Native American Societies
Native populations in the Americas developed diverse societies primarily due to this factor.
Environmental variation
European exploration was motivated mainly by this combination.
God, gold, and glory
The most immediate cause of Native American population decline after contact.
Disease
Spanish labor system that granted colonists the right to Native labor.
Encomienda system
The introduction of this animal transformed life on the Great Plains.
Horse
The development of maize cultivation most directly led to this change.
More permanent settlements
Improvements in this technology made transatlantic travel possible.
Navigation/shipbuilding/Caravel
Crop from the Americas that significantly increased European population.
Potato
Spanish conquest in the Americas was justified largely by this religious goal.
Conversion to Christianity
Environmental change caused by European livestock introduction.
Land degradation / overgrazing
Many Native societies in North America organized politically through this system.
Kinship networks / tribal structures
Portugal and Spain led early exploration mainly because they had this advantage.
Access to Atlantic trade routes
The Columbian Exchange resulted in this long-term global process.
Biological and cultural exchange between hemispheres
Social hierarchy in Spanish America based on race and birthplace.
Casta system
Environmental changes from European arrival most directly caused this.
Disruption of Native ecosystems
Compare nomadic and sedentary societies in terms of resource use.
Nomadic = hunting; sedentary = agriculture
European expansion was fueled by competition for this.
Wealth and power
The population collapse of Native Americans led directly to this labor shift.
Increased reliance on African slavery
Spanish colonization differed from Native systems by emphasizing this.
Resource extraction and forced labor
European arrival disrupted Native ecosystems primarily through this.
Introduction of new species and diseases
Explain how environment shaped economic systems of Native societies.
Different environments led to agriculture, hunting, or mixed economies Environment strongly influenced economies and lifestyles
Explain why economic motives were the primary driver of European exploration.
Desire for trade, wealth, and resources
Explain why the Columbian Exchange had unequal effects on different populations.
Devastated Natives but benefited Europeans
Explain how Spanish colonization established systems of inequality.
Enforced racial hierarchy and coercive labor
Explain continuity and change in labor systems after European arrival.
Shift from Native labor to African slavery