Chapter 1
WORLDS APART
Learning Objectives:
1.1 How did the precontact histories of Native Americans, especially in the centuries
just before 1492, shape their encounters with Europeans?
1.2 What were the key characteristics of West African society?
1.3 How did events in Europe both shape and inspire exploration of the Americas?
1.4 What were the biological consequences of contact between Europeans and Native
Americans?
1.5 Why did early French and English efforts at colonization falter?
Chapter Outline:
Preparatory resources addressing key topics related to this chapter:
Watch the MyHistoryLab Video Series: Key Topics in U.S. History
o A New World: To 1607
o The First Americans
o The Expansion of Europe
o The Protestant Reformation
, Read Personal Journeys Online
o Christopher Columbus, Journal of the First Voyage, October 12, 1492.
Account of his first meeting with Caribbean islanders.
o Martin Frobisher, Account of First Voyage to the New World, 1576.
Description of his arrival in Canada and his encounter with native
people.
I. Native American Societies before 1492
A. Hunters, Harvesters, and Traders
B. The Development of Agriculture
C. Nonfarming Societies
Read the Document: Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, “Indians of the Rio
Grande” (1530s)
A. Mesoamerican Civilizations
1. The Mayans
2. The Aztecs
B. North America’s Diverse Cultures
1. Ancestral Puebloans
2. Plains Indians
3. Mound-building cultures
4. The Caribbean Islanders
II. West African Societies
Read the Document: Askia Muhammad al-Turi, Reform in Songhai (1500)
A. Geographical and Political Differences
1. Artisans and merchants
2. Farming and gender roles
, B. Family Structure and Religion
C. European Merchants in West Africa and the Slave Trade
III. Western Europe on the Eve of Exploration
A. The Consolidation of Political and Military Authority
B. Religious Conflict and the Protestant Reformation
IV. Contact
A. The Lure of Discovery
1. Advances in navigation and shipbuilding
B. Christopher Columbus and the Westward Route to Asia
Watch the Video: What Is Columbus’s Legacy?
C. The Spanish Conquest and Colonization
1. The end of the Aztec Empire
2. The fall of the Inca Empire
3. Spanish incursions to the north
4. The seeds of economic decline
D. The Columbian Exchange
Read the Document: José de Acosta, The Columbian Exchange (1590)
Use MyHistoryLab Explorer to answer, How Did Global Exploration
Change the Old and New Worlds?
E. Cultural Perceptions and Misperceptions
V. Competition for a Continent
A. Early French Efforts in North America
B. English Attempts in the New World
1. The colonization of Ireland
, 2. Expeditions to the New World
Read the Document: Thomas Harriot, The Algonquian Peoples of
the Atlantic Coast (1588)
Analyze From Then to Now: The Disappearance of Cod from the
Grand Banks
3. The Roanoke colony
VI. Conclusion
Chapter Summary:
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to United States history by exploring the backgrounds of
the three major cultures that came together to create the New World. Topics discussed
include descriptions of Native American, West African, and European societies on the eve of
contact; the motivations for European exploration and settlement in the New World; early
Spanish, French, and British settlements; and the impact of contact with Native Americans,
Africans, and Europeans during the sixteenth century.
1.1 Native American Societies Before 1492
Prior to European contact, North America contained a large and diverse Native American
population, with different cultures, subsistence practices, and political organizations. Over
the course of centuries, various native societies had flourished, but by the time Europeans
arrived, some of the most powerful empires were in decline.
1.2 West African Societies
West African societies varied in size from small kingdoms to large empires. Most people
lived by farming, but there were also many skilled artisans. Religion and family ties were
central to West African life. Although contact with Europe was limited, Europeans were
aware of the African gold trade.
1.3 Western Europe on the Eve of Exploration
By the end of the fifteenth century, Western Europe had recovered from the warfare and
epidemics of earlier years. But it would soon be fragmented by religious divisions stemming
WORLDS APART
Learning Objectives:
1.1 How did the precontact histories of Native Americans, especially in the centuries
just before 1492, shape their encounters with Europeans?
