Unit 1: 1491-1607
Southwest
The Pueblo people, sometimes called the Anasazi, were located in New
Mexico.
● Lived in small towns called pueblos.
● Culture developed in the Four Corners region where Utah, New
Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado meet.
● Developed complex, technologically advanced societies and
sophisticated structures.
★ The peoples of the Southwest were dependent on the cultivation of
maize.
Severe drought/volcanic eruptions caused them to disperse from the region.
During their domestic movement called the Great Migration, they fled to other
groups in the Southwest, abandoning their sophisticated towns. Some joined the
Zunis and Hopis people of western New Mexico.
Great Plains/Great Basin
Great Basin: vast area of land between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. Located in the west.
★ Area consisted of great environmental diversity but had a lack of natural
resources. Referred to as the “desert culture” or seasonal mobility
(hunters/gatherers searched for food throughout the year).
● Consisted of the Shoshone, Paiute, and the Ute peoples.
Great Plains: vast area of land stretching from the Mississippi River to the
Rocky Mountains.
● Consisted of the Plains Indians. Dependent on hunting buffalo.
● Sioux, Blackfoot, Arapaho, and the Cheyenne lived mobile lifestyles.
● The Osage, Wichita, and Omaha lived more inactive, agrarian
lifestyles.
East
Mix of agricultural/hunter-gatherer economies and lifestyles.
● The Alqoquians lived along the east coast and the interior of the
continent.
● The three most important crops were squash, beans, and corn (“three
sisters”). Common in many agrarian Indian societies.
, ★ The Iroquois League consisted of five (later six) Indian tribal groups.
- Formed for the purpose of ending infighting among the groups.
- Matrilineal society: descent passes through the mother's line.
Pacific Northwest
Societies in the Northwest and present-day California.
● The Chinook people practiced foraging, hunting, and fishing.
● Lived in settled communities.
● Experienced economic development and social stratification (classes).
Reasons for European Exploration:
The Black Death, a bubonic plague, reduced Europe’s population by 30 to 60
percent.
● Opened up opportunities for survivors. Natural resources were more
plentiful.
● Decline of the feudal system.
The Renaissance: cultural and intellectual movement taking place in Europe
during the 14th to late 16th century.
● Inspired people to explore the world/map new areas.
● Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press helped with the spread of
information.
The Crusade Wars: a series of religious wars that led to the decline of the
feudal system in Europe.
The Black Death arrived in 1348 on rats carried by ships trading in the Black
Sea.
The Roman Catholic Christian church dominated Europe in the 1400’s. It was a
center of religious/secular activity.
Hierarchy: Nobles, clergy, peasants.
In 1453, the Muslim Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople, renamed
Istanbul. It was considered the most important city of Eastern Europe at the
time because it connected European and Asian trade. It was also an important
religious/political center. They controlled the eastern Mediterranean.
^^ The eastern Mediterranean served as a major trade route for Asia and
Europe. However, the Mediterranean soon divided and was inaccessible,
,causing a disruption in trading and decline in some countries.
Prince Henry of Portugal commanded others to make voyages along the
Atlantic coast of Africa (1400s). The voyages helped produce navigational
charts, instruments, and better ships to move faster in the water. Ultimately,
Portugal made seafaring easier.
Portugal later discovered India and from there improved trade significantly
(1500s). They traded Asian spices and goods as well as Indian gold and slaves.
They were a major aspect of the slave trade. Slavery persisted in the Middle
East/Africa.
Africa was already engaged in the slave trade before the Portugese showed up.
Most slaves were captured by other African communities. Each group
considered themselves independent and weren’t distrubed to take other Africans
as slaves. The trading provided great economic benefit.
The Reconquista, or “reconquest,” was the political, cultural, and religious
reunification of Spain after centuries of Muslim rule. In 1492, they managed to
drive out Islamic rule and create a unified Spain under the rule of Isabella and
Ferdinand.
Zhu Di, the Chinese emperor commissioned fleets along South Asia, India, and
East Africa, and the Pacific Ocean. However, mandarins, or Chinese
bureaucrats became upset that naval officers were controlling the fleets. In
1424, a new emperor called for an end to all voyages. This action kept China
isolated yet still thriving. They had no role in the initial creation of the new
world.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus convinced the Spanish monarchs, Isabella
and Ferdinand to fund his venture west.
★ His goal was to find a route to Asia across the Atlantic.
★ Find another trade route to the East (not along West Africa’s coast).
★ Columbus’s three ships: Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
He reached a Caribbean island and found the Taino people, which he called
Indians.
● They kept the Taino people captive and treated them poorly.
, ● Warfare, harsh working conditions, disease, brutal conquest, racial
superiority, and a desire for riches contributed to the decline of native
populations.
● Interracial relationships/marriage developed between africans slaves,
natives, and Spanish settlers.
Spanish motives for exploration:
● Gold. + other riches
● Glory (fame)
● God (spread Catholicism).
Spain secured a dominant role in the New World with the Treaty of
Tordesillas.
★ Split the newly explored lands between Portugal and Spain.
The red line indicates the boundary. Spain to the left. Portugal to the right. ^^
An Italian merchant, Amerigo Vespucci was authorized to voyage to the new
lands. He traveled south (Brazil) of where Columbus sailed and discovered
much more land. He was convinced this land mass was a continent. Later, the
area was named America in honor of his name.
Encomienda system: Spanish settlers were granted tracts of land and the right
to extract labor from local inhabitants.
● Brutal forced exploitation. (native labor).
● Encomenderos had a free hand to manage their land as long as a
percentage of gold/silver went back to the monarchy.
Critics of the encomienda system including Bartolome de Las Casas led the
Spanish Crown to issue a series of reforms in the governance of New World
colonies known as Repartimento. He argued that slavery was morally wrong.
