II. Peopling the Americas Flashcards
The Land Bridge theory
The theory holds that a Land Bridge emerged linking Asia & North America across what is now known as the Bering Sea. People were said to have walked across the “bridge” before the sea level rose and sealed it off; thus populating the Americas.
The Land Bridge is said to have occurred an estimated 35,000 years ago.
Canadian Shield
a zone undergirded by ancient rock,first known to american landmass
What types of people crossed the bridge
Many peoples
Those groups that traversed the bridge spread across North, Central, and South America.
Countless tribes emerged with an estimated 2,000 languages. Notably:
Incas: Peru, with elaborate network of roads and bridges linking their empire.
Mayas: Central America , with their step pyramids.
Aztecs: Mexico, with step pyramids and huge sacrifices of conquered peoples.
The Earliest Americans:
What were the benefits of development corn? When did it arrive in the U.S?
Development of corn or maize around 5,000 B.C. in Mexico was revolutionary in that:
Then, people didn’t have to be hunter-gatherers, they could settle down and be farmers.
This fact gave rise to towns and then cities.
Corn arrived in the present day U.S. around 1,200 B.C.
Who were the Pueblos Indians?
The Pueblos were the 1st American corn growers.
They lived in adobe houses (dried mud) and pueblos (“villages” in Spanish). Pueblos are villages of cubicle shaped adobe houses, stacked one on top the other and often beneath cliffs.
They had elaborate irrigation systems to draw water away from rivers to grown corn.
Mound Builders
These people built huge ceremonial and burial mounds and were located in the Ohio Valley.
Cahokia, near East St. Louis today, held 40,000 people.
Eastern Indians
Eastern Indians grew corn, beans, and squash in three sister farming:
“Three-sister farming”
Corn grew in a stalk providing a trellis for beans, beans grew up the stalk, squash’s broad leaves kept the sun off the ground and thus kept the moisture in the soil.
This group likely had the best (most diverse) diet of all North American Indians and is typified by the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw(South) and Iroquois (North).
Iroquois Confederation
The Iroquois in the northeastern woodlands
Hiawatha was the legendary leader of the group, created perhaps the closest North American approximation to the great nation-states of Mexico and Peru.
The Iroquois Confederation was a group of 5 tribes in New York State, They developed the political and organization skills to sustain robust military alliance that menaced its neighbors.
They were matrilineal as authority and possessions passed down through the female line.
Each tribe kept their independence, but met occasionally to discuss matters of common interest, like war/defense.
This was not the norm. Usually, Indians were scattered and separated (and thus weak).
What were the Native American views and how is it compared to the Europeans.
Native Americans felt no man owned the land, the tribe did. They lived in small scattered life style. Women tended crops while men went out to get the source of food. They developed matrilineal cultures, power were passed down the female side of the family line. The Europeans never intended to harm nature in any way. yet the would set forest on fire for better hunting grounds(deer), brought technology. (Europeans liked private property)
Indians felt nature was mixed with many spirits. (Europeans were Christian and monotheistic)
Indians felt nature was sacred. (Europeans felt nature and land was given to man by God in Genesis to be subdued and put to use).
Indians had little or no concept or interest in money. (Europeans loved money or gold)
IV. Indirect Discoverers of the New World:
Who were the first Europeans?
Where did the Christian Crusaders fight and Why?
The 1st Europeans to come to America were the Norse (Vikings from Norway).
Around 1000 AD, the Vikings landed, led by Erik the Red and Leif Erikson.
They landed in Newfoundland or Vinland (because of all the vines).
However, these men left America and left no written record and therefore didn’t get the credit.
The only record is found in Viking sagas or songs.
The Christian Crusaders of Middle Ages fought in Palestine to regain the Holy Land from Muslims. This mixing of East and West created a sweet-tooth where Europeans wanted the spices of the exotic East. The luxuries of the east were expensive in Europe because they had to be transported through routes and were rare in Europe.
V. Europeans Enter Africa
Marco Polo traveled to China and stirred up a storm of European interest. ( though evidence is sketchy if he actually did)
About 1450, Portuguese mariners overcame the obstacles that prevented them to travel southward along the coast of West Africa, then travel home by sailing northwesterly toward Azores.
The portuguese promptly set up trading posts along the African shore for buying gold and selling slaves. Before them, Arab flesh merchants and African traded slaves for centuries before the Europeans arrived. Around 40,000 slaves were taken to sugar plantations. Slave trading will soon become much of the New World.
Mixed with desire for spices, an East to West (Asia to Europe) trade flourished but had to be overland, at least in part. This initiated new exploration down around Africa in hopes of an easier (all water) route.
Portugal literally started a sailing school to find better ways to get to the Spice Islands, eventually rounding Africa’s southern Cape of Good Hope.
Slave trade begins
The 1st slave trade was across the Sahara Desert.
Later, it was along the West African coast. Slave traders purposely busted up tribes and families in order to squelch any possible uprising.
Slaves wound up on sugar plantations the Portuguese had set up on the tropical islands off Africa’s coast.
Spain watched Portugal’s success with exploration and slaving and wanted a piece of the pie.
astrolabe
a sextant gizmo that could tell a ship’s latitude.
caravel
a ship with triangular sail that could better tack (zig-zag) ahead into the wind and thus return to Europe from Africa coast.
compass: to determine direction.
Bartholomeu Dias.
rounded the southernmost tip of the “dark continent” in 1488.
Vasco Da Gama
reached the India (“indies”) and returned home with jewels and spices.
Why and How did spain become united?
In late 15th century from the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, after the explosion of “infidel” Muslim Moors. After centuries of Christian-Islamic warfare, Spain was eager to get to the wealth from indies before the Portuguese.
Mean while, What part did the Portugal control?
African coast, gateway to the round-Africa water route to India. So spain had to look westward for another route.
Columbus comes upon a new world.
A skilled Italian seafarer who persuaded the spanish to pay for 3 ships and a crew to sail westward. After 6 weeks of traveling the sea,on October 12,1492 they discovered the bahamas. Columbus encountered the “indies”(native americans), sailed the Atlantic Ocean encountering Europe, Africa, and two Americas. When he arrive back at home he brought ideas from his journey. For instance Europe with the technology, Africa with the slaves, New worlds provided the raw materials (metal, sugar). He was the man who put the puzzle of the old world and new world together.
VII. When Worlds Collide
Of huge importance was the biological flip-flop of Old and New Worlds. Simply put, we traded life such as plants, foods, animals, germs(small pox,yellow fever, and malaria). Deadliest killers were microbes.
Important gifts from the Indians to the rest of the world were tobacco, maize(indian corn),beans,tomatoes, lowly potatoes.
3/5 of crops originated in america thats around the globe today.
In exchange the Europeans introduced Old World crops and animals to the americans.
In 1493, Columbus returned with 17 ships with 1,200 men and animals.
A “sugar revolution” was added to the european diet.
The europeans inhabited seeds of Kentucky bluegrass,dandelions and daises.
VIII. The Spanish Conquistadores
Treaty Line of Tordesillas 1494: Portugal and Spain feuded over who got what land. Portugal received territory in Africa and Asia. Portugal got everything east of the line (Brazil and land around/under Africa)
Spain got everything west of the line (which turned out to be much more, though they didn’t know it at the time)
The Pope drew this line as he was respected by both.
The line ran North-South, and chopped off the Brazilian coast of South America
Conquistadores
Spain wanted to spread the word of god and was searching for wealth. Spanish conquistadores spread out across the caribbean and mainland.
