New World Beginnings 33 000 B C 1769

New World Beginnings 33, 000 B. C. - 1769 A. D.

The First Discoverers n The Bering Land Bridge was formed during the Ice Age by glacial ice caps lowering the sea level.

Ice Age Migrations n. Hunter-gatherers from Siberia crossed the land bridge following wild game and settled in the New World.

n. These intrepid travelers became the ancestors of the Native Americans – in this sense they were the true discovers of America.

The Corridor Closes n Around 10, 000 B. C. the ice caps began to melt and the land bridge disappeared cutting off the migrations.

The Filling of the New World n By the time of the European contact in 1492 it is estimated that 72 million people inhabited the two continents.

Diversity of Culture n The Native Americans developed a great diversity of culture with over two thousand separate languages.

n Civilizations ranged from hunter- gathers to complex urbanized agricultural civilizations.

n The Native Americans established large, bustling cities, made strikingly accurate astronomical observations and had highly developed systems of mathematics.

Development of Agriculture n The size and sophistication of Native American civilizations in Mexico and South America can best be attributed to the development of agriculture.

n Agrarian systems were based on the “three sisters” planting system of corn (maize), beans and squash – with corn being the most important staple crop.

Development Patterns n Native American (Indian) civilization was more highly developed in Central and South America.

n By the arrival of the Europeans much of North America was thinly populated with vast areas virtually untouched.

n Most Native Americans in the North lived in small, scattered, and impermanent settlements.

The Iroquois Confederacy n One major exception to this in North America was the Iroquois Confederacy which was able to dominate its neighbors through military alliances, sustained by political and organizational skills.

Indirect Discoverers n. Vikings establish colonies of Vinland in Nova Scotia c. 1000 A. D.

n. The Scandinavians lacked a centralized Nation-State and so did not support these settlements.

The Crusaders n The Christian crusaders were indirectly responsible for the discovery of America because they brought back news of valuable Far Eastern spices, drugs, and silk

Marco Polo n The Venetian trader Marco Polo a

Reasons for Exploration

The Renaissance

n. Political unification and the rise of absolute monarchs. n. Nationalism

n. Reformation and Counter- Reformation n. Italian spice monopoly and the fall of Constantinople to the Muslims. n. Spanish Reconquista

n Europeans wanted to discover a new, shorter route to eastern Asia in order to ubreak the hold that Muslim merchants had on trade with Asia, ureduce the price of goods from Asia and ugain more profits for themselves.

Early Exploration n Portugal under Prince Henry the Navigator wanted to establish a trade route to the East around Africa.

The Caravel n The development of the new sailing ship the Caravel allowed for closer sailing to the wind.

n The new technology allowed the Portuguese to begin sailing south along the coast of Africa.

Navigational Tools Compass Cross-staff Quadrant

Bartholomew Diaz n In 1487, Diaz rounded the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, but the fear of mutiny forced him to return to Portugal.

Vasco da Gama n Da Gama, with the aid of an Arab pilot, made a successful journey across the Arabian Sea to the Indian port of Calicut.

n He returned with a great profit in spices.

The Plantation System n Plantation slavery is established in Africa by the Portuguese.

Spain and Glory n Spain was united into a single nation-state when the African Moors were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula.

n This event (the Reconquista) was brought about by the unification of the Houses of Aragon and Castile with the marriage of Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon.

Christopher Columbus n Genovese sailor / navigator - he persuaded Queen Isabella of Castille of the possibility of finding a direct route to Asia by the west across the Atlantic.

n. He set sail on August 3, 1492 with three ships - the Niña, The Pinta, and the Santa Maria.

n He landed on Salvador island on October 12 believing he had reached the outskirts of the Indies.

Columbus would go to his death believing he had found a new route to the Indies. n His name for the native peoples, Indians, would stick. n

Catholic Conflict n The Spanish and the Portuguese sought intercession from the Pope to avoid conflict over the new lands. n Treaty of Tordesillas divided the new lands between Spain in the west and Portugal in the

Economic Contact n A new interdependent global economic system emerged after Columbus's discovery n Europe provided markets, technology and capital. n While the New World provided the raw materials.

The Old and New World Exchange n Plants and animals from distant ecosystems were introduced and exchanged.

n From America: beans, peppers, maize (corn), pumpkin and squash, tomato, potato and tobacco.

n From Europe: apple, peach, citrus, eggplant, olive, sugar cane.

Population Explosion n. The introduction of American plants around the world resulted in rapid population growth in Europe.

Price Revolution n The flood of precious metal from the New World to Europe resulted in a price revolution that raised prices causing inflation.

n. Gold and Silver from the New World also led to the growth of capitalism

Animals were brought from Europe: n Horses n Pigs n Cattle

Europeans also brought diseases. n Smallpox n Malaria n Yellow Fever.

n Native American populations were quickly decimated. n It is estimated that 90% of the native population died within a century.

Explorers and Conquistadors n Spain became the leading European explorer and colonizer of the New World

Major Explorers n. Ponce de Leon explored Florida in search of the “Fountain of Youth. ”

n. Coronado explored the desert southwest in search of the “Seven Cities of Cibola. ”

n. Hernando de Soto explored the South and crossed the Mississippi River.

n. Vasco Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and saw the Pacific Ocean.

n Ferdinand Magellan sailed around the tip of South America and his crew finished the first circumnavigation of the globe.

FERDINAND MAGELLAN

Conquistadors n. Spanish Conquistadors both explored and conquered parts of the Caribbean, Central America, South America and Mexico.

Notable Conquistadors n. Hernan Cortes destroyed the Aztec Empire in 1521.

n. Francisco Pizarro defeated the Incas in 1532.

The Encomienda System n. The institution of encomienda allowed the European governments to give Indians to colonists if they promised to Christianize them.

n The Spanish soldiers and missionaries mistreated and killed thousands of Native Americans.

The Spread of Spanish Culture. n By the end of the 16 th century Spain began to fortify and settle its northern borderlands in order to protect its southern domains from encroachments by England France.

n A Spanish expedition established the settlement of New Mexico in 1609. n By this time Mexico had many large cities.

Pope’s Rebellion n. In 1680 the Pueblo Indians destroyed every Catholic church in the province of New Mexico , but the Spanish returned by the 1700 s.

Texas and California n The Spanish began to establish strings of forts and missions in Texas and California during the 1700 s.