🌍

Native American Societies and European Impact

May 1, 2025

Heimlich's History: AP US History Unit 1 Overview

Introduction

  • Focus: Societal makeup of Americas before European arrival and subsequent impact.
  • Part of the "AP US History Ultimate Review Pack."
  • Key Resources: Note guides, practice exams, multiple-choice questions.

Native American Societies

  • Diversity of Native Societies: Diverse cultures based on environments.
    • Misconception: Native Americans as monolithic, nomadic hunters.
    • Reality: Varied lifestyles including agriculture, fishing, and urban centers.

Regional Societies

  • Pueblo People (Utah and Colorado)

    • Settled farmers growing beans, squash, and maize.
    • Advanced irrigation systems.
    • Famous for cliff dwellings.
  • Great Basin Region (Colorado to Canada)

    • Nomadic hunter-gatherers.
    • Example: Ute people.
  • Northwest and Pacific Coast

    • Permanent settlements due to abundant resources.
    • Examples:
      • Chumash (California): Villages, regional trade.
      • Chinook (Pacific Northwest): Plank houses, kinship groups.
  • Iroquois People (Northeast)

    • Farmers living in timber longhouses.
  • Mississippi River Valley

    • Rich soil for farming, extensive trade.
    • Example: Cahokia civilization (10,000-30,000 people), centralized government.

European Exploration and Arrival

  • European Changes (1300s-1400s)
    • Political unification and centralized monarchies.
    • Desire for Asian luxury goods.
    • Sea-based trade routes due to Muslim-controlled land routes.

Portugal's Role

  • Trading Post Empire
    • Maritime technology: Astronomical charts, astrolabe, Latin sail, stern-post rudder.

Spain's Role

  • Post-Reconquest Ambitions
    • Spread Christianity and seek economic opportunities.
    • Columbus' voyage (1492): Discovery of the Americas.

Columbian Exchange

  • Exchange of Cultures and Resources
    • Transfer of people, animals, plants, diseases.
    • From Americas to Europe: Potatoes, tomatoes, maize.
    • From Europe to Americas: Wheat, rice, livestock (cattle, pigs, horses).
    • Diseases: Smallpox to Americas (devastating effect on native populations).

Economic and Societal Shifts in Europe

  • Shift from Feudalism to Capitalism
    • Wealth influx promotes private ownership and joint-stock companies.

Spanish Colonization and Impact

  • Encomienda System
    • Forced labor of natives on plantations.
    • Introduction of African enslaved labor due to native population decline (smallpox).

Casta System

  • Social Hierarchy Based on Ancestry
    • Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattos, Africans, Native Americans.

European-Native Relations

  • Conflict and Cultural Exchange
    • Adoption of useful cultural practices by both sides.
    • European justifications for exploitation (religious and racial beliefs).

Key Figures

  • Juan GinĂ©s de SepĂșlveda: Advocated native inferiority.
  • BartolomĂ© de las Casas: Opposed harsh treatment, influenced legal changes.

Conclusion

  • Important concepts for understanding AP US History Unit 1.
  • Recommendations for further resources and study aids.