Download 01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) - Heard County High School

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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
I.
Read the Bailey Outline (Day 1)
Bailey Outline
I.
The Shaping of North America
A.
Recorded history began 6,000 years ago. It was 500 years ago that Europeans set foot on
the Americas to begin the era of accurately recorded history on the continent.
B.
The theory of “Pangaea” exists suggesting that the continents were once nestled together
into one mega-continent. The continents then spread out as drifting islands.
C.
Geologic forces of continental plates created the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains.
D.
The Great Ice Age thrust down over North America and scoured the present day
American Midwest.
II.
Peopling the Americas
A.
The “Land Bridge” theory…
1.
As the Great Ice Age diminished, so did the glaciers over North America.
2.
The theory holds that a “Land Bridge” emerged linking Asia & North America
across what’s today the Bering Sea. People were said to have walked across the
“bridge” before the sea level rose and sealed it off and thus populated the
Americas.
B.
The Land Bridge is suggested as occurring an estimated 35,000 years ago.
C.
Many peoples emerged…
1.
Those groups that traversed the land bridge spread across North, Central, and
South America.
2.
Countless tribes emerged with an estimated 2,000 languages. Notably…
a.
Incas – Peru, with elaborate network of roads and bridges linking their
empire.
b.
Mayas – Yucatan Peninsula, with their step pyramids.
c.
Aztecs – Mexico, with step pyramids and huge sacrifices of conquered
peoples.
III.
The Earliest Americans
A.
Development of corn or “maize” around 5,000 B.C. in Mexico was revolutionary in
that…
1.
Then, people didn’t have to be hunter-gatherers, they could settle down and be
farmers.
2.
This fact gave rise to towns and then cities.
3.
Corn arrived in the present day U.S. around 1,200 B.C.
B.
Pueblo Indians
1.
The Pueblos were the 1st American corn growers.
2.
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.
3.
They had elaborate irrigation systems to draw water away from rivers to grown
corn.
C.
Mound Builders
1.
These people built huge ceremonial and burial mounds and were located in the
Ohio Valley.
2.
Cahokia, near East St. Louis today, held 40,000 people.
D.
Eastern Indians
1.
Eastern Indians grew corn, beans, and squash in “three sister” farming…
a.
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.
b.
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).
E.
Iroquois Confederation
1.
Hiawatha was the legendary leader of the group.
2.
The Iroquois Confederation was a group of 5 tribes in New York state.
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
3.
IV.
V.
VI.
They were matrilineal as authority and possessions passed down through the
female line.
4.
Each tribe kept their independence, but met occasionally to discuss matters of
common interest, like war/defense.
5.
This was not the norm. Usually, Indians were scattered and separated (and thus
weak).
F.
Native Americans had a very different view of things as compared to Europeans.
1.
Native Americans felt no man owned the land, the tribe died. (Europeans liked
private property)
2.
Indians felt nature was mixed with many spirits. (Europeans were Christian and
monotheistic)
3.
Indians felt nature was sacred. (Europeans believed nature and land was given to
man by God in Genesis to be subdued and put to use).
4.
Indians had little or no concept or interest in money. (Europeans loved money or
gold)
Indirect Discoverers of the New World
A.
The 1st Europeans to come to America were the Norse (Vikings from Norway).
1.
Around 1,000 A.D., the Vikings landed, led by Erik the Red and Leif Erikson.
2.
They landed in “Newfoundland” or “Vinland” (due to all of the vines).
3.
However, these men left America and left no written record and therefore didn’t
get the credit.
4.
The only record is found in Viking sagas or songs.
B.
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.
Europeans Enter Africa This content copyright © 2010 by WikiNotes.wikidot.com
A.
Marco Polo traveled to China and stirred up a storm of European interest.
B.
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.
C.
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.
D.
New developments emerged…
1.
caravel – a ship with triangular sail that could better tack (zig-zag) ahead into
the wind and thus return to Europe from the Africa coast.
2.
compass – to determine direction.
3.
astrolabe – a sextant gizmo that could tell a ship’s latitude.
E.
Slave trade begins
1.
Slavery was initially race-independent. A slave was whoever lost in battle.
Usually, slaves came from the Slavic regions of Europe, hence the name.
2.
The first African slave trade was across the Sahara Desert.
3.
Later, it was along the West African coast. Slave traders purposely busted up
tribes and families in order to squelch any possible uprising.
4.
