Download Early America

Early American
History
Approx. 10,000 BC – 1492 AD
The Clovis People
• For thousands of years, what we now know as North
and South America were uninhabited by humans.
• Modern theory says that humans first evolved in
Africa, then migrated to the Middle East, Europe,
and Asia.
-> In approx. 10,000 BC, the world was in the middle
of an ice age. Much of the water in the world was
locked into glaciers, and into massive ice caps on both
poles.
• This exposed land that, before this point, had been
under water.
-> For the first time, people travelled to America.
The Clovis People
• Experts differ as to when people first
came to America.
-> However, the most popular theory is
that the first Americans were a group
of
people now called Clovis.
-> They get their name from a special
type of spear point found at their
sites –
called the Clovis point.
-> The Clovis did not have a written
language, so what we know about
them is from anthropological
evidence.
• Scientists have found burial sites,
evidence of artworks, and the remains
of settlements!
The Clovis People
Alternative Theories
-> The Clovis were not cave men!
They were modern humans.
-> The Clovis are also the
ancestors of modern Native
Americans.
• We know this because genetic
research has been done,
linking modern Native
Americans to ancient genetic
lines.
• The Clovis, in their various
settlements, are the first
humans to develop any
permanent human civilizations
on the American continents.
- Not all historians and
anthropologists agree that
the Clovis were first.
- There is evidence that
many of the Clovis died out
in a mass extinction, and
another group took its
place.
- There is also evidence of
earlier sites – non-Clovis.
- However, we have the
most evidence of the
Clovis, and the best theory
we have.
Migration
-> People travelled across the
Bering strait land bridge –
an area called Beringia.
•From there, they split into
several groups – one
travelling towards the
American northeast, one
going down the west coast,
and into South America.
•The Clovis also may have
travelled by boat – there is
evidence that several different
waves of people came from
Asia using different routes.
The Clovis People
• Why did the Clovis travel
to America?
-> The Clovis didn’t leave
Asia – the Clovis were
hunters, and followed
their big game.
-> The Clovis hunted large
mammals – especially
the mammoth.
• Some historians believe that the reason there are no
longer large mammals in America is because the Clovis
hunted them to extinction.
• Another theory is that a second, larger ice age, reduced
the population of the Clovis, and that of the large
mammals.
Other Possible Discoveries
• Because early American history isn’t concrete, there are many
theories about who came next – what was the next group to
‘discover’ America after the Clovis?
• The Phoenicians – Ancient sea-farers from the Middle East
have written records that go back to 1600 BC. Islands on
Phoenician maps can be linked to islands around North and
South America.
• The Irish – There’s evidence that a monk named St. Brendan
landed in North America in the 500s. However, his trip was not
well documented, and the story has passed into legend.
• The Chinese – A recent book claims that Admiral Zheng He
from China may have landed in the Caribbean in the early
1400s. However, China has had written records going back
thousands of years, and this theory has been debunked.
• The Italians/English – Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) landed in
Canada in 1497. It’s debated whether he or Columbus reached
America first!
The Vikings
-> Perhaps the most well
documented early ‘discovery’ of
America was by the Vikings.
•Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red,
travelled from Iceland to
Greenland, and then to Canada.
-> However, Leif wasn’t the first
Viking to get to America. That
honor goes to Bjarni Herjolfsson.
He accidentally ‘discovered’
America, and went home and
told Leif.
•Leif was more popular, and
started the first settlement, so
he gets all the credit!
The Vikings
• Leif, and his brothers and
sister, along with various
crews, started their
settlement in
Newfoundland,Canada.
• However, the settlement
wasn’t permanent.
-> There are many theories
as to why the Vikings
didn’t stay, but the Viking’s written account (called
The Sagas), gives a reason.
-> The Sagas say that the Vikings were attacked by
Skraelings – the Viking name for Native Americans.
• The Native Americans (descended from the Clovis people)
did not like the Vikings moving in on their land, and
managed to force them out.
Columbus
• Perhaps the most popular “discoverer”
of America is the Italian explorer
Christopher Columbus.
• Columbus was not the first person
to believe the world was round.
However, he was one of the first
to suggest that people from Europe
could reach Asia by water.
-> Columbus’ idea was not great. Most
people believed that the world was round, but that the
Ocean was so wide, you could not cross it without
dying.
-> Columbus mis-calculated the size of the Earth – he
thought it was much smaller than it actually is.
