Lecture Notes on The Arrival of Europeans in the Americas

Introduction

• Americas known as the "New World" by Europeans.
• Native Americans inhabited the Americas for over 10,000 years.
• Diverse cultures with hundreds of languages.
• Built communities, engaged in trade, created art, and maintained spiritual values.
• Columbian Exchange: Exchange of people, animals, plants, and microbes between hemispheres.
• Led to violence and biological terror but revolutionized history.

The First Americans

• Origin stories vary among tribes (e.g., Salinan, Lenape, Choctaw, Nahua).
• Migration Theories: Last ice age allowed migration from Asia via land bridge.
• Archaeological evidence suggests migration 12,000-20,000 years ago.
• DNA, linguistic, and ecological evidence show diverse settlements.
• Agriculture: Developed independently in the Americas, leading to settled societies.
  • Mesoamerican reliance on maize around 1,200 BCE.
  • Eastern woodlands cultivated "Three Sisters": corn, beans, squash.
• Social Organization:
  • Matrilineal kinship, diverse spiritual practices.
  • Varied views on property rights.

Major Native Societies

• Puebloans: Southwestern U.S., built extensive structures like Pueblo Bonito.
• Mississippian Culture: Cahokia was a major city with large population.
• Cultural Practices: Potlatch ceremonies in the Pacific Northwest.
• Trade Networks: Extensive trade across the continent.

European Expansion

• Vikings: Reached North America around 1000 CE but did not establish lasting settlements.
• Crusades: Increased Europe's connections with Asia, spurred desire for trade.
• Spain and Portugal:
  • Initiated global exploration, establishing trade routes and colonies.
  • Used technological advances like the astrolabe and caravel.
  • Early colonial activities linked with sugar cultivation and African slavery.
• Columbus: Landed in the Bahamas in 1492, sparked widespread European interest.

Spanish Exploration and Conquest

• Conquistadors sought wealth in the New World.
• Encomienda and Repartimiento Systems: Exploitative labor systems.
• Conquests of large empires like the Aztecs and Incas.
• Spanish Colonization: Extensive migration to the Americas.
• Racial Hierarchy:
  • Systema de Costas categorized people by racial heritage.
  • Intermarriage between Spaniards and natives, creating a mestizo population.

Impact of European Arrival

• Devastation by Disease: Up to 95% of Native populations perished due to European diseases.
• Columbian Exchange:
  • Global transfer of crops and animals.
  • Cultural transformation on both continents, including the introduction of horses and new food crops.

Conclusion

• European arrival unleashed exploitation, but disease was the most significant factor in Native American decline.
• The Columbian Exchange altered global diets and ecosystems.
• Both the Old and New Worlds underwent irreversible changes.