Slaves wound up on sugar plantations the Portuguese had set up on the tropical
islands off of Africa’s coast.
5.
Spain watched Portugal’s success with exploration and slaving with envy and
wanted a piece of the pie.
Columbus Comes upon a New World
A.
Columbus convinced Isabella and Ferdinand to fund his expedition.
B.
His goal was to reach the East (East Indies) by sailing west, thus bypassing the aroundAfrica route that Portugal monopolized.
C.
He misjudged the size of the Earth though, thinking it 1/3 the size of what it was.
D.
So, after 30 days or so at sea, when he struck land, he assumed he’d made it to the East
Indies and therefore mistook the people as “Indians.”
1.
This spawned the following system…
a.
Europe would provide the market, capital, technology.
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
b.
c.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
Africa would provide the labor.
The New World would provide the raw materials of gold, soil, and
lumber.
When Worlds Collide
A.
Of huge importance was the biological flip-flop of Old and New Worlds. Simply put, it
was a trade of life such as plants, foods, animals, germs.
B.
From the New World (America) to the Old
1.
Corn, potatoes, tobacco, beans, peppers, manioc, pumpkin, squash, tomato, wild
rice, etc.
2.
also, syphilis
C.
From Old World to the New
1.
Cows, pigs, horses, wheat, sugar cane, apples, cabbage, citrus, carrots, Kentucky
bluegrass, etc.
2.
Devastating diseases – smallpox, yellow fever, malaria as Indians had no
immunities.
a.
The Indians had no immunities in their systems built up over
generations.
b.
An estimated 90% of all pre-Columbus Indians died, mostly due to
disease.
The Spanish Conquistadores
A.
Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494 – Portugal and Spain feuded over who got what land. The
Pope drew this line as he was respected by both.
1.
The line ran North-South, and chopped off the Brazilian coast of South America
2.
Portugal got everything east of the line (Brazil and land around/under Africa)
3.
Spain got everything west of the line (which turned out to be much more, though
they didn’t know it at the time)
B.
Conquistadores is Spanish “conquerors”.
1.
Vasco Balboa – “discovered” the Pacific Ocean across the isthmus of Panama.
2.
Ferdinand Magellan – circumnavigated the globe (he was the first to do so).
3.
Ponce de Leon – touches and names Florida looking for legendary “Fountain of
Youth”.
4.
Hernando Cortes – enters Florida, travels up into present day Southeastern
U.S., dies and is “buried” in Mississippi River,
5.
Francisco Pizarro – conquers Incan Empire of Peru and begins shipping tons of
gold/silver back to Spain. This huge influx of precious metals made European
prices skyrocket (inflation).
6.
Francisco Coronado – ventured into current Southwest U.S. looking for
legendary Cibola, city of gold. He found the Pueblo Indians.
C.
Encomienda system established
1.
Indians were “commended” or given to Spanish landlords
2.
The idealistic theory of the encomienda was that Indians would work on the
farm and be converted to Christianity. But it was basically just slavery on a
sugar plantation guised as missionary work.
The Conquest of Mexico
A.
Hernando Cortez conquered the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan.
B.
Cortez went from Cuba to present day Vera Cruz, then marched over mountains to the
Aztec capital.
C.
Montezuma, the Aztec king, thought Cortez might be the god Quetzalcoatl who was due
to re-appear that very year. Montezuma welcomed Cortez into Tenochtitlan.
D.
The Spanish lust for gold led Montezuma to attack on the noche triste, sad night. Cortez
and men fought their way out, but it was smallpox that eventually beat the Indians.
E.
The Spanish then destroyed Tenochtitlan, building the Spanish capital (Mexico City)
exactly on top of the Aztec city.
F.
A new race of people emerged, mestizos, a mix of Spanish and Indian blood.
The Spread of Spanish America
A.
Spanish society quickly spread through Peru and Mexico
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
A threat came from neighbors…
1.
English – John Cabot (an Italian who sailed for England) touched the coast of
the current U.S.
2.
Italy – Giovanni de Verrazano also touched on the North American seaboard.
3.
France – Jacques Cartier went into mouth of St. Lawrence River (Canada).
To oppose this, Spain set up forts (presidios) all over the California coast. Also cities,
like St. Augustine in Florid #
Don Juan de Onate followed Coronado’s old path into present day New Mexico. He
conquered the Indians ruthlessly, maiming them by cutting off one foot of survivors just
so they’d remember.
