Heimlich's History: AP US History Unit 1 Overview

Introduction

• Part of a review series called AP US History Ultimate Review Pack.
• Focus: Societal makeup of the Americas pre-European arrival and the impact of European arrival.

Native American Societies Before European Arrival

• Diversity of Societies:
  • Native societies were diverse, not monolithic.
  • Adapted to various environments.
  • Examples:
    • Pueblo People: Farmers in Utah/Colorado, advanced irrigation, cliff dwellings.
    • Great Basin & Plains: Nomadic hunter-gatherers, e.g., Ute people.
    • Northwest & Pacific Coast: Permanent settlements, e.g., Chumash & Chinook.
    • Northeast (Iroquois): Farmers, lived in long houses.
    • Mississippi River Valley (Cahokia): Rich soil farming, centralized government.

European Arrival and Motivations

• European Changes (1300s-1400s):

  • Political unification led by monarchs.
  • Desire for luxury goods from Asia.
  • Need for sea-based trade routes.

• Portugal's Role:

  • Established trading posts around Africa.
  • New maritime technology (astronomical charts, astrolabe, new ship designs).

• Spain's Entry:

  • Post-Reconquest ambition to spread Christianity and seek new economic opportunities.
  • Christopher Columbus' voyage in 1492.
  • Discovery of the Americas spurred competition among European nations.

The Columbian Exchange

• Definition: Transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases between hemispheres.
• Items Transferred:
  • From Americas to Europe: Potatoes, tomatoes, maize.
  • From Europe to Americas: Wheat, rice, soybeans, cattle, pigs, horses.
  • Gold and Silver: From Americas to Europe.
  • Diseases: Smallpox to Americas, syphilis to Europe.

Economic and Societal Shifts in Europe

• Shift from Feudalism to Capitalism:
  • Influx of wealth led to economic changes.
  • Rise of joint-stock companies to fund exploration.

Spanish Colonization in the Americas

• Encomienda System:

  • Forced labor of natives for agriculture and mining.
  • Challenges: Native resistance and population decline due to disease.

• Introduction of African Slave Labor:

  • Africans less likely to escape, more disease-resistant.

• Casta System:

  • Social hierarchy based on racial ancestry.
  • Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattos, Africans, Native Americans.

Interaction and Conflict with Native Americans

• Adoption of Practices:

  • Natives taught Europeans hunting/agriculture; Europeans introduced iron tools.

• Belief Systems Justifying Exploitation:

  • Sepulveda vs. Las Casas debates.
  • Justifications from Biblical narratives (e.g., Curse of Ham).

Conclusion

• Essential understanding of Unit 1 contents about pre-Columbian societies, European motivations, and the Columbian Exchange.
• Encouragement to use the review packet for exams.