Summary
This lecture covers the diversity of Native American societies before European contact, the reasons for European exploration, the effects of the Columbian Exchange, the early colonization systems, and the resulting social and economic changes.
Native American Societies Before European Contact
- Native Americans had diverse cultures shaped by their environments, not a single lifestyle.
- The Pueblo people in the Southwest practiced settled agriculture, advanced irrigation, and built adobe homes.
- The Great Basin and Great Plains peoples were nomadic hunter-gatherers, living in small kinship groups (e.g., the Utes).
- Pacific Coast and Northwest groups like the Chumash and Chinook built permanent villages and engaged in regional trade.
- The Iroquois in the Northeast farmed and lived communally in longhouses.
- Mississippi Valley societies, such as Cahokia, formed large, centralized urban civilizations with powerful chiefs.
- Native societies developed complex trade networks that extended across the Americas.
Causes of European Exploration
- Political unification and stronger monarchies in Europe increased demand for Asian luxury goods.
- Muslim control of overland trade routes led Europeans to seek maritime trade routes.
- Portugal pioneered with trading-post empires along Africa, using new maritime technology.
- Spain, inspired by Portugal and motivated by wealth and religious fervor after the Reconquista, sponsored Columbus to find a westward route to Asia.
The Columbian Exchange
- The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of people, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.
- Crops like potatoes, corn, and tomatoes moved from the Americas to Europe; wheat, rice, and livestock went the other way.
- Horses, cattle, and pigs brought to the Americas transformed indigenous ways of life.
- Massive demographic impact: smallpox devastated Native American populations; syphilis may have been transmitted to Europe.
Economic and Social Changes in Europe and the Americas
- The influx of wealth from the Americas helped Europe transition from feudalism to capitalism.
- Joint-stock companies, where investors pooled money and risk, financed further exploration.
- Spain established the encomienda system, forcing natives to work in agriculture and mining.
- Labor shortages and diseases led to the importation of enslaved Africans, considered more resistant to European diseases.
Social Hierarchies and Cultural Encounters
- The caste system in Spanish colonies categorized people by racial ancestry: peninsulares, criollos, mestizos, mulattoes, Africans, and natives.
- Europeans exploited natives for labor, alliances, and conversion, while both groups adopted useful aspects of each other's cultures.
- European settlers justified exploitation using religious and racial arguments, including biblical interpretations.
- Bartolomé de las Casas advocated for native rights, leading to temporary reforms, but elite resistance reversed changes.
Key Terms and Definitions
- Encomienda System — Spanish labor system forcing Native Americans to work for colonists.
- Columbian Exchange — Transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.
- Caste System — Hierarchical social system in Spanish colonies based on racial ancestry.
- Joint-Stock Company — Business structure where multiple investors share risk and profits.
- Feudalism — Medieval European economic system based on landholding and exchange of labor for protection.
- Capitalism — Economic system based on private property and free markets.
Actions to Take / Next Steps
- Review Unit 1 material in the AP US History Ultimate Review Packet.
- Practice multiple-choice questions and consider taking a practice exam for Unit 1.