Despite mission efforts, the Pueblo Indians revolted in Pope’s Rebellion.
Robert de LaSalle sailed down the Mississippi River for France claiming the whole
region for their King Louis and naming the area “Louisiana” after his king. This started a
slew of place-names for that area, from LaSalle, Illinois to “Louisville” and then on down
to New Orleans (the American counter of Joan of Arc’s famous victory at Orleans).
“Black Legend” – The Black Legend was the notion that Spaniards only brought bad
things (murder, disease, slavery); though true, they also brought good things such as law
systems, architecture, Christianity, language, and civilization, so that the Black Legend is
partly, but not entirely, accurate.
II.
Read the 01 Framework (Day 2)
01 Framework
Key Concept 1.1
As native populations migrated and settled across the vast expanse of North America over time, they developed
distinct and increasingly complex societies by adapting to and transforming their diverse environments.
I.
Different native societies adapted to and transformed their environments through innovations in agriculture,
resource use, and social structure.
A.
The spread of maize cultivation from present-day Mexico northward into the present-day
American southwest and beyond supported economic development, settlement, advanced
irrigation, and social diversification among societies.
1.
Pueblo
a.
Matriarchal
b.
Sedentary-Adobe houses, irrigation (desert)
c.
Pope’s Rebellion-(1680) killed 400 Spanish and drove the remaining 2,000
settlers out New Mexico.
B.
In the Northeast, the Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard some societies
developed mixed agricultural and hunter–gatherer economies that favored the development of
permanent villages.
1.
Iroquois Confederacy (Northeast)
a.
Ohio Valley
b.
Consisted of five Indian nations which formed a defensive alliance: the
Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida.
c.
Enemy: Algonquians (French); Beaver Wars
d.
Matrilineal; long houses; Constitution (Hiawatha Wampum belt)
2.
Natchez (Mississppi River Valley)
a.
Farming: corn, beans, and squash.
b.
Hunting, fishing, and gathered wild plant foods.
c.
Lacrosse
d.
Mound Building
3.
Creek (Atlantic Seaboard)
a.
Part of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek
(Muscogee), and Seminole.)
b.
Agriculture
c.
Towns (planned streets); alphabet; trade
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
C.
Societies in the Northwest and present-day California supported themselves by hunting and
gathering, and in some areas developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the
ocean.
1.
Chinook (Northwest)
a.
Sedentary
b.
Fishing, hunting, gathering
c.
Potlatches-rituals where ones’ goods would be given away
2.
Paiute (Great Basin-California)
a.
Mobile lifestyle due to harsh environment (desert)
b.
Gatherers who foraged and dug for anything edible - seeds, nuts, berries, roots,
snakes, lizards, insects and rodents - "diggers".
Key Concept 1.2
Contact among Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans resulted in the Columbian Exchange and significant
social, cultural, and political changes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
I.
European expansion into the Western Hemisphere generated intense social, religious, political and
economic competition and changes within European societies.
A.
European nations’ efforts to explore and conquer the New World stemmed from a search for new
sources of wealth, economic and military competition, and a desire to spread Christianity.
1.
“3 Gs”
a.
Gold, God, and Glory
1.
Motivating factors behind the majority of exploration and conquest
during the Age of Exploration.
B.
The Columbian Exchange brought new crops to Europe from the Americas, stimulating European
population growth, and new sources of mineral wealth, which facilitated the European shift from
feudalism to capitalism.
1.
Columbian Exchange
a.
Referred to the exchange of diseases, ideas, food crops, and populations between
the New World and the Old World between the New World and the Old World
following the voyage to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
1.
Introduction of corn, potatoes, and tomatoes to Europe
2.
Feudalism to Capitalism
a.
Increased foreign trade led to the emergence of a new class of merchants
1.
Use of money and inflation began to undermine the feudal order
2.
Peasants (poor) were freed from obligations (1 st colonists)
C.
Improvements in maritime technology and more organized methods for conducting international
trade, such as joint-stock companies, helped drive changes to economies in Europe and the
Americas.
1.
Caravel
a.
Small, maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century (Portuguese)
b.
Used to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.
c.
Lateen sails gave it speed and the capacity for sailing windward.
2.
Sextant
a.
Astronomical instrument used to determine latitude at sea by measuring angular
distances, especially the altitudes of sun, moon, and stars
3.
Joint-Stock Trading Company
a.
