1-2: pre-columbian american indian societies€¦ · american indians central and south america...
TRANSCRIPT
1-2: Pre-Columbian American Indian Societies
Before 1491
American Indians
First Americans nomadic
Bering Strait
Became sedentary over time
American Indians
Central and South America
Maya (Yucatan)
Aztec (Mexico)
Inca (Peru)
American Indians
North America
Language
Southwest
Northwest
Great Plains
Midwest
Northeast
Atlantic Coast
American Indians
Similarities with European Society
Calendars
Irrigation systems for farming
Domestication of crops
Medicine
Large cities (Tenochtitlan)
Religion
Gender division (labor)
American Indians
Key Difference from European Society
No concept of private property
American Indians
Like every other society in the world at the time, Pre-Columbian America was characterized by inter-tribal warfare resulting in the displacement, migration, and enslavement of numerous tribes
Europe Moves Toward Exploration
Europe Before the 16th Century
Vikings—Greenland, 1000
Europe unable to meet the challenge of sustained colonization
• Lack of economic/technical resources
• Political/social division
• Feudalism
– Preoccupation with local concerns
– Illiterate, poor, unfree citizenry
Europe Moves Toward Exploration
Improvements in Technology
Demise of feudalism/rise of rival nation-states
Growth of cities and a strong merchant class
The Renaissance and education
Printing press (mass produced books on geography, foreign culture, trade)
Advances in ship design and navigation
Europe Moves Toward Exploration
Religious Conflict
Catholic Victory (Spain)
• Stability and unity
Protestant Reformation (N. Europe)
• Competition to spread the “right” version of Christianity
Europe Moves Toward Exploration
Expanding Trade
New Routes
Slave Trading
Europe Moves Toward Exploration
Reasons for Leaving “Old World”
Escape from direct religious persecution
Fear about religious future at home
Anxiety about political change in Europe
Dismay over the economy
Need for farmland
Relief from joblessness
Europe Moves Toward Exploration
Reasons for Coming to “New World”
Desire for gold and precious metals
Claims to new colonies (mercantilism)
Missionary work
Adventure and curiosity
Trade
Passage to the Far East (NW Passage)
“Gold, God, & Glory”