Treatment of Natives
Which European country had the best treatment of the native peoples?
France. The French viewed natives as potential allies and wanted to trade with them. They also came over with fewer people which made them less of a threat to the native populations.
In what ways were the indigenous tribes diverse?
In the 1500s, Native American tribes exhibited a lot of diversity in terms of political structures, languages, cultures, and ways of life. The idea that they were uniform in terms of their civilizations is often a misconception about how the tribes existed before European colonization.
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The Columbian Exchange was a period marked by the widespread transfer of people, animals, plants, diseases, technology, and ideas between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (the Americas).
What were the three main reasons for European colonization?
The three G's - God, Gold, and Glory. This meant religious pursuits, economic gains, and political power. These are what motivated European powers to colonize the Americas.
What person initiated the Spanish colonization of the Americas?
Christopher Colombus. He was given funds and ships from Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain who wanted to expand their empire. Columbus landed on the Bahamas which subsequently led to further Spanish colonization of the Americas.
What was the Encomienda System?
The Encomienda System was a system implemented by the Spaniards. Through it, the king gave land and natives to Spaniards to be used for labor. Labor profits went to the masters who had to “care for" the natives in return. It was later replaced by the Asiento System which brought in people from Africa when diseases had killed off too much of native populations.
What were the general roles of men and women in native civilizations?
In general, men made the tools and hunted for game, while women gathered plants and nuts or grew crops such as beans, corn, and tobacco.
What was the name of the disease that decimated native populations in the New World?
Smallpox. Smallpox was an Old World disease brought to the New World through the Columbian Exchange. Because the tribes native to America had not come into contact with it before, they had no immunity to it and it decimated their populations.
What was indentured servitude and why was it brought about?
Indentured servitude, also known as debt peonage, was a way to increase the amount of labor coming over into the Americas. It allowed indentured servants to come over into the New World and have a chance to earn their freedom. Simultaneously, it provided their masters with temporary labor.
What was a Hacienda?
Haciendas were large estates/plantations that exploited natives for labor.
Who was Bartolome de las Casas and what did he advocate for?
Bartolome de las Casas was a Spaniard who had previously owned slaves but then later switched his views and began to advocate for better treatment of the indigenous peoples.
What three civilizations made up Central and South America?
The three civilizations that made up Central and South America were the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas.
What was transferred from the Old World to the New World in the Columbian Exchange
Wheat, barley, rice, turnips, apples, plantains, sugarcane, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, Smallpox, measles, chicken pox, influenza, malaria, yellow fever, couch grass, dandelion, Shepherd’s purse, groundsel, sow thistle and chick weeds, bluegrasses, the wheel, iron tools, guns, etc.
What was the name of the first English colony established in the New World?
The first English colony established in the New World was called Roanoke and it was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh. This colony failed and the colonists were found to have disappeared under unknown circumstances. It is often referred to as the lost colony of Roanoke.
What was the Casta System?
The Casta System was a rigid social hierarchy. At the top were Peninsulares (born in Spain) followed by Creoles (Spanish people born in the New World). After these came the Mestizos (indigenous and Spanish heritage) and Mulattos (African and Spanish heritage). On the bottom were Native Indians and African slaves.
Why did indigenous peoples often end up allying with European countries despite harsh treatment?
Despite harsh treatment from colonizers, native tribes often allied with European powers for trade opportunities, alliances against rival tribes, for survival, and oftentimes because they underestimated the European powers' intentions.
What was the Iroquois Confederacy and where was it located?
The Iroquois Confederacy was a confederation of five native tribes - the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk tribes. They were an extremely powerful force that resided in New York.
What was transferred from the New World to the Old World in the Columbian Exchange?
Maize, white potatoes, chiles, sweet potatoes, manioc, squashes, corn, tomatoes, beans, llama, alpaca, fowl, guinea pig, grey squirrels, muskrats, turkeys, Chagas disease, venereal syphilis, etc.
What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?
The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement between Spain and Portugal in 1494. The treaty divided the newly discovered lands along a meridian in the Atlantic Ocean. It also revised the Line of Demarcation.
What mineral transformed Spain’s economy in the 1500s?
The mineral that transformed Spain's economy in the 1500s was silver. The discovery and exploitation of silver had profound impacts on the economy and society of Spain. It increased the wealth of Spain allowing for it to conquer regions in the world.
What was the Valladolid Debate?
The Valladolid Debate was a debate over the treatment of indigenous peoples of the New World by the Spanish Empire. Bartolome de las Casas argued for improved treatment of the natives, saying that Spain had no grounds for conquering and enslaving them. Juan Gines de Sepulveda, on the other hand, argued that they were inferior and destined to be enslaved. The debate did not lead to a clear resolution; however, it let to natives later getting basic rights.
What generally characterized native tribes that resided in the Great Plains region?
The tribes that resided in the Great Plains region were either nomadic hunter-gatherers or sedentary farmers. The nomadic peoples lived tipis and hunted buffalo for food, tools, and clothing. The sedentary peoples build permanent houses along rivers and cultivated corn and beans. In the 17th century, when horses started to make an appearance, more tribes became nomadic and started hunting the buffalo.
What were the Long-term impacts of the Columbian Exchange on the Old and New World?
The Columbian Exchange led to a rapid increase in populations in European countries coupled with a rapid decrease in populations in the Americas heavily due to diseases. Along with that, through the spread of ideas and cultures, the Columbian Exchange led to overwhelming amounts of societal, political and economic developments.
Who was Samuel de Champlain?
Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer who settled Quebec, and was known as the "father of New France". He was also acknowledged as the consolidator of French colonies in the New World.
What what the Viceregal Structure and why was it implemented?
The moncarchy in Spain became worried that conquistadors would try to take over the throne so they created a new power structure known as the Viceregal structure which featured the king at the top of the hierarchy.