The Americas and Europe Objectives: Describe the ancient cultures in the Americas. Identify the diverse Native American groups in North America. Understand European societies of the 1400’s and the forces that led them to undertake exploration.

Ancient Cultures in the Americas Where did the first Americans come from? The first Americans arrived around 22,000 years ago Bering-Strait Land Bridge Theory How did the first Americans survive? The first Americans were nomads who survived by hunting big game If the first Americans were nomads, how did civilization begin? Around 12,000 years ago, temperatures began to warm As the climate grew warmer, large animals no longer thrived Early Americans became hunter gatherers Between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago, agriculture developed in central Mexico Early Americans began to plant crops The development of agriculture allowed peoples to settle in one place

Native American Societies Early empires develop in the South Maya – Yucatan Peninsula Aztec – Mexico Inca – South America Societies arise in North America Anasazi – Southwest US Native American society was characterized by diversity Tribes adapted their way of life to the environments they lived in Pueblo - Built multi-story homes out of adobe Iroquois - Lived in the forest and hunted fish and game

Native American Societies What were some of the common characteristics that existed between Native American tribes? Land was not a commodity to be traded or sold Nearly all Native American tribes viewed the natural world as filled with spirits The family was the basic unit of organization in Native American tribes

European Societies of the 1400’s European societies were based on social hierarchy Feudalism Very little social mobility Christianity shaped the outlook of the European world The power of the Church influenced politics The Crusades The Crusades had two important consequences that encouraged European exploration: Opened up trade routes to Asia exposing Europeans to luxuries from the East Weakened the power of European nobles allowing monarchs to consolidate power

European Societies of the 1400’s During the 1400’s, four major nations were taking shape in Europe: Portugal, Spain, France, and England Interested in finding an alternative to the overland route to Asia Fueled by stories of wealth from the East Marco Polo (1200) Prominent Explorers of the Age of Exploration Prince Henry the Navigator – Monarch of Portugal who financed voyages of discovery Bartolomeu Dias – Portuguese explorer who was the first to reach the southern tip of Africa Vasco da Gama – Portuguese sailor who reached India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa

European Societies of the 1400’s What were some of the factors that helped to fuel the Age of Exploration? Christianity Strong desire to spread the teachings of Christ The Renaissance (1400’s) Spirit of inquiry influenced European explorers Desire for Wealth Sailing Technology Arab navigation Cartography Astrolabe Compass Caravel – A lighter more maneuverable ship that was able to sail against the wind

Spanish North America Objectives: Describe the Spanish exploration of the Americas and its effects on Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans. Describe the pattern of conquest used by the Spanish. Summarize the goals of Spanish explorers and settlers and to understand why Native Americans resisted.

Columbus Crosses the Atlantic Christopher Columbus – Italian mariner who hypothesized that a person could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Columbus was motivated by the promise of fortune and fame First expedition embarked in August of 1492 Financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain Fleet of three ships: Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria In October of 1492, Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas Claimed the island for Spain and renamed it San Salvador Columbus’s later voyages

Impact on Native Americans Europeans used local peoples for forced labor Were able to dominate these peoples due to superior weaponry Native Americans were devastated by European diseases With the decline of the native workforce, Europeans eventually turned to Africa for slaves

Impact on Europeans Many Europeans began to cross the Atlantic in search of new lives Overseas expansion inflamed national rivalries as countries battled over who would rule the New World Treaty of Tordesillas – Agreement between Spain and Portugal in which the Western Hemisphere would be divided between the two The Columbian Exchange – The global transfer of living things that took place between the Eastern and Western hemispheres

The Spanish Claim a New Empire Conquistadors – Spanish explorers who sought to establish colonies for Spain in the New World Hernando Cortes – Spanish Conquistador who landed in Mexico in 1519 and came into contact with the Aztecs Cortes marveled at the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan and the vast amounts of gold and silver the Aztecs possessed Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, believed Cortes was a god and agreed to give Cortes a share of the empire’s existing wealth Unsatisfied, Cortes forced the Aztecs to mine more gold and silver In the Spring of 1520, the Aztec people revolted and drove out the Spanish Montezuma was stoned to death as a traitor In 1521, Cortes launched a counterattack and defeated a weaker Aztec force that had already been ravaged by disease Francisco Pizarro Ponce de Leon

The Spanish Pattern of Conquest In building their empire, the Spanish lived amongst the native people and sought to impose their culture upon them Settlers tended to intermarry with native women Mestizo – Person of mixed Spanish and Native American descent The Spanish also oppressed the native peoples they lived amongst Encomienda System – System in which Native Americans were used as forced labor by Spanish landlords who received the rights to their labor from Spanish authorities In 1542, the Spanish monarchy abolished the encomienda system and began to use enslaved Africans to meet their labor needs

Spain Explores the Southwest and West Throughout the mid-1500’s, the Spanish also explored and settled in what are now regions of the Southwest and Western US Francisco Vasquez de Coronado – Explored the American Southwest in search of another wealthy empire to conquer In addition to obtaining wealth, the Spanish also sought to convert native peoples to Christianity Established a long string of Catholic missionaries throughout the American Southwest and West Resistance to the Spanish The Spanish missionary system negatively affected Native Americans in many ways Spanish missionaries often forced Native Americans to abandon their own customs and adopt European ones The Spanish also forced Native Americans to provide labor for farming and construction