Forerunner of the modern corporation.
1.
Stock was sold to investors who provided capital with limited risk.
II.
The Columbian Exchange and development of the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere resulted in
extensive demographic, economic, and social changes.
A.
Spanish exploration and conquest were accompanied and furthered by widespread deadly
epidemics that devastated native populations and by the introduction of crops and animals not
found in the Americas.
1.
Spread of smallpox
a.
Viral infection which enters the body through the nose or throat, travels to the
lungs, where it multiplies and spreads to the lymphatic system. Within a few
days, large pustules begin to appear all over the victim's skin.
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
b.
Led to the death of 90–95% of the native population
European introduction of horses, rice, wheat, and oxen to the New World
a.
Horse
1.
Introduced to the New World by the Spanish
2.
Changed Native cultures from sedentary to nomadic
b.
Rice and Wheat (Both fed colonists)
1.
Rice was grown in lower, wet lands.
a.
African slaves were brought to the Americas to grow it.
2.
Wheat bread was popular to Europeans and easily grown in higher, dry
altitudes of Mexico
3.
Bison hunting on the Great Plains
a.
30 million bison in the 1500s
b.
Native Americans developed over 150 uses for the (buffalo)
In the encomienda system, Spanish colonial economies marshaled Native American labor to
support plantation-based agriculture & extract precious metals & other resources.
1.
Encomienda System
a.
The Spanish crown granted a person a specified number of natives
1.
These leaders or Encomenderos took responsibility for instruction in
the Christian faith, protection from warring tribes and pirates,
instruction in the Spanish language and development and maintenance
of infrastructure.
2.
The Spanish received tribute, metals, maize, wheat, pork or any other
agricultural product, and also labor in return.
2.
Sugar plantations
a.
Located in the Caribbean through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
b.
The main source of labor was African slaves.
c.
Produced 80 to 90 percent of the sugar consumed in Western Europe.
3.
Silver mines
a.
Vast amounts of silver were possessed by the crowns of Europe after the
conquest of the Americas
b.
100,000 metric tons of silver were produced
c.
Natives were replaced by the use of a more efficient workforce: Africans
4.
Black Legend
a.
Prejudice which held that the conquerors merely tortured and butchered the
Indians, stole their gold, infected them with smallpox, and left little but misery
behind and did nothing else
European traders partnered with some African groups who practiced slavery to forcibly extract
slave labor for the Americas. The Spanish imported enslaved Africans to labor in plantation
agriculture and mining.
1.
Line of Demarcation
a.
In 1493, the pope drew a vertical, north-south line on a world map, giving Spain
all lands to the west of the line and Portugal all lands to the east.
2.
Middle Passage
a.
Millions of Africans were shipped to the New World as part of the Atlantic slave
trade.
The Spanish developed a caste system that incorporated, and carefully defined the status of, the
diverse population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire.
1.
Caste System
a.
System of race classification created by Spanish
1.
Peninsulare’s (European)-Top
2.
Mestizo
a.
A person of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry
3.
Zambo
a.
A person of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry
4.
Mulatto
a.
A person of mixed African and European ancestry
2.
B.
C.
D.
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
III.
In their interactions, Europeans and Native Americans asserted divergent worldviews regarding issues such
as religion, gender roles, family, land use, and power.
A.
Mutual misunderstandings between Europeans and Native Americans often defined the early years
of interaction & trade as each group sought to make sense of the other. Over time, Europeans &
Native Americans adopted some useful aspects of each other’s culture.
1.
African religious traditions combined with Christian traditions
a.
Shared a belief in a Supreme Creator
b.
Honored their gods, the ancestors of one's people, and the elderly
c.
Made music and dance vital components of their worship practices
1.
Carried on through stories, healing arts, song (Uncle Remus, roots, &
ring shouts)
2.
Maroon Communities
a.
Communities of runaway slaves in the Americas
b.
Represented a constant and serious challenge to the institution of African
slavery
B.
As European encroachments on Native Americans’ lands and demands on their labor increased,
native peoples sought to defend and maintain their political sovereignty, economic prosperity,
religious beliefs, and concepts of gender relations through diplomatic negotiations and military
resistance.
1.
Spanish Mission System
a.
A frontier institution that sought to incorporate indigenous people into the
Spanish colonial empire, its Catholic religion, and certain aspects of its Hispanic
culture.
b.
Entrusted to Catholic missionaries under the protection and control of the
Spanish state.
c.
