Download THE AMERICAS Ian Chi, Lihui Guo, Alex Libman, Yihua Wu

THE AMERICAS Ian Chi, Lihui Guo, Alex Libman, Yihua Wu, Jefferey Yan, Sisi Zimmerman
Mesoamerican culture 600-1450
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The Maya also had many large-scale building projects, which were built by slaves acquired
through battle or by people of the large peasant population.
To this day, no one is really sure what happened to the Maya. Historians argue that it could
have been disease or drought or internal warfare. Whatever the case was, in the ninth century
CE, the Maya started to desert their cities.
The Aztecs, appearing around the mid-1200s, controlled territory in present-day Mexico.
Their capital was at Tenochtitlan.
In their social structure, Aztec warriors were elite. This was due to their policy of vast
expansion. At their height, the Aztec Empire was of some 12 million people. Yet, the Aztec
Empire did not have a bureaucratic form of government. Much like the classical Roman
Empire, the Aztecs mostly allowed conquered peoples to govern themselves as long as they
paid the taxes.
Women, although having a subordinate role, were important in Aztec society. They, like most
women from other early civilizations, primarily had household duties, as well as involving
themselves in skilled crafts, such as weaving. However, unlike a lot of women from other
early civilizations, some were even involved in commerce. Also, they could inherit property.
The Inca appeared around 1300 CE, and established their capital in Cuzco. At its height, they
are believed to have controlled over 2,000 miles of the Western coast of South America.
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In the Inca Empire, it changed to a well-established bureaucracy. At the top of this was a
king-like figure, who was believed to have been descended directly from the sun god, and
thus was given high respect. Then, there was nobility, who were controlling the bureaucracy.
Warriors however, remained very important, as the Inca were also an expansionist society,
which meant a professional military was needed for conquering others.
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The role of women in Inca society was a continuation from that of Aztec society. They were
expected to do housework, weave cloth, and help in the fields. Also, like Aztec women, they
could inherit property.
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Despite not having contact with each other, each of these civilizations had similar aspects
within their religion. One important similarity was that they worshipped a sun god. Of
course, the change was that the sun god wasn't the same one throughout the civilizations, but
these civilizations each continued to have a sun god. Most known for this were the Incas,
who believed that their leader was a descendant of the sun god, and believed that the sun god
was the most powerful, despite being polytheistic.
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Another huge similarity was the use of human sacrifices. The most known for this, however,
were the Aztecs. Their military captured many human sacrifices from conquered neighbors.
Tens of thousands of people were killed each year. Although on lower scales, the Maya and
Incas also practiced human sacrifice. Incas usually preferred to instead sacrifice material
goods or animals rather than animals. The Maya, on the other hand, sacrificed slaves which
were captured from internal struggles.
Inca and Aztecs built extensive roads to manage their empire. Also, both the Inca and Aztecs
still had large-scale building projects, much like the Maya.
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Religion in South America, and the Caribbean 1450-the present
1450 - pre-Columbian era civilizations
•The Aztec and the Inca were the major empires in the region
•Both practiced human sacrifice, but the Aztec were famous for doing so on a large scale
•Both were polytheistic, and held special regard for their Sun Gods. They had gods for both
natural phenomenon and man made things such as war and god
•Both had religious temples/ structures. The most well known in Machu Picchu of the Inca
1500’s - 1700’s - Age of Exploration
•In 1540 the Society of Jesus formed (Jesuits), as part of the counter reformation
•Jesuits were sent around the world including the Americas to convert the natives to Catholicism
•Native religion mixed with Catholicism which the church saw as the work of satan
•After epidemics in the 1600’s made people even more resistant to conversion the Church went
to cities and urban areas to try to convert people. This turned out to be more successful, and
increases intellectual life, and built schools
•Through this the Church became powerful and wealthy in the region
1900’s - Cold War
•The Catholic church sided with the communists
•This involved doing some bad things such the Dirty Wars in Argentina. The church would take
babies from communists families to have them raised instead in Catholic homes thinking they
were helping them
•Catholicism remains a dominant religion in the region to today
labor systems from 1750-1900 in LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.
