Overview
This lecture covers pre-Columbian Native American societies, European motivations for exploration, early colonization, and the key consequences of these contacts, including the Columbian Exchange and major changes in society and economy.
Native American Societies Before European Arrival
- Native societies were diverse and adapted to different environments across North America.
- Pueblo people (Utah/Colorado) were farmers with irrigation systems and built clay brick structures.
- Great Basin and Plains peoples like the Ute were nomadic hunter-gatherers organized in kinship bands.
- Coastal groups (e.g., Chumash and Chinook) built permanent settlements based on fishing and trade.
- Iroquois in the Northeast farmed and lived communally in longhouses made from timber.
- Mississippi River Valley peoples (e.g., Cahokia) farmed rich soil, had complex trade, and centralized governments.
European Motivations and Exploration
- 14th-15th-century Europe saw political unification, centralized states, and a wealthy upper class desiring Asian luxury goods.
- Land routes to Asia were controlled by Muslims, prompting Europeans to seek sea routes.
- Portugal pioneered sea-based trade with new maritime technology (astrolabe, improved ships, sails, and rudders).
- Spain, inspired by Portugal, pursued exploration post-Reconquista to spread Christianity and seek wealth.
- Columbus’s 1492 voyage opened the Americas to European competition.
The Columbian Exchange
- The Columbian Exchange refers to the transfer of people, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.
- Crops like maize, potatoes, and tomatoes went to Europe; wheat and rice came to the Americas.
- Animals such as horses, cattle, and pigs were brought to the Americas; turkeys went to Europe.
- European diseases (e.g., smallpox) decimated Native populations, while syphilis may have traveled to Europe.
Societal and Economic Changes in Europe
- The influx of American wealth shifted Europe from feudalism (peasants working on nobles’ land) toward capitalism (private ownership and joint-stock companies).
- Joint-stock companies allowed multiple investors to fund ventures with shared risk and profit.
Spanish Colonization and Labor Systems
- Spain’s encomienda system forced Natives to work plantations and mines.
- High Native mortality and escape led to importing enslaved Africans, who were less able to escape and more immune to disease.
- Spanish colonizers established the casta system, ranking people by racial ancestry: peninsulares, creoles, mestizos, mulattos, Africans, then Natives.
Cultural Exchange and Justification of Inequality
- Both Natives and Europeans adopted useful practices from each other (e.g., agricultural and technological knowledge).
- Europeans justified Native and African exploitation through belief systems, including religious interpretations.
- Some, like Bartolomé de las Casas, opposed harsh treatment and influenced temporary reforms.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Columbian Exchange — exchange of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Eastern and Western hemispheres.
- Encomienda System — Spanish labor system that forced Natives to work for colonists.
- Joint-Stock Company — business structure with pooled investments and shared risk/profit.
- Casta System — Spanish colonial hierarchy categorizing people by racial ancestry.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review details of Native societies and the Columbian Exchange.
- Learn key definitions and their significance for AP U.S. History Unit 1.
- Prepare answers for possible exam questions on early colonization and cultural interactions.