Resulted too often in the abuse and even enslavement of the Indians and a
heightening of antagonism
2.
Juan de Onate
a.
Conquistador who established New Mexico for Spain.
b.
Despotic governor who sought the mythical riches of North America
3.
Acoma War
a.
Was fought in January 1599 between Spanish conquistadors and Acoma Native
Americans in what is now New Mexico.
b.
After twelve soldiers were killed at Acoma Pueblo in 1598, the Spanish
retaliated by launching a punitive expedition, which led to the deaths of around
800 men, women and children during a three-day battle.
4.
Pueblo Defeat (1599)
a.
After their defeat, Juan de Onate’ ordered that every male above the age of
twenty-five would have his right foot cut off and be enslaved for a period of
twenty years. However, only twenty-four men actually received amputations.
C.
Extended contact with Native Americans and Africans fostered debate among European religious
and political leaders about how non-Europeans should be treated, as well as evolving religious,
cultural, and racial justifications for the subjugation of Africans and Native Americans.
1.
Juan de Sepulveda
a.
Defended the Spanish Empire's right of conquest, colonization, and
evangelization of the New World.
b.
Wrote A Second Democritus: On the Just Causes of the War with the Indians
1.
Claimed that Amerindians were "natural slaves" as defined by Aristotle
2.
Bartolome de Las Casas
a.
Spanish historian and Dominican missionary
b.
Wrote Historia de las Indias
1.
Exposed the oppression of native peoples by Europeans and called for
the abolition of slavery
3.
Animism
a.
Encompasses the beliefs that there is no separation between the spiritual and
physical (or material) world, and that souls or spirits exist, not only in humans,
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
but also in some other animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as
mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural environment, including
thunder, wind, and shadows.
III.
IV.
Using the 01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Key Concept 1.1 research each of the Native
American cultural groups below, write one paragraph of 5-10 sentences on each topic: location,
geography, innovations in agriculture, resource use, and social diversification (Day 3)
A.
Pueblo
B.
Iroquois
C.
Natchez
D.
Creek
E.
Chinook
F.
Paiute
Using the 01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Key Concept 1.1, answer the following
questions (Day 4-5)
A.
What social, cultural, and political changes occurred for Europeans because of the Columbian
Exchange?
B.
What social, cultural, and political changes occurred for Native Americans because of the
Columbian Exchange?
C.
What social, cultural, and political changes occurred for Africans because of the Columbian
Exchange?
D.
Explain the 3 G’s
E.
Define the Columbian Exchange. Make sure you discuss trade from Europe to Africa to the New
World and trade from the Old World to Europe to Africa.
F.
Define Feudalism
G.
Explain how Europe evolved from Feudalism to Capitalism and new, more powerful class of
merchants emerged.
H.
Explain the significance of new maritime technologies such as the Caravel, Sextant, Astrolabe,
and Compass.
I.
Explain what a Joint Stock Company was and how it financed exploration and colonization.
J.
What was smallpox what kinds of demographic, economic, and social changes did it bring about
during Spanish exploration and conquest?
K.
When the Spanish arrived in the New World, they brought with them horses, oxen, rice and wheat.
How did each of these contribute demographically, economically, and socially.
L.
What was the Encomienda System?
M.
Explain the importance of Sugar Plantations to Spanish colonial economies.
N.
Explain the importance of Silver Mines to Spanish colonial economies.
O.
What was the Black Legend and was it Fact or Fiction?
P.
Explain the Spanish Caste system AND discuss each of the following in your answer: Mestizo,
Zambo, and Mulatto.
Q.
Discuss ways in which African religious traditions combined with Christian traditions.
R.
What were Maroon Communities?
S.
What were the pros and cons of the Spanish Mission System?
T.
Who was Juan de Onate? Discuss the positives AND negatives.
U.
Why was there an Acoma War? What was the result?
V.
Discuss Juan de Sepulveda’s opinion toward the subjugation of Native Americans?
W.
How did Bartolome de Las Casas view the Encomienda System?
X.
How did the belief of Animism contradict the religious views of the Spanish?
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01 APUSH (01) (1491-1607) (Frameworks) Checklist
V.