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Colonies have economies that are dependent on exports of natural resources. To meet demands,
plantations are largely dependent on slave labor.
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Slaves work in horrible conditions, with long hours, dangerous situations, and had to survive on
minimal amounts of nutrients.
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As nationalistic movements around the world begin to rise, slaves began fighting for their own
independence. In Haiti, violent rebellions broke out and in other places, revolts followed suit.
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Imperial powers, such as Britain, pressured the colonies to end the slave trade, which they
reluctantly did.
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By the 1880s with the emancipation of slaves in Brazil, the system had been abolished in Latin
America and the Caribbean.
The slaves’ newly gained freedom did little to change the conditions they worked in, however.
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Many returned to plantations because it was all they knew to do. There, conditions changed very
little.
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The former slaves were still very poor and were viewed the same as they had always been, and
the way they were treated changed little.
Trade in Latin America 1750-present
1. 1700s- trade was all about its part in the Atlantic Slave Trade and Triangular trade
2. Slaves brought to Latin America where they worked, raw materials and crops exported to
Europe, manufactured and sent back. 7,000,000 slaves in Latin America. Went on until
mid 1800s
3. Latin America economy – very slow growth, almost all its income was from raw
resources like gold and silver -> made mining a very large industry in LA, countries from
Europe swooped in and built mines
4. ****Sugar****: major crop throughout LA, always exported from almost every country,
bananas and cacao were #2 on the list, very important to their economy
5. Monroe doctrine – US basically didn’t want anyone else in LA so that they could get all
the good stuff, econ in LA was getting larger because of exports.
6. Banana republics set up – very low pay, poor treatment of workers, all the company
owners cared about was profit
7. Industry never really developed -> people didn’t see it as necessary because already
making so much monies from raw exports
8. US’ attempt to take over a lot of LA failed partially in Cuba – embargos restrict trade
North America’s relationship to global trade patterns from 1750 – present
 North American countries started out as colonies to European countries such as Britain
and France.
 Main purpose of these colonies was to export raw materials back to their mother country.
 As time goes on these colonies gain power and soon win their independence from their
mother country.
 The new countries, independent from former mother countries, gained power and
influence through trade with new countries.
 As their economies flourished, North American countries slowly stop exporting raw
materials and start exporting manufactured goods.
 The reason why countries start exporting manufactured goods is because as new
inventions are created and better ways of transporting goods are created it becomes easier
and more profitable to do such.
 Although former North American colonies broke away from their former mother
countries, you still see ties between them (for example, the US and Britain and very good
allies today and trade extensively).
 In the beginning, North American countries had no choice but to trade with their mother
countries.
 In present time, we have the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA).
 Also, in present time we have the World Trade Organization (WTO).
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Overall you see North American countries gain power and influence over time, see them
stop exporting raw goods and start exporting manufactured goods, and several
continuities such as trading patterns still exist.
Formation of National Identities in Latin America (1750 – Present)
 New Latin American identities were always formed under some sort of subjugation.
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The first national identities to be formed were nationalistic ones that gave the need for
independence.
The first national identity to be formed was in Haiti, where the oppressed slaves
influenced by the French Revolution revolted against the French.
Mexico had a national identity formed by the Amerindians who lost their land to the
Spanish.
Social and economic inequality would fuel the formation of national identities.
These inequalities were formed from foreign economic intervention and sometimes a
wealthy elite that profited greatly from this intervention.
A century past the independence of most Latin American nations, new national identities
formed would contain ideologies much more restrictive than the early democratic ones.
With the advent of authoritarianism in Europe, we also see the rise of authoritarian
national identities in Latin America such as Peron’s authoritarian state and the communist
revolution in Cuba.