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Rapid population growth in the Americas
Sustained by abundant natural food supplies
Hunting and gathering
Agricultural cultivation
Stable food supplies allowed other developments
Material culture
Governmental hierarchies
Anasazi pueblo culture was sophisticated (NM)
Pueblo housing structures
Irrigation canals for agriculture
Hundreds of miles of roads
Ohio, Adena and Hopewell cultures were also advanced
Cahokia had a population of 20,000+
Large ceremonial burial mounds remain
Both cultures disappeared before Europeans arrived
Survivors dispersed and built new cultures
Many impressive cultures inhabited Mexico and Central America
Incas (Peru), Mayan and Toltec (Central Mexico)
Built vast cities
Governed bureaucratically
Developed hieroglyphics
Had accurate solar calendars
Aztecs
Aggressive and warlike
Conquered established city-states
Eastern Woodlands
Fewer than 1 million on the Atlantic Coast
Primarily subsisted on hunting and gathering, some agriculture
English settlers were likely to cross paths with Algonquians
Powhatans (VA), Narragansetts (RI) and Abenakis
Spoke different dialects, did not communicate easily
Were often enemies
Personal and familial bonds defined one’s “place”
The “clan” was the basic social unit
Warfare was rare and conducted on a small scale
Motivated by revenge for insult or attack
Captives could be tortured or adopted
Natives desired fair and peaceful trade with Europeans
Natives and Europeans saw their own culture as superior, although each
desired aspects of the others material culture
Communication was aided by sign language and gestures
Europeans tried to impose their culture, language and customs
Some natives converted to Christianity, others pacified the Europeans
Native women were less likely to embrace conversion
Preferred polygamy
Young natives rejected traditional European classroom education
In cases of intermarriage, the couple usually adopted native culture
Natives lacked natural immunity to smallpox, measles and the flu
Some historians estimate a 90-95% population loss
Perhaps led to the importation of slaves
Tribes who “kept their distance” were more likely to survive
Population loss led some to question traditional religious beliefs
Islam was a major cultural force in W Africa starting in 1030 AD
Intricate trade networks linked regional cultures
Mali, Benin and Kongo were major states during initial European contact
Governments and languages varied widely within the region
Euro contact began with the Portuguese
African trade networks charges tolls and fees to Europeans
Slave sales were negotiated in local currencies
Slaves were readily used in the Madeira and Canary Islands
More Africans than Europeans “emigrated” to the America from
1650-1831
the Vikings were the first Europeans on American shores
984 AD—Eric the Red traveled from Iceland to Greenland
His son Leif founded Vinland in Newfoundland
Other Europeans (Columbus) were unaware of these voyages
Ignorance, disease and provincial loyalties discouraged early exploration
Changed conditions led to a greater desire for exploration and trade
The Renaissance
Improved food supplies
Greater earnings for landlords
More $$ and desire for luxuries from Asia
Centralized political authority
Tudors ended the “War of the Roses”
Ferdinand and Isabella’s union brought the reunification of
Spain (Aragon and Castile) and the Reconquista
Ancient knowledge of geography became more widely known
Printing press/movable type facilitated communication
Spain became the leading world power in spite of a lack of natural resources
Sugar plantations were created in the Canary Islands
Native deaths led to the growth of African slavery
The labor system was brutal
The voyage took Columbus to the W Indies
CColumbus returned three times—no gold or spices
The “new” continent was named for Amerigo Vespucci
Pope Alexander IV arranged for the Treaty of Tordesillas
Prevented war over “Asia”
Divided the “new world” between Portugal and Spain
They desired instant wealth
Bernal Diaz—the Caribbean Islands
Hernan Cortes—Cuba, Mexico
Montezuma’s indecision cost him dearly
Spain and the conquistadors gained great wealth
Conquistadores were awarded encomiendas
Main goal—to re-establish royal authority
Dominicans and Franciscans were also sent to protect and convert
A mixing of cultures and peoples occurred
Catholicism and native traditions combined
La Virgen de Guadalupe
Many single men came from Spain…
Mestizos=Spanish + Indian
Mulattos=Spanish + black
Other terms: peninsulares=pure blood Spanish from Spain
Criollos=Spanish heritage but born in the New World
A caste system helped keep folks in their places
Spain could not rule these vast land claims
The area was too large and too distant
The treasure bankrupted the economy due to inflation
Cartier looked for a NW passage through the Americas (1534)
Navigated through the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Left in 1542
Samuel de Champlain returned to settle the region in 1542
French explorers hoped for three Gs also
Rivers and Great Lakes helped establish a profitable trading network
Marquette traveled down the Mississippi
LaSalle followed the river through the Gulf of Mexico
Louisiana was then established
New Orleans was the most important port city on the Gulf
Priests (Jesuits and Recollects) had some success at conversion
Small population and harsh weather hampered France’s imperial dreams
Henry VII (Tudor) broke with the Catholic Church over some great matter of theology
Cardinal Thomas Wol$ey did his part to sway the people
Pope Clement VII refused the king’s request for an
Annulment
The King severed ties with the Church, assumed property
& leadership of the new Church of England (1534)
Henry and many others continued as observant Catholics
Mary I attempted to return England to the Church
Dissenters were martyred (recorded by John Foxe)
Mary died, Protestants returned
Elizabeth I established English Protestantism
The Reformation proper begins in German 1517—Martin Luther
God spoke to ordinary men through the Bible
Indulgences and rituals did not gain one salvation
Salvation was through faith alone
John Calvin (Swiss) stressed God’s omnipotence & the idea of “the elect”
“The elect” would exhibit proper holy behavior
Not knowing whether or not you were saved caused a bit of tension
French Huguenots and Scottish Presbyterians shared these beliefs
Those in England who shared these beliefs were known as “Puritans”
The Pope referred to her as a “woman of illegitimate birth”
Elizabeth pursued moderate change, preserved old rituals
Radical change and persecution seemed impractical to her
Pope Pius V excommunicated her
Spain vowed to restore England to the Church and overthrow the
Tudors
English Protestantism became an accepted part of the national identity
English “Sea Dogs” seized Spanish treasure fro the Virgin Queen
Philip II constructed the Spanish Armada to counteract the arrogant Brits
The small, maneuverable British fleet defeated the Armada
English settlers inhabited N Ireland in hopes of civilizing the inhabitants
The “natives” were Gaelic-speaking Catholics who did not take well to
rule by British Protestants
The English ridiculed Irish pastoral farming, customs, superstitions, etc
The English began to structure Irish society “as it ought to be”
Irish resistance to English rule led to violence and brutality
Sir Humphrey Gilbert beheaded captors
Conquest in Ireland led to conquest in the Americas
Sir Walter Raleigh founded Roanoke in 1584
Elizabeth I granted the land to him
Raleigh left to start another colony
John White was left in charge
When Raleigh returned, the colony was gone
Richard Hakluyt the Younger published The Principall Navigations,
Voyages, and Discoveries of the English Nation (1589)
He told readers they would reap without sowing, ignored toil and suffering
His writings greatly encouraged colonization
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