History 11 - Week 2 Three Worlds Meet

Outline Thesis: People from three highly developed, complex societies–Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans–came into contact with each other in the land that eventually came to be known as British North America. Their interaction, to a large degree, is the story of the American people. Key Arguments: -The world of the pre-colonial U.S. was an interaction between those seeking to colonize and indigenous peoples. -The Americas became a crucible where peoples, governments, philosophies, religions, and economies interacted in ways that were to some degree unprecedented, but in others reflected long-standing global patterns of trade.

Outline Who lived in North America before the arrival of Columbus? Africa on the eve of European contact. Europe and the lead-up to the Age of Exploration

“Crucible” /ˈkro͞osəb(ə)l/ 1: a vessel of a very refractory (see 1refractory 3) material (as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat 2: a severe test <He's ready to face the crucible of the Olympics.> 3: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development < … conditioned by having grown up within the crucible of Chinatown … — Tom Wolfe> <His character was formed in the crucible of war.>

Beringia

Perspective: -Which direction are we facing? -Define “civilized.”

Historical Sources & Why They’re Important Secondary Primary