• If America hadn’t been in the way, Columbus would have
starved to death!
Columbus
• Columbus first asked his home
country, Italy, for help. The Italian
King refused to give him money.
Why? Because he thought
Columbus would die, and the
money would be wasted.
• Portugal also refused to help.
• It was only when he went to
Spain that Columbus found
funding.
-> The King and Queen of Spain – Ferdinand and Isabella,
wanted a way to get to Asia without having to go through
Middle Eastern traders, or going around Africa.
-> However, Isabella only gave Columbus three ships – even
she didn’t have much faith in him! She figured this way,
if/when Columbus died, she would only lose three boats.
What is “Discovery”?
• So, who “discovered” America?
• It depends what you mean by discovery.
-> Each person we learned about was the first person from
their culture to discover America.
• The Clovis were the first people ever to settle in America,
however, after the land bridge flooded, people forgot that
the American continent existed.
• The Vikings reached America, but didn’t leave a permanent
settlement. Other European, Asian, and Middle Eastern
sailors reached America as well, but didn’t stay.
-> Columbus’ “discovery” is important because it led to the
first permanent settlement of Europeans in America.
-> However, Columbus’ “discovery” also led to a lot of
negatives, such as the slave trade, and genocide of
Native
Americans…
Columbus
• So, is Columbus a hero or a villain?
The Columbian Exchange
• Whether you decided that Columbus was a hero, or a
villain, his “discovery” had significant effect on both the
Old World and the New World.
• Other explorers had gone to the New World before
Columbus did, but it’s because of Columbus that there
was a huge transfer of food, goods, and disease from
the New World to the Old World and vis. Versa.
-> Though there were some positives to the Columbian
Exchange, such as both worlds getting access to
new
foods, and new technologies, there were also a lot
of
negatives.
-> The main negative was the transference of disease.
The Columbian Exchange
-> Before the arrival of Columbus,
there was no smallpox in the
Americas.
-> Smallpox is a serious disease.
It is characterized by small, light
pustules on the skin. It can be
transmitted through the air, and,
until recently, was highly deadly.
•Even though it was still an issue
in the Old World (Asia, Europe,
Africa), and people still died
from it, it was much more
devastating to the Native
Americans.
The Columbian Exchange
• For centuries, there
had been trade between
Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Smallpox could spread
easily, and people were
more likely to survive if
they had antibodies
against the disease.
-> Native Americans had
never been exposed to
the disease – before
Columbus and his crew brought it over, it didn’t exist in the
new
world.
-> Because Native Americans didn’t have any antibodies against
the disease, it was devastating, and killed almost 90% of the
Native population where Columbus and company landed.
• Columbus and co. also brought over malaria, another disease
The Columbian Exchange
• Food was also transferred
back and forth from the Old
and New Worlds.
-> Europeans introduced the
apple, blueberry, pepper,
banana, coffee, all citrus
fruits, onion, radish, turnip,
rice, sugarcane…
-> The New World provided
beans (lima, kidney, pinto),
chili peppers, squash, corn,
potato, pineapple, sweet
potato, tomato, vanilla…
• This meant that the diets
of people in both locations
were expanded. Foods that
were native to America
became characteristic of Old
World dishes. (For example, the tomato was introduced to Italy, and
added to pasta dishes).
The Columbian Exchange
-> Once colonies were formed, with Europeans living in the
Americas in small groups, there was also a demand for
European goods.
• Specialty items could only be manufactured in Europe –
clothes, textiles, furniture – all were made in Europe and
shipped to the American colonies.
• In return, the American colonies had access to raw
material. There were large supplies of gold and silver, as
well as fish, lumber, and furs.
-> American colonies entered in partnerships with their
European parent countries – trading raw goods for finished
products.
• The earliest economies of American colonies were based
on these exchanges.
The Columbian Exchange
-> A negative part of the Columbian Exchange, however, was
the development of the slave trade.
•The slave trade had existed for decades – originating in
Africa and spreading through Europe.
•However, there was a huge market in the Americas for
African slaves.
•Many European settlers enslaved the Native Americans in
their area – forcing them to mine for gold or silver, or to work
on plantations producing crops or sugar.
-> Mainly because of disease (smallpox), most of
the enslaved Native Americans died.
•This left a demand for a cheap workforce in the colonies, for
people who had antibodies to European diseases.
-> This need for a workforce was filled by African slaves.
