PreColumbian America, European Exploration and Spanish Conquest

1
Pre-Columbian America, European Exploration and
Spanish Conquest

• AP US History
• Ms. Santiago

2
Introduction to the Colonial Period

• What were the motivations of the original
  colonists?
• Material wealth, freedom from religious
  persecution
• NOT to start a new country.

3
Introduction to the Colonial Period ctnd.

• How did the colonists start to view themselves as
  an independent nation?
• Had things in common
• Most English speaking
• Wanted to create an agricultural society
• Wanted to get rid of royal tyranny and social
  hierarchy
• Accepted ideals of liberty, self-government, and
  religious toleration
• Shared a willingness to oppress others Native
  Americans and Blacks

4
Introduction to the Colonial Period ctnd.

• What were some divisions among the colonists?
• Thirteen colonies very different
• New England, Middle, and Plantation colonies
• Why did America begin to break away from England?
• Colonists caught in the middle of French/British
  rivarlry in North America
• At certain point, didnt need British protection,
  resented high taxes.
• Increasing colonial unity throughout the colonial
  period!!!

5
The Shaping and Peopling of North America

• How did North America get the shape it has today?
• Pangea
• Continental shifting and foldingseparated
  continents and created landmasses of today
• How and when did the first Americans arrive on
  the continent?
• Crude boat theory
• Most widely accepted? Bering Strait
  (35,000-10,000 years ago)
• Migrations to South America (by 1492, 54 million
  people in both continents)

6
First American Civilizations

• Central America Sophisticated civilizations
• Incas
• Mayans
• Aztecs
• What was the role of agriculture?
• People settled where they could grow staple crops
• CORN first major source of food in Mexico
• Absence of agriculture explains lack of
  sophisticated and unified native populations in
  North America.

7
North American Native Populations

• Smaller, more scattered populations
• Ex. Mound Builders in Ohio River Balley,
  settlement of Cahokia, Anasazis
• After 1000 A.D., developments in agriculture in
  North helped native populations grow.
• Iroquois largest, most sophisticated native
  population in North America.
• Small size and lack of unity meant natives in
  North especially vulnerable to European conquest.

8
Who were the indirect discoverers of the New
World?

• Scandinavians in 1000 A.D.
• Christian Crusaders (1000-1300)created cravings
  for exotic goods and shorter route to Asia.
• Marco Polos tales of China (1295)
• Portuguese advances Caravel and special routes
  that could get them to Africa and back

9
How did the slave trade begin?

• Portuguese set up trading posts along West
  African coastto purchase gold and slaves
• Slave trade had already started between Arabs and
  Africans
• Portuguese sped up slave tradeused labor to work
  sugar plantations on African coastal islands.
• Set up a system that Spain would later use when
  it began to colonize New World.

10
Why did Spain take the lead in European
exploration in 1492?

• Unification under Ferdinand and Isabella
• Expulsion of the Moors
• Spanish eager to prove their power over
  Portuguese by exploring West.
• Impact of Renaissance
• New technology printing press, compass
• SPAIN HAD THE UNITY, WEALTH AND POWER TO UNDERGO
  DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST.

11
What was the impact of Columbuss voyages?

• Voyage huge mistake Thought he would find
  shorter route to Asia (the Indies), then hit
  America!
• Set up a new global, interdependent economy
• Europe provided markets, money and technology
• Africa labor
• New World Raw materials

12
The Columbian Exchange

• From the Old World Wheat, sugar, rice, coffee,
  HORSES, cows, DISEASE!!!
• From the New World GOLD, SILVER, corn, potatoes,
  tobacco
• IMPACT In the centuries after Columbuss
  arrival, about 90 of Native Americans killed.

13
The Spanish Conquistadores

• Spain won domination of New World with Treaty of
  Tordesillas with Portugal (1494)
• Spanish conquistadors went to Carribean and New
  World for two reasons
• To serve God
• For gold and glory
• Exploration in North America (Coronado, de Leon)
• Conquest in South America (Pizarro and Incas,
  Cortes and Aztecs)

14
The Spanish in America

• Empire grew quicklyesp. in Peru and Mexico
• Competition with other powers for land (esp.
  French) led Spanish to build forts? St. Augustine
  in Florida (1565)
• Spanish began exploring Northsettlements in New
  Mexico in 1609, Texas in 1716, San Diego in 1769

15
Spanish Treatment of Native Americans

• Used Carribean islands as bases for American
  conquest
• Began encomienda system in West Indies
  enslavement of native population
• Missions to christianize and civilize Indians.
• Resistance among Native Americans Pueblo Revolt
  in New Mexico
• Black Legend?
• Spanish empire v. British empire