Southwest
The Pueblo people, sometimes called the Anasazi, were located in New
Mexico.
● Lived in small towns called pueblos.
● Culture developed in the Four Corners region where Utah, New
Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado meet.
● Developed complex, technologically advanced societies and
sophisticated structures.
★ The peoples of the Southwest were dependent on the cultivation of
maize.
Severe drought/volcanic eruptions caused them to disperse from the region.
During their domestic movement called the Great Migration, they fled to other
groups in the Southwest, abandoning their sophisticated towns. Some joined the
Zunis and Hopis people of western New Mexico.
Great Plains/Great Basin
Great Basin: vast area of land between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. Located in the west.
★ Area consisted of great environmental diversity but had a lack of natural
resources. Referred to as the “desert culture” or seasonal mobility
(hunters/gatherers searched for food throughout the year).
● Consisted of the Shoshone, Paiute, and the Ute peoples.
Great Plains: vast area of land stretching from the Mississippi River to the
Rocky Mountains.
● Consisted of the Plains Indians. Dependent on hunting buffalo.
● Sioux, Blackfoot, Arapaho, and the Cheyenne lived mobile lifestyles.
● The Osage, Wichita, and Omaha lived more inactive, agrarian
lifestyles.
East
Mix of agricultural/hunter-gatherer economies and lifestyles.
● The Alqoquians lived along the east coast and the interior of the
continent.
● The three most important crops were squash, beans, and corn (“three
sisters”). Common in many agrarian Indian societies.
, ★ The Iroquois League consisted of five (later six) Indian tribal groups.
- Formed for the purpose of ending infighting among the groups.
- Matrilineal society: descent passes through the mother's line.
Pacific Northwest
Societies in the Northwest and present-day California.
● The Chinook people practiced foraging, hunting, and fishing.
● Lived in settled communities.
● Experienced economic development and social stratification (classes).
Reasons for European Exploration:
The Black Death, a bubonic plague, reduced Europe’s population by 30 to 60
percent.
● Opened up opportunities for survivors. Natural resources were more
plentiful.
● Decline of the feudal system.
The Renaissance: cultural and intellectual movement taking place in Europe
during the 14th to late 16th century.
● Inspired people to explore the world/map new areas.
● Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press helped with the spread of
information.
The Crusade Wars: a series of religious wars that led to the decline of the
feudal system in Europe.
The Black Death arrived in 1348 on rats carried by ships trading in the Black
Sea.
The Roman Catholic Christian church dominated Europe in the 1400’s. It was a
center of religious/secular activity.
Hierarchy: Nobles, clergy, peasants.
In 1453, the Muslim Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople, renamed
Istanbul. It was considered the most important city of Eastern Europe at the
time because it connected European and Asian trade. It was also an important
religious/political center. They controlled the eastern Mediterranean.
^^ The eastern Mediterranean served as a major trade route for Asia and
Europe. However, the Mediterranean soon divided and was inaccessible,
,causing a disruption in trading and decline in some countries.
Prince Henry of Portugal commanded others to make voyages along the
Atlantic coast of Africa (1400s). The voyages helped produce navigational
charts, instruments, and better ships to move faster in the water. Ultimately,
Portugal made seafaring easier.
Portugal later discovered India and from there improved trade significantly
(1500s). They traded Asian spices and goods as well as Indian gold and slaves.
They were a major aspect of the slave trade. Slavery persisted in the Middle
East/Africa.
Africa was already engaged in the slave trade before the Portugese showed up.
Most slaves were captured by other African communities. Each group
considered themselves independent and weren’t distrubed to take other Africans
as slaves. The trading provided great economic benefit.
The Reconquista, or “reconquest,” was the political, cultural, and religious
reunification of Spain after centuries of Muslim rule. In 1492, they managed to
drive out Islamic rule and create a unified Spain under the rule of Isabella and
Ferdinand.
Zhu Di, the Chinese emperor commissioned fleets along South Asia, India, and
East Africa, and the Pacific Ocean. However, mandarins, or Chinese
bureaucrats became upset that naval officers were controlling the fleets. In
1424, a new emperor called for an end to all voyages. This action kept China
isolated yet still thriving. They had no role in the initial creation of the new
world.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus convinced the Spanish monarchs, Isabella
and Ferdinand to fund his venture west.
★ His goal was to find a route to Asia across the Atlantic.
★ Find another trade route to the East (not along West Africa’s coast).
★ Columbus’s three ships: Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria.
He reached a Caribbean island and found the Taino people, which he called
Indians.
● They kept the Taino people captive and treated them poorly.
, ● Warfare, harsh working conditions, disease, brutal conquest, racial
superiority, and a desire for riches contributed to the decline of native
populations.
● Interracial relationships/marriage developed between africans slaves,
natives, and Spanish settlers.
Spanish motives for exploration:
● Gold. + other riches
● Glory (fame)
● God (spread Catholicism).
Spain secured a dominant role in the New World with the Treaty of
Tordesillas.
★ Split the newly explored lands between Portugal and Spain.
The red line indicates the boundary. Spain to the left. Portugal to the right. ^^
An Italian merchant, Amerigo Vespucci was authorized to voyage to the new
lands. He traveled south (Brazil) of where Columbus sailed and discovered
much more land. He was convinced this land mass was a continent. Later, the
area was named America in honor of his name.
Encomienda system: Spanish settlers were granted tracts of land and the right
to extract labor from local inhabitants.
● Brutal forced exploitation. (native labor).
● Encomenderos had a free hand to manage their land as long as a
percentage of gold/silver went back to the monarchy.
Critics of the encomienda system including Bartolome de Las Casas led the
Spanish Crown to issue a series of reforms in the governance of New World
colonies known as Repartimento. He argued that slavery was morally wrong.
