1. 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.

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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