The European Age of Discovery and the Americas

What are the basic elements of Civilization?

The New World in 1500 Approximately 60 Million Inhabitants Wide Variety of Societies How did human beings get to the Western Hemisphere? Why did they migrate to North and South America? When did this migration occur? What happened once these people arrived?

Mesoamerica and the Mississippians Teotihuacan, Mayan, Aztec All hierarchical societies, with highly developed agriculture, architecture, and astronomy Teotihuacans and Mayans organized in city-states What is a city-state, and what issues might a civilization based on city-states encounter? The Aztec Empire What is an empire? Missippian Civilization: Similar in key respects to Mayan civilization In decline well before European arrival Very influential on the Southeastern tribes

The Eastern Woodland Indians Primarily Hunter-Gatherers Women had significant power Societies small, clan-based Few permanent settlements Tribes divided by language fairly democratic The Iroquois Confederacy (a loose alliance system) may have influenced nationally minded colonial leaders as they pondered American independence

Western Europe in 1500 The vast majority of the population were peasants. Peasant Life: Revolved around agriculture Almost everything was tied to the seasonal cycle Hierarchy and Religion What is feudalism? Magna Carta (13th Century) The Church was involved in every aspect of life The Church was also the only intellectual force

Three Pivotal Events That Changed Western Europe The Crusades Intent: To recapture the Holy Land Unintended Results: Increased trade Awareness of other cultures The Renaissance - Humanism and Trade - Italian city-states’ success made European nation-states jealous - Renaissance made exploration both feasible and necessary - Portugal took the lead, but Spain was quick to follow The Reformation Protestantism largely the result of the actions of priests (Martin Luther) kings (Henry VIII) the economy (especially the inflation caused by Spain’s new wealth)

- Revolt in the Netherlands (1581) England As Time Went On, England Increasingly Became a Rival to Spain - Revolt in the Netherlands (1581) - English support for Dutch independence - The Armada (1588) The English Economy Also Transformed - Growth of middle class power - Enclosure - Religious dissent and government crackdown Result: a growing number of dissidents and dispossessed ready and willing to emigrate, aided by an increasingly assertive, mercantile government

Spain and the New World The Conquistadores Greatest Spanish Ally: Disease Cortez and the Aztecs Pizarro and the Inca Spanish America in 1600: a vast and wealthy colonial empire Spain became the most wealthy and powerful nation in Europe for over a century as a result of American gold and silver. Spanish colonial administration Elaborate, hierarchical, very structured Spanish imperial system Competing centers of authority never developed; Spanish colonists gained little to no experience in self-government.

England and the New World English Colonization Almost Exactly the Opposite of Spain’s Slow Initially small in scale Little government control Ireland as a Colonial Model The English considered the Irish considered impossible to assimilate Thus, civilization must push barbarians aside (the “Pale of Settlement”) Jamestown and the Virginia Company Peopled almost exclusively by would-be adventurers Religious Dissenters and New England Puritan religion and society The Chesapeake Colonies and the Slave Trade Slavery a political tool as well as a socioeconomic development

Next Class Read: Five Hundred Years, Section 1 (1-48) Be prepared to discuss these selections critically Topic: Discovery, Conquest, Encounter