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U.S. HISTORY
Introduction & Early Discovery
Experiment
▪ Instructions: Everyone close your eyes. Now, visualize a person in
your mind. This person is an “American.” What did your imaginary
American look like?
Experiment
▪ Instructions: Everyone close your eyes. Now, visualize a person in
your mind. This person is an “American.” What did your imaginary
American look like?
▪ Important Question: What makes you an American?
“Country” Music
Why Is U.S. History Important?
▪ “Memory” and “Historical Truth” are not the same thing—we need to
seek the truth!
▪ We live in the United States, so it is important to know how we got
here
▪ It provides the roots for today’s hot-topic social issues
(#blacklivesmatter,#crookedhillary, #nevertrump, etc.)
▪ For inspiration! (e.g., the Wright Brothers or MLK, Jr.)
▪ U.S. History can be fun and interesting! (…no, seriously)
3 Important Questions:
▪ What?
▪ Why?
▪ How?
Three Periods of History
▪ (4000 B.C.-A.D. 500) Ancient History
▪ (A.D. 500-1500) The Middle Ages
▪ (A.D. 1500-Present) The Modern Age
Land Bridge Theory
▪ Bering Strait—During (or
shortly after) the Ice Age,
it is believed that people
traveled from Russia to
Alaska across the Bering
Strait. The colder
temperatures would have
allowed for more of the
sea to freeze, and thus,
make it safe for travelers
to walk over this “land
bridge.”
Native American Populations
▪ 3 “Kinds” of Natives—Agricultural,
Hunting/Gathering, Fishing
▪ How many? Between 57-112 million
(??)
▪ Ecosystems—They were highly
skilled in their use of natural
resources (better diets than
Europeans)
▪ Religion—A belief of nature being
divine, but under one God
▪ [video, watch w/ discernment]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
MkEdsKRpomk
Pre-Columbian Explorers to America
▪ [An Irishman?] http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-ofnorth-america/videos/did-the-irish-discover-america
▪ [A Welsh prince?]
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-northamerica/videos/did-the-welsh-discoveramerica?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
▪ [The Chinese?, mute 2:25]
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-northamerica/videos/did-the-chinese-discoveramerica?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
▪ [The Polynesians?]
http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-northamerica/videos/did-the-polynesians-discoveramerica?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
That awkward moment when…a sweet potato’s
DNA changes everything you know about
history
▪ [link] http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wildernessresources/stories/polynesian-seafarers-discovered-america-longbefore
Vikings (A.D. 1000)
▪ The Vikings—They were seafaring Scandinavians who
often plundered villages and struck fear into the hearts of
many Europeans.
▪ A Common Target—Churches
▪ Explorers—A Viking named “Erik the Red” was banished to
what is now “Iceland.” He later discovered “Greenland.”
His son, Leif Erikson, likely discovered North America
(Newfoundland, Canada).
▪ [video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3GM3F7JZ2c
▪ [link] http://worldnewsdailyreport.com/usa-vikingartefacts-discovered-near-great-lakes/
Europeans in the Late Middle Ages
▪ The Renaissance—This cultural movement took place
when Europe was steeped in feudalism and Roman
Catholicism
▪ The Reformation—Beginning in 1517, many Christians
stepped away from traditional Catholicism to embrace a
Protestant stance of faith
–
–
–
–
Germany = Lutherans
England = Anglicans & Baptists
Scotland = Presbyterians
Holland & Switzerland = Reformed/Calvinists
Age of Exploration
▪ [modern-day example video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vxOhd4qlnA
▪ Spain & Portugal—Both countries were Roman Catholic, and
had to have the Pope decide for them their limits of
exploring. Spain was granted most of North & South
America, while Portugal went east.
▪ France—A mixture of Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants),
French explorers made their way to the New World for a
variety of reasons.
▪ England—Newly Protestant in the late 1500s, England was an
international enemy to France and Spain.
▪ Holland/The Netherlands—Known as the “Dutch,” they
mostly emigrated to the northeast in North America.
Christopher Columbus
▪ [1492] “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.”
▪ Sponsorship—Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain
funded Columbus to sail to North America.
Technically speaking, he was not the first person to
“discover” the United States’ territory—thank John
Cabot, the Englishman, for that.
▪ [video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_unlvjccA
▪ Question: What went wrong in Columbus’s
expeditions?
The Spanish in North America
▪ St. Augustine, FL—The first permanent European settlement in the
present-day United States
▪ Catholicism—The Catholic roots of early Spanish exploration in North
America (as well as Central and South America) are evident today.
– San Diego, St. Augustine, San Francisco, Santa Fe: These are all Spanish names
of Catholic saints
▪ Geography—Spanish settlers found success in the southeastern part
of present-day United States and Mexico. Eventually, Mexico would
win independence from Spain (not long after the U.S. won their
independence from England).
Turning Point for Spain
▪ Spanish Armada—In 1588, the “invincible” Spanish Armada
was defeated by England. It seems that American
colonization also began to favor the British.
▪ How it happened—The Spanish Armada was set to sail to
the Netherlands to add to their fleet. England intercepted
them first, and when they fled, the Spanish got caught in a
terrible storm
– “I sent my ships to fight against men and not against the winds and
waves of God.” – King Philip II of Spain
▪ The outcome—This set the stage for the other two
superpowers, France and England, to colonize the New
World.
The French in North America
▪ The Northwest Passage—French explorers were
interested in finding an alleged water route
through North America to the Pacific
Ocean…They haven’t found it yet.
▪ New France—By the mid/late-1600s, the French
had explored much of North America to the west
and north of the East Coast (where England was
strong), and named their territory “New France.”
▪ Louisiana—Named after the French king, Louis
XIV
Concluding Thoughts on Spain & France
▪ Spain—If Spain would not have lost at sea, perhaps they could have
focused more on colonizing the New World. They could have been
close to ruling a majority of the Western Hemisphere!
▪ France—For many years, it looked like France would occupy around
half of North America. However, they were really unsuccessful at
establishing permanent settlements. Instead, a lot of Frenchmen
were involved in fur trading.
▪ Why did England do better? They had many more families commit to
settling permanently. A civilization cannot be built without thriving
families.