Read each section and answer the questions that follow. (Day 6-8)
MOUND BUILDERS
(ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER)
Key Groups: Adena (500 BC), Hopewell (100 BC)
Religion and Culture: Known as mound builders because they buried the dead in large earth mounds, these groups
lived in small farming villages, which were likely run by leaders of clans (relatives). The villages grew and became
increasingly complex, building trade networks and creating elaborate artwork using materials from as far away as
the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. Adena culture was absorbed by the Hopewell in about 100 BC.
Agriculture: Adena and Hopewell societies were highly organized farming communities, and the Adena
are credited with introducing agriculture to the Ohio River Valley.
Questions:
1. Name two of the more important Mound Building societies.
2. Where was the Mound building societies centered?
3. Why were the mounds built?
4. List two reasons why these civilizations would have been considered complex?
MISSISSIPPIAN CULTURE
Key Groups: Cahokia (AD 1100), Moundville
Religion and Culture: The Mississippians built towns with large temple-mounds and central plazas. The rulers’ and
nobles’ homes stood on pyramids surrounding the central square.
Agriculture: The Mississippian Culture’s most significant contribution to agriculture is their introduction of
the hoe as a farming tool. They were the most advanced farming society north of Mexico.
Questions:
1. Name the most discussed civilizations found within the Mississippian culture?
2. What organizational features defined Mississippian cities?
CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA
(MESOAMERICA)
Key Groups: Olmec (1200 BC), Maya (400 BC), Aztec (AD 1400), Inca (AD 1400)
Religion and Culture:
The Olmec were the first major Mesoamerican society, and their religion, art, agriculture, and social organization
influenced later civilizations. They are best known for their engineering and artistic skills, due to the survival of
huge sculpted heads carved from black volcanic rock. They are also the first known Mesoamerican society to
develop a writing system.
The Mayan civilization developed religious centers that grew into huge city-states with thousands of
people. They are also known for their writing system and a number system that used the concept of
zero.
The Aztecs were a warlike group and built an elaborate capital (Tenochtitlán) on an island in a shallow
lake. They conquered many neighboring groups, demanding regular payments of tribute and taking
slaves and captives, who often became sacrifices in religious ceremonies.
The Incas held a vast empire (including as many as twelve million people at its peak), which was
connected by roads and bridges. Incan religious beliefs were varied, consisting of several different
polytheistic religions.
Agriculture: The Olmec used the “slash and burn” technique of farming, which was also used by the
Mayans. The Aztecs devised elaborate farming systems such as floating gardens (chinampas), as well
as irrigation, fertilization, and terrace systems. Like the Aztecs, the Incas used terrace farming.
Questions:
1. List four civilizations found in Central and South America.
2. What was the earliest civilization to flourish?
3. What two civilizations flourished at the time of Columbus’s arrival?
4. What were the Olmec’s most known for?
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5.
6.
7.
8.
What government organization framework was used by the Mayas?
What practice did the Aztecs use that caused them to be hated by neighboring tribes.
Which of the empires may have been the most populated and vast in territory?
Why did the Aztects and Incas both use “terrace” farming.
SOUTHWEST
Key Groups: Hohokam (200 BC), Anasazi (200 BC), Zuni, Hopi, Acoma, Apache, Navajo
Religion and Culture: Early cultures in the Southwest probably developed around 2,000 years ago, and were linked
with cultures in Mexico through trade. Anasazi culture grew eastward, spreading their multistory adobe buildings
(named pueblos by the Spanish) to other cultures. The Zuni, Hopi, Acoma, Apache, and Navajo peoples also
adopted pueblos, which were governed by religious elders. The Zuni, Hopi, and Acoma tribes are also known for
their distinctive baskets and pottery. The Apaches and Navajos later took up weaving.
Agriculture: The Hohokam people dug irrigation ditches and grew corn, beans, and squash. The Zuni, Hopi, and
Acoma cultures farmed in river and creek bottoms in the desert. The Apaches and Navajos were originally nomadic
hunters, but began farming after coming into contact with the Pueblo cultures.
Questions:
1. Name two groups that made up the Pueblo culture?
2. What type of housing was adopted by most of the cultures in the SW? Why?
3. What innovation was used by the Pueblo Indians to successfully farm in the dry desert?
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WEST COAST
Key Groups: Kwakiutl, Haida, Pomo, Hupa, Yurok
Religion and Culture: The American Indians on the northwest coast (Kwakiutl and Haida) were skilled
woodworkers and carved elaborate totem poles and masks after being introduced to iron tools. They had access to
rich resources and held feasts where they would provide guests with valuable gifts. The Pomo, Hupa, and Yurok
peoples, in addition to many other groups in present-day California, lived in small communities of 50 to 300, with
over 100 different languages spoken.
