Early American Societies and European Exploration

Overview

This lecture covers the key peoples, cultures, events, and exchanges of AP US History Period 1, focusing on early American societies, European exploration, and early colonial systems.

Early American Peoples and Migrations

• Early Americans reached North and South America via the Bering Strait land bridge.
• Nomadic lifestyles, following food and herds, encouraged migration into the Americas.
• The most complex early South American societies were the Mayan, Inca, and Aztec civilizations.
• The Anasazi and Pueblo people settled in the Southwest, using farming and irrigation.
• Northwest Indians lived in permanent longhouses, relying on hunting and fishing.
• Great Plains Indians were either nomadic or settled farmers/traders; hunted buffalo and raised crops.
• Iroquois lived in the eastern woodlands, used both agriculture and hunting, and built longhouses.
• Cherokee inhabited the Southeastern US and spoke an Iroquoian language.
• Inuit peoples inhabit the Arctic regions of North America.

Agriculture and Settlement

• Maize (corn) was a transformative crop that led to settled farming communities.
• By Columbus’s arrival, most people in the Americas lived in semi-permanent settlements.
• Corn, beans, and squash (“three sisters”) became staple crops in both the Americas and Europe.

European Exploration and Colonization

• Europeans sought silk, spices, and other goods from Asia, motivating exploration.
• Major motives for Spanish exploration were God, Gold, and Glory.
• Columbus landed on Hispaniola, beginning sustained European contact with the Americas.
• The Treaty of Tordesillas divided new lands between Spain and Portugal.
• Cortes conquered the Aztecs; Pizarro conquered the Incas.
• John Cabot led England’s first explorations to North America.
• Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition achieved the first circumnavigation of the globe.
• Henry Hudson explored for the Dutch while searching for a northwest passage.

Exchange, Conflict, and Colonial Systems

• The Columbian Exchange introduced new plants, animals, and diseases between Europe and the Americas.
• Spanish introduced horses, changing Native American lifestyles.
• European diseases like smallpox devastated indigenous populations.
• The Encomienda system allowed Spanish settlers to use Native labor, leading to exploitation.
• The Atlantic slave trade forcibly brought Africans to the Americas, mostly to the Caribbean and South America.
• The Valladolid Debate addressed the treatment of Native Americans by the Spanish.
• Pope’s Rebellion/Pueblo Revolt in 1680 was an uprising against Spanish colonization and Catholicism.
• Cultural autonomy was a key issue of conflict between Native peoples and Europeans.

Societies, Beliefs, and Key Concepts

• Maya contributed advances in math, astronomy, and calendar making.
• Aztec civilization was centered in Tenochtitlan and was known for warfare and polytheism.
• Inca empire stretched along the Andes and was known as “Children of the Sun.”
• Animism, the belief in spiritual essence in non-human things, was common among many Natives.
• Martin Luther’s break from the Catholic Church began the Protestant Reformation.
• Mestizos were people of mixed Indian and European heritage; Mulattos had mixed Black and White ancestry.
• The Renaissance enabled advances like gunpowder, the compass, shipbuilding, and mapmaking.
• Mercantilism was the policy that colonies existed to benefit the mother country economically.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Bering Strait land bridge — The route by which the first Americans entered the continent.
• Maize — A key crop that enabled the growth of complex societies.
• Treaty of Tordesillas — Agreement splitting the New World between Spain and Portugal.
• Encomienda — Spanish system granting colonists the right to use Native labor.
• Columbian Exchange — Transfer of goods, crops, animals, and diseases between Old and New Worlds.
• Mercantilism — Economic system where colonies serve the mother country's interests.
• Valladolid Debate — Spanish debate over just treatment of Native Americans.
• Pope’s Rebellion/Pueblo Revolt — 1680 Native uprising against Spanish in New Mexico.
• Mestizo/Mulatto — Mixed-race groups resulting from colonial encounters.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review and create your own flashcards for each key term.
• Study the causes and effects of the Columbian Exchange.
• Prepare examples of how Native societies adapted to different regions for discussion.