Social Studies Grade 7

1
Social Studies Grade 7

• Before the First Global Age
• Chapter 2

2
First Civilizations of the Americas

• Reaching the Americas
• Historians believe early Americans crossed into
  North America via a land bridge from Asia during
  the last Ice Age.
• During this Ice Age thick sheets of ice called
  glaciers covered almost 1/3 of the earth
• Glaciers are believed to have uncovered a land
  bridge joining Asia with Alaska in NA.
• One theory of peoples arrival in NA is that
  nomadic hunters crossed this land bridge tracking
  herds of animals.

3

• With the end of the last Ice Age temperatures
  rose, glaciers melted and the land bridge
  disappeared under the Bering Strait.
• At the same time some types of large animals died
  out and forced hunters to adapt turning to
  hunting/gathering and then farming for food.

4
Farming brought great changes
No longer need to move to follow food
Permanent settlements develop
Allow Population To increase
Food surplus Allow for Specialized skills
5
Mayan Civilization

• Lived in the rain forests of Guatemala and Mexico
• Highly skilled farmers
• Well defined social classes highest being
  priests, lowest slaves
• Study of astronomy allowed for creation of an
  accurate calendar and prediction of eclipses
• Skilled mathematicians developed a numbers system
  including zero
• Around 900A.D. they abandoned their cities
  perhaps due to warfare or drought

6
Aztec Civilization

• Developed a powerful empire in central Mexico
  during the 1300s
• Capital city of Tenochtitlan was built on an
  island connecting the city to mainland using
  raised roads made of packed earth called
  causeways
• Skilled farmers using floating gardens raise
  large amounts of crops
• Aztec priests preformed rituals designed to
  please Aztec gods including human sacrifice to
  their sun god
• The Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes conquered
  the Aztecs in 1519

7
Incan Civilization

• By 1500s the empire stretched 2,500 miles along
  the west coast of SA
• To unite their empire the Incas built an
  extensive road system
• Runners throughout the empire carried quipu a
  device made of cord and knots used for
  calculations
• Skilled engineers built stone temples and forts
• Farmers developed a terrace system to grow crops
  on mountainsides

8
Early Cultures in North America

• The Hohokam lived in Arizona about 2000 years
  ago.
• Developed irrigation system to farm in the desert

• Anasazi lived in the area of the US 4 corners
• -used irrigation in the desert to farm
• Built homes in cliffs of adobe
• -Spanish called these homes pueblos which means
  village

9
Mound Builders

• Various cultures that built large earth mounds
  about 3000 years ago
• First mounds were built for burial later mounds
  were used for religious ceremonies
• Hopewell's and Mississippians are the best known
  group of Mound Builders
• Cahokia was the largest city in present day
  Illinois
• About 30,000 people lived there at one time

10
Culture and Culture Areas

• Culture is the entire way of life of a people
• Including homes, clothing, economy, arts and
  government
• Culture Area is a region in which people share a
  similar way of life
• A tribe is a community of people that share
  common customs, language and rituals in a culture
  area

11
Life in different culture areas

• Native Americans developed ways to meet their
  needs of food, shelter and clothing
• Tribes hunted and gathered fruits and nuts
• Built canoes from trees to fish
• Farmed wide varieties of corn
• Natives traded amongst tribes to exchange goods
  from other places

12
Climate and resources affect Native American
cultures

• Climate shaped Native American cultures
• In harsh climates resources are limited, people
  struggle to find food and shelter in these
  regions people were often nomadic.

In areas of milder climate complex cultures
emerge. Warm growing seasons allowed people to
build permanent villages and trade with nearby
groups.
13
Native American shared beliefs

• Native Americans share a deep respect for nature
• People felt a close bond to plants, animals and
  forces of nature.
• Prayer and ceremonies honored spirits
• Religious ceremonies were designed to maintain a
  balance between people and nature

14
Iroquois

• The Iroquois are 5 tribes which spoke a similar
  language in New York
• Mohawk, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga
• Called themselves People of the Long House
  after their homes
• Typical long house was about 150 ft long, housed
  12 or more families
• -Women owned all property and chose the clan
  leaders
• -Tribal leaders called sachems met once a year to
  make decisions for the League of the Iroquois.

15
African and Asian trade networks

• Long distance travel and trade increased between
  Europe, Asia and Africa in 1400s beginning 1st
  global age.
• Arab merchants played a large role in growing
  trade and the spread of Islam.
• Overland routes between Asia, Middle East and
  China known as Silk Road because of silks traded.
• Porcelain and silk from China, cloth from India,
  ivory and gold from Africa and spices from Asia
  are all traded on the Silk Road

16
The Middle Ages

• About 500-1400AD
• Feudalism a system of rule by lords who ruled
  their land but owed loyalty and military service
  to the monarch.
• Life revolved around the manor, including a
  castle, several villages and land around it.
• The Crusades were a series of wars fought by
  Christians and Muslims between 1100-1300 over
  control of the Holy Lands.
• Crusaders went from living on Manors to
  experiencing the exotic foods and silks of the
  Middle East. TRADE INCREASES
• New trade make use of navigation instruments
• Astrolabe an instrument which helped sailors
  determine latitude

17
The Renaissance

• Increased trade and travel made Europeans eager
  to learn about the world.
• The burst of learning known as the Renaissance,
  meaning rebirth lasted between the 1300-1600s.
• 1430s invention of printing press by Gutenberg
  made books widely available
• Learning spread quickly

18
Search for Trade Routes

• Muslim and Italian merchants controlled trade
  routes through the Mediterranean Sea.
• England, France, Spain, Portugal all looking for
  their own trade routes to the wealth of Asia

19
Portuguese Exploration

• Looking for their own route to Asia they travel
  south around Africa, through the Indian Ocean to
  the east.
• Prince Henry, AKA Henry the Navigator, set up
  school to teach sailors navigation and ship
  building.
• 1497 Vasco da Gama - 1st Portuguese to round
  Cape of Good Hope, cross the Indian Ocean to East
  Indies and Asia giving a source of valuable spices