The First Americans

The Ice Age Ends Wisconsian Glaciation 25,000 years ago the ice receded Bering Land Bridge Nomadic Hunters

Land Bridge around 15,000 ya.

The First Americans Around 10,000 ya. the migrations reached the southern tip of South America Farming Civilization Large-scale, fully functioning communities

To List a Few... Mayan Aztec Incan Moundbuilders and Cahokia

History and Archeology Definitions

Mayan and Aztec Empires

Mayan Empire Reached its height from 300 A.D. To 900 A.D. Yucatán Peninsula Multi-state empire Pyramids Extensive farming

Aztec Empire Rose in power around 1200 A.D. and were the dominant force in Mesoamerica at the time of European contact Tenochtitlan Militaristic/tributary state Sacrifices

Inca Empire Extraordinarily sophisticated Taxation Political Marriages Rich in gold and silver Terrace farming Machu Picchu

Moundbuilders in North America Adena – Ohio River Valley B.C A.D. Hopewell – 100 A.D. To 500 A.D. Mississippi River Valley Mississippian – 1400 A.D. Cahokia, Illinois

North American Cultures before European Discovery

Things to Consider Prior to 1492, the Western Hemisphere consisted of large, sophisticated civilizations equal to and, in many cases, surpassing the civilizations found in Europe. North American cultures were extraordinarily diverse. Over 2,200 distinct languages. The estimated population in the Western Hemisphere in 1491 was between 40 – 60 million. By 1600 the native population was around 10 million. This is the largest loss of life in the history of the planet. What happened?

Meanwhile across two oceans... Europe's place in the global world prior to 1492? Italians and Marco Polo 1270 – 1295 Asian riches The rise of Islam 1453!

Cut off from the east

Portugal & the Age of Discovery Portugal sought to contain Muslim states and reach China Timbuktu Bartlomeu Dias – 1488 Technological advances

China? Why did China not reach the New World? Zheng He's voyages 1405 – 1433 Complacency

Christopher Columbus Not the first – Vikings in 1000 A.D. The many faces of Columbus Italian, sailor Reconquista – Ferdinand & Isabella Oct. 12, 1492

A Global World European Contact spurred one of the most significant changes in World History Globalism Columbian Exchange Slavery Mass Murder

Columbian Exchange Old to New World Wheat Rice Sugarcane Coffee Kentucky bluegrass Bananas Melons New to Old World Corn Tomatoes Potatoes Tobacco Beans Cacao Squash & Pumpkins

Animals Old to New Horses Pigs Cows Sheep Chickens New to Old Turkeys Llamas Guinea Pigs

Diseases Old to New World Smallpox Measles Chicken Pox Malaria Influenza Yellow Fever Common Cold New to Old World Syphilis

An Uneven Exchange The Columbian Exchange persists up to the present day At contact however, the exchange (of diseases in particular) wiped out the indigenous populations of the New World By the 17 th Century the indigenous population in the Western Hemisphere had decreased by 60% - 70% By the 18 th Century, the indigenous population in the Western Hemisphere had decreased by 90% The largest loss of human life in the history of the planet

Why a New World?

God and Gold

The Spanish World Hernán Cortés Conquistadores Conquered the Aztecs How? Montezuma Weapons Disease Indian Civil War Empire

The Spanish World, cont. Francisco Pizarro Conquered the Inca Encomienda Into North America St. Augustine New Mexico

The New World in 1600 From 1492 until the start of the 17 th Century Spain ruled the Western Hemisphere. European conflicts in the Old World hampered other European powers. England, France, and the Netherlands could not effectively move into the New World. Still some exploration and colonies. French: Ft. Quebec, fur trading. Dutch: New Amsterdam, trading. England: Roanoke, “Lost Colony.” Things were changing...

The “Decline” of Spain and the Rise of England Protestant Reformation Nearly continuous warfare Martin Luther & 95 Theses, 1517 Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 Charles V's Empire dissolves Spanish Armada – 1588 England in Ireland At the turn of the 17 th Century, England begins to seek land in North America