maize supported Economic growth, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification
How did Portugal expand their empire on the World Stage? What did this exploration result in?
Prince Henry the Navigator tried to find Asia route by going around Africa (Cape of Good Hope)
Resulted in Portugal Trading Post Empire across Asia and Africa (Control of lucrative Indian Ocean Trade using New Ocean Tech
What is Mercantilism?
Mercantilism is a system where state-driven financing, exploration, and colonization, where raw materials and goods from the colony would be given to the Mother Country (Started by Spain; eventually used by other countries)
What was the system of African Slave Trade? How does Chattel Slavery fit into this system?
The African Slave Trade changed from slaves retaining some rights and being sold but not inheritable to Chattel Slavery. Slaves were from conquered communities and traded for Guns by African communities, which led to more war and more enslavement
What is one example of an attempt to resist Spanish colonization? Was it successful?
The Pueblo Revolts were a violent uprising by Pueblo individuals against the mission system. The Pueblo believed invaders to be the cause of their problem (drought, attacks from natives, etc). This belief and the Pueblo Revolt led to the deaths of many Spanish and the burning of churches
It was temporarily successful as, the Spanish fled for 12 years, but came back
What kind of Native American society was the Great Plains/Great Basins? How did family play into this community?
They were Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers across wide land (hard to farm due to aridity)--> buffalo hunting and gathering berries
Kinship was extremely important
What are some examples of new technology emerging to support this era of exploration?
- Caravel Ships
- Astrological Charts
- Astrolabe
- Stern Post Rudder
- Compass
- Lateen Sail
What was the impact of the spread of Diseases from the Columbian Exchange?
When the Spanish arrived in America, they tried to conquer Societies in South America. Hernan Cortez was able to defeat Tenochtitlan with only 1K men because of diseases like Smallpox, measles, etc. The Americas had no natural immunity, leading to a huge population drop
What was the Encomienda System?
The encomienda system was a Spanish colonial labor system where settlers were allowed to demand work and tribute from Indigenous people in exchange for protection and Christian teaching.
What was the difference between the family structure for Native American families and Spanish families?
Natives had a kinship of communities, while the Spanish had the Nuclear family
What effect did Spanish introduction of the Horse have on nomadicism?
Spanish introduction of the Horse drastically reduced nomadicism
How did Spain expand their empire on the World Stage during this Period? What did this exploration result in?
Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain wanted to spread Christianity and thus commissioned Christopher Columbus to sail west and look for the Indies. Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas, enslaved the natives, and started what was known as the Columbian Exchange
What was the impact of the Colombian Exchange on plants and animals?
Plants: Maize, tomatoes, potatoes, cacao, tobacco all went to Europe → supplemented Population growth and introduced new forms of leisure (Tobacco and Coffee). Rice, wheat, soybeans, rye, oats, lemons, sugar, and oranges all went to Americas. Grains became staple crop in Americas
Animals: Horses, pigs, cattle, chickens went to Americas. Pigs and cattle became large in American Diet and Horses → Less Nomadicism, easier hunting, and incorporated into travel and native warfare
What was the Casta system?
The Casta System was a social hierarchy that classified people based on racial ancestry, placing Spaniards at the top and mixed-race and Indigenous or African peoples lower in status(those at the bottom of the pyramid would be taxed more)
What was the Mission System?
The Mission System was a network of religious and agricultural settlements established by Spanish colonizers to convert Native Americans to Christianity and integrate them into colonial society. (While Natives believed in Animism and had many gods and spirits, the Spanish were Roman Catholic and hierarchical. Natives believed land was spiritual and couldn’t be commodified, while the Spanish believed in land control/ private ownership.)
What type of geological aspects or villages led to a more sedentary Native American community? (in stead of nomadic)
- Fishing villages
- Fertile soil around the river
- Hunter-Gatherer communities
-
How did France expand their empire on the World Stage during this Period?
France sent Verazzano to find a Northwest Passage, leading to France claiming the Hudson Bay to Louisiana, yet they were slower to set up colonies due to war
What was the major impact the Colombian Exchange had on People (Native Americans and Europeans)?
Because of the Columbian Exchange, many Natives were taken back to Europe as slaves, but as more Native American individuals fell ill to diseases, colonizers turned to enslaving Africans through use of Chattel Slavery along Middle Passage[brutal transport across Atlantic where many died]
Explain the Casta system hierarchy in order from individuals at the top of the pyramid to individuals at the very bottom of the pyramid
1. Peninsulares - Spanish-born Spaniards
2. Creoles - American-born Spaniards
3. Mestizos - Children of a Spanish parent and an Indigenous parent
4. Mulattoes - Children of a Spanish parent and an African parent
5. Africans
6. Natives
What was the belief held by Bartolomé de Las Casas about the ethics of enforced slave labor on Native Americans for the promotion of Christianity? How did this affect the future of enslaved labor?
Bartolomé de Las Casas believed in not brutalizing Indigenous People and believed the brutalization of these indigenous communities would not increase conversion to Christianity. [He thought that Encomienda would ruin Native Souls and believed Africans should replace them]