APUSH Lecture: Native American Life Pre-Contact and Early Colonization

Introduction

Focus: Native American life pre-contact and early colonization
Historical Context: Arrival of people via the Bering Strait over 10,000 years ago

Diversity:
- Developed diverse social, political, and economic structures
- Involvement in trade and environmental interactions
Religion:
- Animism: belief in spiritual essence in non-human entities
- Varied significantly from European religions
Examples of Native Cultures:
- Southwest (Pueblo Indians):
  - Arid land, relied on irrigation for maize cultivation
  - Population growth due to maize from Mexico
- Great Basin & Great Plains (Lakota Sioux):
  - Nomadic lifestyle due to lack of resources
  - Reliance on buffalo
- Atlantic Coast & Northeast (Iroquois):
  - Mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer societies
  - Permanent villages and influence on European interactions

The Three G's:
- Gold: Seeking wealth and new trade routes
- Glory: Increasing power and status
- God: Desire to convert natives to Christianity
1492 Turning Point:
- Columbus’ arrival marked massive demographic and social changes
Columbian Exchange:
- Exchange of people, diseases, food, ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa
- Key Impacts:
  - Horses transformed Native American life, especially on the Plains
  - Diseases like smallpox caused massive population decline
  - Maize led to population growth in Europe

Spain and Portugal:
- First to colonize; Treaty of Tordesillas divided the New World
- Spain's Colonization:
  - Established St. Augustine (first permanent settlement)
  - Encomienda system: native labor for agriculture/mining
  - Mission to convert natives to Catholicism
Cultural Interactions and Conflicts:
- Racially mixed populations (mestizos, mulattoes)
- Resistance like the Pueblo Revolt (1680) led by Pope
- Spanish forced to accommodate native practices after revolt

Spanish Debates:
- Juan de Sepulveda justified colonization
- Bartolomé de las Casas criticized treatment of natives
Other European Powers:
- Protestant England, France, Holland challenge Spanish dominance
- Different approaches to native relations: trading, intermarriage vs. English non-integration

Mercantilism:
- Colonies exist to enrich the mother country
- Seek cheap raw materials and wealth transfer

Importance of understanding these historical interactions and motivations
Encouragement to engage with content and subscribe for more educational resources

Note: Make sure to review these notes alongside visual aids and additional resources for a comprehensive understanding.