The Columbian Exchange
• Issues of Slavery…
• Slavery was a part of the
American colonies since
Columbus landed.
• Originally, Columbus
thought that the Native
Americans could be
“educated” and converted
to Christianity.
• Columbus wanted the
Native Americans to
become Spanish citizens.
-> Many other colonists, however, especially Spanish
conquistadors saw the Native Americans instead as a
cheap workforce – one to be exploited.
-> Europeans also had more advanced weapons technology.
The Columbian Exchange
Reasons for Settlement
• One of the reasons why Columbus’ “discovery” was so
important is because it led to permanent European
settlement in the New World.
• What are some reasons why people would want to leave
Europe and settle somewhere new? Take a few minutes
and answer this question in your notebooks.
Outlet for
population
Freedom from
personal and
religious
prosecution
Limited
connection to
European
governments/
freedom
More land
Access to new
goods and
supplies (many
only went to the
Americas for a
few years, and
returned rich).
Spanish Settlements
• Because of Columbus’ “discovery”, Spain became the first
European nation to put colonies in the new world.
• Spain became immensely rich.
Spain found huge amounts of silver in the New World. At this
point in history (1500s) China was re-vamping its economy.
Before this point, all the different regions of China had their
own currencies. The decision was made to have Chinese
currency backed in silver.
This coincidence made Spain immensely rich - they had found
a huge amount of silver at the same time that there was an
increase in the demand for silver.
• Eventually though, the market was saturated - because of
so much more silver being added to the economy in
Europe and Asia, the value of silver dropped.
Spanish Settlements
-> The Spanish were the first
Europeans to actively explore and
colonize North and South America.
•In 1513 - Vasco Núñez de Balboa
crossed Panama - becoming the first
European to see the Pacific Ocean
from the East.
•The first permanent Spanish colonies
were in the Caribbean. Spanish
conquistadors saw an opportunity to
use the native population to grow
sugarcane.
-> Most Native American groups were
outmatched technologically. The
Spanish had guns, steel and armor
as well as horses.
•The Spanish also brought disease.
Early American Civilizations
-> Before the Spanish arrived in the New World, North and South
America were populated by various Native American groups.
-> Of these, there were three that were exceptionally large, and
technologically and socially advanced.
The Maya, The Inca, and The Aztec
•These groups were similar in several
ways - they had an advanced
knowledge of science, all three had
complicated religions, and all three
had complex social structures.
-> These three groups also became
empires - expanding, conquering,
and influencing other cultures nearby.
•All three are also similar in another
aspect - they were all almost entirely
wiped out by the Spanish.
Maya
• The Mayan civilization was located in what is now southern Mexico
and Central America. The Maya did not have one united
government, but rather, loosely connected city states.
• Mayan economy was based on agriculture - large cities sprung up
surrounded by suburbs and fields to provide food for the masses.
• At its largest point, the Maya numbered in the millions.
• They had a written
language, complicated
agricultural systems,
and advanced
architecture.
• Today, the Maya are
best known for their
calendar - based on
movements of celestial
objects, it is still
accurate today.
Maya
-> However, by the time the conquistadors arrived, the Mayan
civilization was already collapsing.
•Some Mayan cities had
been conquered by the
more aggressive Aztecs
- forcing these cities to
become a tributary
power.
•It lacked a central
government, so the
Spanish were able to
move through city by
city and conquer the
civilization.
Inca
• The Inca were the largest empire in
pre-Colonial America.
• At its largest, the empire extended
almost all the way down South
America, along the Andes.
It included Peru, Chile, Argentina,
Bolivia, and Ecuador.
• The capital of the Incan Empire was
Cuzco - a mountain city surrounded
by villages and agriculture.
• The Incan economy was based on
trade and taxation - the smaller
towns and villages had to pay tribute to Cuzco, and Cuzco in
turn provided the towns/villages with luxury goods.
-> However, by the time the Spanish arrived, the Inca were in
civil war.
Inca
• The Incan people had split as to who would become King
(the title is also called Inca). Eventually, Atahualpa became
leader, but the country was still in conflict.
-> Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador. By 1529, he
was given permission to conquer the
Inca.
• Pizarro had 168 men, 1 cannon, and
27 horses.
• The Inca, however, didn’t have a
formal army, and were also devastated
by the civil war and by a recent
outbreak of smallpox.
• The Spanish were also working on
their Reconquista - the process of
removing all non-Catholics from Spain
and all Spanish colonies.