1.2 What were the key characteristics of West African society?
1.3 How did events in Europe both shape and inspire exploration of the Americas?
1.4 What were the biological consequences of contact between Europeans and Native
Americans?
1.5 Why did early French and English efforts at colonization falter?
Chapter Outline:
Preparatory resources addressing key topics related to this chapter:
Watch the MyHistoryLab Video Series: Key Topics in U.S. History
o A New World: To 1607
o The First Americans
o The Expansion of Europe
o The Protestant Reformation
, Read Personal Journeys Online
o Christopher Columbus, Journal of the First Voyage, October 12, 1492.
Account of his first meeting with Caribbean islanders.
o Martin Frobisher, Account of First Voyage to the New World, 1576.
Description of his arrival in Canada and his encounter with native
people.
I. Native American Societies before 1492
A. Hunters, Harvesters, and Traders
B. The Development of Agriculture
C. Nonfarming Societies
Read the Document: Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, “Indians of the Rio
Grande” (1530s)
A. Mesoamerican Civilizations
1. The Mayans
2. The Aztecs
B. North America’s Diverse Cultures
1. Ancestral Puebloans
2. Plains Indians
3. Mound-building cultures
4. The Caribbean Islanders
II. West African Societies
Read the Document: Askia Muhammad al-Turi, Reform in Songhai (1500)
A. Geographical and Political Differences
1. Artisans and merchants
2. Farming and gender roles
, B. Family Structure and Religion
C. European Merchants in West Africa and the Slave Trade
III. Western Europe on the Eve of Exploration
A. The Consolidation of Political and Military Authority
B. Religious Conflict and the Protestant Reformation
IV. Contact
A. The Lure of Discovery
1. Advances in navigation and shipbuilding
B. Christopher Columbus and the Westward Route to Asia
Watch the Video: What Is Columbus’s Legacy?
C. The Spanish Conquest and Colonization
1. The end of the Aztec Empire
2. The fall of the Inca Empire
3. Spanish incursions to the north
4. The seeds of economic decline
D. The Columbian Exchange
Read the Document: José de Acosta, The Columbian Exchange (1590)
Use MyHistoryLab Explorer to answer, How Did Global Exploration
Change the Old and New Worlds?
E. Cultural Perceptions and Misperceptions
V. Competition for a Continent
A. Early French Efforts in North America
B. English Attempts in the New World
1. The colonization of Ireland
, 2. Expeditions to the New World
Read the Document: Thomas Harriot, The Algonquian Peoples of
the Atlantic Coast (1588)
Analyze From Then to Now: The Disappearance of Cod from the
Grand Banks
3. The Roanoke colony
VI. Conclusion
Chapter Summary:
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to United States history by exploring the backgrounds of
the three major cultures that came together to create the New World. Topics discussed
include descriptions of Native American, West African, and European societies on the eve of
contact; the motivations for European exploration and settlement in the New World; early
Spanish, French, and British settlements; and the impact of contact with Native Americans,
Africans, and Europeans during the sixteenth century.
1.1 Native American Societies Before 1492
Prior to European contact, North America contained a large and diverse Native American
population, with different cultures, subsistence practices, and political organizations. Over
the course of centuries, various native societies had flourished, but by the time Europeans
arrived, some of the most powerful empires were in decline.
1.2 West African Societies
West African societies varied in size from small kingdoms to large empires. Most people
lived by farming, but there were also many skilled artisans. Religion and family ties were
central to West African life. Although contact with Europe was limited, Europeans were
aware of the African gold trade.
1.3 Western Europe on the Eve of Exploration
By the end of the fifteenth century, Western Europe had recovered from the warfare and
epidemics of earlier years. But it would soon be fragmented by religious divisions stemming
