Early American History Approx 10 000 BC 1492

Early American History Approx. 10, 000 BC – 1492 AD Mrs. Quimby US History I – Sophomores Quincy High School

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.

Clovis 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.

The Polynesians -> In about 1000 AD, the Polynesians set out from islands in the Pacific. • The Polynesians were sailors and explorers – they had discovered and settled over a thousand islands in the Pacific. • The Polynesians also discovered New Zealand Hawaii! -> The craft used by the Polynesians was the waʻa kaulua – a doublehulled seagoing canoe. • The Polynesians were considered to be the best sailors of the time, and some of the only people to risk open water voyages!

The Polynesians • The Polynesians didn’t make a permanent settlement (that we know of) however, we know they landed in America! -> The sweet potato – The sweet potato is not native to Hawaii or the Polynesian islands, but it existed there before Europeans explored the area. This means the Polynesians had to have some trade with Native American cultures. -> The chicken – Chicken bones have been discovered in Chile – the chicken was thought to be brought over by the Spanish, but after carbon dating the chicken bones, historians realize they had to have been brought there earlier! -> Skull shape – Anthropologists have discovered skulls on the coast of Chile that have the same shapes as Polynesian skulls, and date to the right time period. -> DNA evidence – DNA evidence is still being tested, but we know that a group of Chileans don’t have the same ‘haplogroup’ as other people in that country – this means they have different ancestors!

The Polynesians • Polynesian route:

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 and Polynesians? • 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 500 s. However, his trip was not well documented, and the story is most likely a legend. • The Chinese – A recent book claims that Admiral Zheng He from China may have landed in the Caribbean in the early 1400 s. 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. The English wanted a claim to the Americas, so Queen Elizabeth claimed he got there first!

The Vikings -> Perhaps the most well documented early ‘discovery’ of America was by the Vikings, in 1000 AD (the same time as the Polynesians) -> Leif Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, travelled from Iceland to Greenland, and then to Canada. • Another Viking – Bjarni Herjolfsson –had seen America from a distance, but never landed there. He told Leif about it, who saw the chance for settlement. • Leif started a permanent Viking settlement – called L'Anse aux Meadows – in Newfoundland Canada. • The Vikings used this as a base camp to explore North America, and there is evidence that they may have travelled as far west as Minnesota, and as far south as Massachusetts!

The Vikings

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 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.

Columbus • Eventually, Columbus would land in Hispanola – the island that is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. • Columbus started the settlement of the New World by Spain – the country that funded him and gave him ships. • However, historians still debate today whether this was a positive or a negative thing. • The question remains though – did Columbus really ‘discover’ America?

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 Polynesians reached the west coast, but didn’t leave a permanent settlement – however, their trade and intermixing with the local natives mean they were there in 1000 AD. • The Vikings reached America, and we have evidence of a settlement, but ultimately 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…

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.

Columbus • So, is Columbus a hero or a villain?

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 which can be very deadly.

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 (1500 s) 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’x 17’x 8’) 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 1500 s, by the 1600 s, England was getting into the colonization game. • By the late 1500 s, 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.