Transatlantic Encounters and Colonial Beginnings 1450 1690 Questions
Transatlantic Encounters and Colonial Beginnings 1450 -1690
Questions �How did the people in Mesoamerica and the Andes region compare and contrast with the people in North America? �What forces led to the Age of Exploration? �What are the similarities & differences among the Spanish, French, & British patterns of colonization in America? � What were the advantages & disadvantages of Spanish, French, & English colonial patterns in terms of long-term colonization in America?
Early Inhabitants of the Americas �Migration began 35, 000 -15, 000 years ago �Cut off from the Eastern Hemisphere �Agriculture independently invented �Nomadic hunters and gatherers �Spread throughout North and South America
Early Mesoamericans � 3, 000 BCE – settlement in Central and South America �Crops such as maize, squash, beans, tomatoes, and potatoes are cultivated �Settlements developed into large, complex societies �Few animals were domesticated �Human labor supplied the work of agriculture �Religious centers developed into cities along the Gulf of Mexico � 1, 200 BCE – emergence of the Olmec
The Maya �Emerged during the 3 rd century BCE �Lived in modern day Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and southern Mexico �Developed a system of writing �Made advances in math and astronomy �Developed an accurate calendar �Organized into city-states
Teotihuacan and the Aztecs �Teotihuacan was a center of religion and government �Believed to be the first great city of the Western Hemisphere �Population estimated to have been between 125, 000200, 000 �The Toltecs unified central Mexico after the decline of Teotihuacan �The Aztec replaced the Toltec after the exile of the Toltec leader Topilzin
The Aztec �The main city was Tenochtitlan with an estimated population of 300, 000 at its height �The Aztec drained swamps, constructed irrigation works and terraces, and used floating gardens (chinampas) �Chinampas boosted agricultural production �The Aztec rose to power through military might and aggressive expansion �Imposed a tribute system on conquered peoples to support Tenochtitlan
Andean Civilizations �The Chavin emerged in the region of modern day Peru around the time of the Olmec in Mesoamerica �After the decline of the Chavin, the Moche flourished from 100 -700 CE �The Moche built an irrigation system and cultivated maize, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes, and coca �The Inca became the most powerful civilization in the Andes region �A system of roads connected the empire, and runners carried messages so the ruler could keep in touch with his subjects
The People of North America �No major civilization controlled large amounts of land in North America �Different languages and lifestyles emerged in North America �Some groups were nomadic hunters of bison, deer, whales, seals, and walruses (in the Arctic region) �Some groups gathered nuts, berries, and roots to supplement fish or meat �Development of agriculture did allow permanent settlements to grow
The Anasazi �Developed in the southwestern United States �Used river water to irrigate their crops of maize, beans, squash, and sunflowers �By 700 CE, the Anasazi constructed permanent pueblos (stone and adobe buildings) �Most pueblos contained a ritual enclosure called kivas �Villages were connected by roads �The Anasazi abandoned the area by about 1300
Eastern Woodland Cultures �Agricultural societies emerged in the woodlands east of the Mississippi River �Cultivated maize and beans �Lived in an environment with abundant trees and rain �Many built earthen mounds used for ceremonial stages, dwellings, and burial sites �The largest mound settlement was at Cahokia �Mound settlements began to be abandoned around 1300 – the same time the Anasazi began to abandon their dwellings
The People of North America �By 1450 most people lived in small kinship-based groups �Variety of languages spoken �Observed different customs �Nomadism and subsistence agriculture was common �Population estimated to be 10 -25 million at the time of contact with Europeans �Settled societies generally traced lineage through matrilineal descent �Nomadic groups generally traced lineage through patrilineal descent
The Iroquois Confederacy �North American group that came closest to mirroring the organizations of the Aztecs and Inca �Loose alliance of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas �Bound together by a common Iroquois language �Had the political and military organizational skills to dominate its neighbors �Hiawatha was leader who first organized the Iroquois
Voyages of European Exploration
The Columbian Exchange
Portuguese and Spanish Voyages � Portugal began explorations in the early 1400 s �Henry the Navigator led ventures down the African coast and established a navigation school �Navigation technology and advances in ship design pushed exploration forward �Bartholomew Dias and Vasco Da Gama set out to sail around the tip of Africa �In 1500, Pedro Cabral reached South America and claimed Brazil for Portugal �Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic for Spain
The Treaty of Tordesillas �Did Portugal or Spain control newly discovered lands? �In 1493, the Pope drew an imaginary line from north to south �Spain claimed all lands to the west of the line �Portugal claimed all lands to the east of the line �Brazil became Portugal’s only claim in the Eastern Hemisphere �Spain began to explore and colonize the Americas
Spanish Empire in the Americas �Conquistadors set out in search of gold and to convert Native Americans to Christianity �Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec in 1519 �Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca in 1532 �Native populations were decimated by disease �At the end of the 16 th Century, Spain had a massive empire in the New World