Inca
-> Pizarro took Atahualpa captive, and asked
for ransom.
-> Atahualpa said in return for his freedom, he
would give the Spanish a room (22’x17’x8’)
full of gold, and two more filled with silver.
•The Spanish agreed, but when the Incans
filled the rooms, they demanded an
additional agreement.
•They said Atahualpa would only be let free
if he converted to Christianity.
•Atahualpa agreed. He converted.
Why would Atahualpa be reluctant
to convert to Christianity?
Inca
• Atahualpa agreed. He converted. Instead of letting him free,
though, the Spanish had Atahualpa executed.
• They said that technically, since he had ordered the death of his
brother after the civil war, Atahualpa deserved the death
penalty.
• Atahualpa was sentenced to death by burning.
• However, instead, the
Spanish decided that,
since Atahualpa had
converted to Christianity,
he deserved more humane
treatment.
-> The Spanish put him to
death by strangling.
-> Atahualpa was strangled.
The rest of the empire
fell quickly after.
Aztec
• The Aztec Empire was located in what is now Mexico.
-> Unlike the Maya and Inca, the Aztecs were still strong when the
Spanish encountered them.
• The Aztec society was based around a
tribute system. Aztec warriors conquered
many nearby tribes, and in return for
keeping some of their independence,
these groups had to become a part of the
Aztec Empire, and provide tribute,
including human sacrifices.
• The capital of the Aztec Empire was
Tenochtitlan, a city built in the center of a
lake - and therefore very hard to conquer.
• Hernando Cortez was given the task to
take over the Aztecs.
Aztec
• The Aztecs had a huge army, and were fierce warriors.
• When Cortez entered the empire, he was outmatched - the Aztecs
were well-trained, and they outnumbered the Spanish.
• However, the Spanish had a few big advantages.
– 1. When the Spanish arrived, it was Good Friday. Due to Catholic
tradition, Cortez was wearing all black.
– 2. According to Aztec tradition, one of their gods, Quetzalcoatl was
due to arrive any day. Quetzalcoatl’s
human form - pale skin, dark hair,
black clothing.
– 3. Cortez had befriended some of the
other Native American groups - ones
that the Aztecs had conquered. They
hated the Aztecs, and joined the Spanish.
– 4. One of these Native Americans was a
young woman that the Spanish called
Dona Marina. She spoke the Aztec
language, and Spanish.
Aztec
• Though some of the Aztecs
thought that Cortez was
Quetzalcoatl, their King,
Montezuma, did not believe it.
• When Cortez started to ask for
tribute - for money, servants,
etc, Montezuma began to get
suspicious.
• Montezuma planned to wait
until nightfall, and have Cortez
and his men killed.
• However, there was one flaw
in Montezuma’s plan.
Aztec
• There was one flaw in the plan…
-> Some of the Aztec women were
worried about Dona Marina.
• They thought that she was just a
young girl, and that she probably
didn’t know who she was with.
• They decided to warn Dona Marina,
telling her that Montezuma was
planning to kill the Spaniards.
• Dona Marina immediately told
Cortez, who she was involved with.
-> Though some of the Spanish were killed,
the majority escaped.
-> The Aztecs celebrated their victory - though they hadn’t killed
Cortez, they had forced him out of their city.
Aztec
• Cortez took a few weeks to get his army re-organized.
• By the time he returned to Tenochtitlan, he saw a completely
different city.
-> Though the Aztecs had won the battle, the Spanish had left a
lasting effect. The Aztecs were devastated by smallpox.
• When Cortez and the
Spanish returned, they
returned to a city that
was nearly empty,
with no organization, no
leadership, and no army.
• 90% of the Aztecs had
been wiped out. Cortez
easily took over what was
left of the civilization.
Fall of Spain
- Though the Spanish had a monopoly on the exploration of the
New World for most of the 1500s, by the 1600s, England was
getting into the colonization game.
• By the late 1500s, the Spanish economy was starting to
collapse. All of the silver flooding the market in Europe and
Asia first made Spain immensely rich.
• However, once the market was saturated, the value of the
silver dropped dramatically.
• Spain started cutting its exploration budget.
- Meanwhile, England (Under Queen Elizabeth I) was starting
to become interested in the New World.
- Elizabeth sent her privateers to pioneer English settlement in
the new world.
- The first attempt at English colonization was called Roanoke.