Agriculture: The Kwakiutl and Haida hunted wild game, salmon, and whales in the Northwest. Neither group
farmed due to the difficult terrain, though Kwakiutl women did collect shellfish, berries, and seaweed. The Pomo,
Hupa, and Yurok groups in California did not farm because of the variety of food sources available year round.
Questions:
1. Name three groups that arose in the Pacific Northwest?
2. How could you BEST describe native communities’ size in the Pacific Northwest?
3. Were Native Americans in the northwest dependent upon farming? Why or why not?
GREAT BASIN AND THE PLATEAU
Key Groups: Ute, Shoshone, Nez Percé
Religion and Culture: As a result of the challenges of living in the dry Great Basin, the Utes and Shoshones had
rather small populations, but were exceptional artists, creating elaborate religious and ceremonial beadwork. Like
their neighbors in the Great Basin, the Nez Percé created elaborate beadwork.
Agriculture: The Utes and Shoshones were hunter-gatherers, due to the difficult climate in the Great Basin (little
rain, few trees, no large rivers, and little wild game). The main food sources were small animals, roots, and seeds.
The Nez Percé, living in the less-arid Plateau region had more rain and forests, as well as large rivers for fishing.
Like the Utes and Shoshones, the Nez Percé were hunter gatherers, though they had access to large game.
Questions:
1. Name key groups of the Great Basin region?
2. Where was the Great Basin?
3. How would you best describe the agricultural traits of natives living in the Great Basin?
GREAT PLAINS
Key Groups: Sioux, Pawnee, Cheyenne
Religion and Culture: The cultures of the Great Plains were largely migratory, following the movement of the bison,
which the tribes depended on for survival. Because of the constant movement, they needed portable homes, and
invented the tepee, which could be easily put together and taken down. They believed in many gods, and that these
gods showed themselves in the form of the sun, moon, stars, or anything that was strong or strange. Men would also
go to lonely places for several days without food or water to receive visions.
Agriculture: Farming was difficult due to the tough roots of the prairie grasses, so these groups depended on hunting
buffalo. In the southern plains region, farming was more feasible, and descendants of the Mississippian culture
brought new crops and built new villages in the fertile valleys of the Mississippi River.
Questions:
1. Name three groups native to the Great Plains?
2. Why was the teepee so important to Great plains’ culture?
3. Why was farming difficult on the Great Plains?
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EASTERN COAST AND WOODLANDS
Key Groups: Iroquois (included the Mohawks and Oneidas), Chippewa, Fox, Sauk
Religion and Culture: The Iroquois lived in longhouses, which were large wooden buildings with a central hall with
living spaces on either side, clustered in large villages. The longhouse was central to Iroquois culture, and they often
called themselves “people of the longhouse.” All woodland groups made the best of their abundant natural
resources, making flour from bitter acorns, hunting for both food and fur, and fishing.
Agriculture: Farming was a possibility in the area, and women grew corn and squash and harvested wild rice.
Questions:
1. List key groups native to the Eastern Coast and Woodlands.
2. What was the main economic activity for Indians in the eastern woodlands?
3. What was flour made from?
SOUTHEAST
Key Groups: Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole
Religion and Culture: Southeastern tribes lived in states like Louisiana, Georgia and Alabama. Some groups
continued Mississippian practices into the 1500s and beyond, and another group created elaborate carved shells,
which archaeologists believe had religious meaning. Some of the tribes lived in round homes much like wigwams made from logs and sticks, then covered with grass. There was a hole in the top so light could enter. A few tribes
had two-story frame houses covered with bark; others had thatch-roofed houses. As far as clothing, in the summer
the woman usually went naked from the waist up.
Agriculture: A warm climate, fertile land, and plenty of rain made several crops a year possibly for American
Indians of the Southeast. They were hunters and gatherers. Some of them moved from one area to another but the
majority stayed in the same area. It just depended on where they lived and how much food was available. They ate
cornpones, corn bread, hominy grits (corn shell removed), tomatoes, potatoes and sweet potatoes. They also had
more possum, bear and most other available meats, but rarely pork. Turkey was a regular meal as well as veggies.
Questions:
1. Name tribes native to the Southeast.
2. What were their homes called?
3. Why were natives from the southeast more successful farming?
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