A World Transformed �Native Americans were eager for European trade; they were not initially victims of Spanish exploration �They became dependent on and indebted to Europeans �Disease decimated perhaps 95% of Native American population
The Spanish used the encomienda system to create large cash crop plantations using Native Spanish Conquests & Colonies American & African slave labor
From Plunder to Settlement �By 1650, 1/2 million Spaniards immigrated to the New World � Mostly unmarried males came to New World; intermarriage led to mixed-blood mestizos & mulattos � Distinguished between social classes: peninsulares & creoles � The Spanish gov’t operated strict control over the colonies
Spanish Settlements in North America Spanish missionaries focused heavily �Juan de Leon came to FL in 1513, searching on. Ponce converting Native Americans & for wealth andestablishing the fountain ofmissions youth �Francisco Cornoado searched for the seven golden cities of Cibola in 1540 �Hernan De Soto led an army in search of gold across the Southeast, and discovered the MS River �In 1565, St. Augustine, FL became the first permanent settlement in North America �Missions were established in FL and in NM and CA
Dutch Exploration and Settlement �Organized joint-stock companies like the Dutch East India Company �Initial Dutch explorations focused on East and Southeast Asia �In the late 17 th century, the Dutch entered the trans. Atlantic slave trade �In 1624, the Dutch West India Company established the colony of New Netherland �Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor and claimed the area for the Netherlands
Dutch Exploration and Settlement �Interested in extending trading network �Little interest in conquest �Took a practical approach with Native Americans that did not involve conquest or religious conversion �New Netherland was not a democracy �Land given to patroons who ruled like medieval lords �No elected assembly, but more religious freedom �Developed a diverse population �Women had some legal rights
French Explorations and Settlements �In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec; French Empire eventually included St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes, Mississippi �Because the fur trade was the basis of the colonial economy, Indians became valued trading partners (not exploitive like Spain) �Jesuit priests tried to convert the natives to Christianity �Population grew slowly in the French colonies due to the cold Canadian climate
Like Spain, the French gov’t encouraged converting Native Americans & establishing missions
British Beginnings in the New World �Britain was late in their attempts to explore and colonize the New World �Internal struggles and religious conflict took focus off colonization �Queen Elizabeth I brought stability to Britain �Defeat of the Spanish Armada made Britain a superior naval power �Britain’s first attempt at colonization was a failure (the “Lost Colony”)
British Beginnings in North America �In the 1600 s, English settlers arrived in North America �Several joint-stock companies were formed to begin English settlement �English colonization differed from Spanish & French because the English gov’t had no desire to create a centralized empire in the New World �Different motivations by English settlers led to different types of colonies
Migrating to the English Colonies � 17 th century England faced major social changes: �The most significant was a boom in population – led to competition for land, food, and jobs �British gov’t supported efforts to relocate their surplus population to North America (preserved law and order at home)
Migrating to the English Colonies �Motives for migration to America: �Religious: purer form of worship �Economic: Escape poverty or the threat of lifelong poverty �Personal: to escape bad marriages or jail terms �Migration to America was facilitated by the English Civil War & Glorious Revolution
Four Colonial Subcultures �The values of the migrants dictated the “personality” of the newly created colonies; led to distinct (not unified) colonies �The Chesapeake �New England �Middle Colonies �The Carolinas & Georgia
By the early 1600 s, Spain, England, & France had large territorial claims in North America (but these colonies were not heavily populated, especially in Spanish & French claims) These colonial claims came largely at the expense of the Native Americans already living there
Governments in North America �Govt’s in English colonies had more independence from Britain than Latin American colonies �Colonial govt’s were all organized differently �Govt’s had assemblies, often with two houses �Colonists came to think they should share the right to determine colonial rules and regulations �No authoritarian viceroys were established �Large urban areas did not develop until much later
Social Patterns �Less rigid social classes based on ethnicity developed in the English colonies � Southern colonies did eventually develop strict social classes between black and whites �Social classes in the middle and northern colonies were more fluid than in Latin American colonies �Most colonists were farmers, and labor patterns emerged differently than in Latin American colonies �Indentured servants and slaves were used primarily in the middle and southern colonies where larger farms developed
Questions �How did the people in Mesoamerica and the Andes region compare and contrast with the people in North America? �What forces led to the Age of Exploration? �What are the similarities & differences among the Spanish, French, & British patterns of colonization in America? � What were the advantages & disadvantages of Spanish, French, & English colonial patterns in terms of long-term colonization in America?
Advantages for long-term colonization Spain France England Disadvantages for long-term colonization
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