Unit OnePre-Colonial Era

Chapter 1

What Europeans

Found:The American

Surprise.

Pre-Columbian America

Origin - Where did the Indians come from?• Bering Strait Theory

• Ice Age • Glacial land bridge.

Pre-Columbian America• Other European Theories

• descendants of seafaring Phoenicians, Chinese and Egyptians.

• one of the lost tribes of Israel.• Welshman• survivors of Plato’s lost city of

Atlantis.

Pre-Columbian America

• What America was like before the arrival of the Europeans?

• Population• 90 – 112 million• 600 languages• 500 tribes• Central & S. America more advanced.• life was centered in small villages and cities.• largest populations along the coast and major

rivers.

Pre-Columbian America

• Culture – determined by method of survival.• hunter gatherers - fishing• agricultural – maize, potatoes &

tomatoes.• mix of both

• physically mobile society• preserved natural resources for

future use.• NO HORSES UNTIL THE SPANISH

ARRIVE

Pre-Columbian America

• Political – Government• Great Council of the Iroquois Confederacy

• council of chiefs, chosen by older female members of the tribe.

• no power to make war.• planned defense.

• built infrastructure, roads, network of canals, aqueducts and buildings.

Pre-Columbian America• Native American Beliefs

• Northwest - Nez Perce - Coyote• Southwest - Hopi, Zuni, Pueblo

• “sipapu”• close spiritual bond with all creations

within their universe.• The Creator, The Master of Life, • The Great Spirit – Wakan Tanka

• Established a spiritual harmony with the land, learned to take care of resources and they would take care of them.

AGE OF EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY• Causes:

• Crusades (1095 - 1291)• Results???

AGE OF EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY

• Renaissance (1300 - 1600)• Definition?• Origins?• Stimulates interest in geography and navigation

AGE OF EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY

• Rise of Monarchs and National States• Absolute Monarchs• encourage

exploration• inspires new

technology & sailing techniques.

• Commercial Revolution (late 1400's)

Early Explorers• Leif Ericson

• “Vinland” (1000)• Iceland – Greenland• between New Found land, Canada

& Massachusetts.• Timber, fur, grapes & grain.

Early Explorers• Marco Polo (1271)

• opened trade with the east. • led to Columbus’ search for an

alternate route to the east.

Early Explorers• Prince Henry the Navigator - Portugal• Eastern Passage to Asia

• sought to undermine Muslim power on the Sea.

• Renaissance – “new learning”, open to new technology and methods of sailing.

• established maritime school, pushed explorers along the African coast line.

• opened up new areas of trade slaves, • ivory and gold.

Early Explorers• Bartholomew Diaz

(1488)• rounded the Cape of

Good Hope, southern tip of Africa.

• Vasco da Gama (1497 - 1498)• rounded the Cape of

Good Hope and • sailed to India.• returned with a cargo of

pepper and cinnamon,• worth 60 times more

than the cost of the voyage.

AGE OF EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY

• European Advantages over the Native Americans• Weapons: firearms & gun

powder more powerful than bows and arrows, bows and arrows more accurate. Native Americans did not have horses.

• Agricultural: able to produce more and support colonists.

AGE OF EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY

• Manufactured Goods• variety • able to barter with Indians

• Immunity: Native Americans susceptible to European diseases; small pox, measles

• Political Organization - Indians were separated due to a long history of rivalries and conflict.

Christopher Columbus• Biography

• Born 1451, Genoa Italy• Son of a textile merchant• Fascinated by the Sea• Sailor by age 22

• Learns winds and currents• Becomes respected Sailor• Sails all over eastern

Atlantic• Ireland to Southern Africa

Christopher Columbus• Settles in Lisbon, Portugal• Dreams of the Westward Sail

• Motivated by reading Marco Polo• Attempted by others but failed

• Distance / fear • Enterprise of the Indies

• Financing for westward sail• Expensive but profitable• Seeks monarchy funding

Christopher Columbus

• Asked King John II• Portugal • Denied

• Felt Columbus was a dreamer, chasing an idea known to be wrong.

• Columbus was going to a place he already knew how to get to.

• Had commission Bartholomew Dias.

Discovery of America (1492) – First Voyage

• Queen Isabella of Spain• background

• married King Ferdinand of Aragon

• arranged marriage, combined kingdoms

• expelled Moors from Granada.• commissioned the voyage to find a

western passage to India.• did so to counter Portuguese

success

Discovery of America (1492) –

First Voyage

• Departure: August 3, 1492 - Santa Maria, the Nina & Pinta

• Goal of trip: “Enterprise of the Indies”• find west route to “the Indies”• establish trading post.

Discovery of America (1492) –

First Voyage • October 12, 1492 – Bahaman Islands• “San Salvador” – Holy Savior• “Outpost of the Indies”• What he found….

Discovery of America (1492) –

First Voyage • December 24, 1492 - Santa Maria sinks.• established trading post - “Navidad”

• January 16, 1493 - leaves for Spain• left 30 men on the island• took several natives with him to show

the Queen.• March 15, 1493 - arrives in Spain• Believes he has found island outposts of Asia, Japan and China.• Receive a heroes welcome;“Admiral of the Seas”

Discovery of America

• Other Voyages• Second Voyage

(1493 - 1494)• Antigua, St. Croix,

Virgin Is.• Navidad wiped out.• Founded Isabella

• little gold was found

• demanded too much tribute from natives.

Discovery of America• Third and Fourth Voyages

• 1498 - Southerly Route• landed in Trinidad, “Three

Mountains”• landed on American

continent – Venezuela• Suffered from angry

colonists unable to find riches & poor mismanagement

• 1502 - 1504: search for strait or passage.

• Central America

Outcome of Columbus Discovery

• Never found route to Asia• Never found treasure & riches• Initially viewed as a failure• Dies 1506

• Body lost• Never knew the extent of his discovery.• Always convinced that he had opened the

way to Asia.

Columbus’ Journeys

Historical Debate; Columbus Hero or Villain?

Hero• 1. Discovered New

World. • 2. Opened the W.

Hemisphere to western culture – Western culture superior.

• 3. Natives enslaved other tribes.

• 4. intro. Tobacco• 5. converted natives,

ended cannibalism

Villain• 1. Did not discover

America, Invaded it.• 2. It was a Cultural

encounter• 3. Opened Atlantic

Ocean to slave trade• 4. Genocide• 5. enslaved natives.• 6. intro. European

diseases.• 7. prejudice against

Native Americans.

Spanish Colonization• Spanish Colonization

• Reason• strengthen claims• secure gold, silver and valuable

agricultural produce. • (sugar – indigo)• convert the Native Americans to Catholicism

Dividing the New World

• Treaty of Tordesillas • Spain / Portugal • Extended Papal line to the

West• Portugal gets Brazil

• Papal Line of Demarcation• King John II –Portugal

• Protests to Pope• Portugal has rights to

new land• Pope Alexander VI

decrees• Line Of Demarcation• Spain to the West• Portugal to the East• Favored Spain

Why Called America?• America is named after Amerigo

Vespucci by Martin Waldseemuller.