Transcript US HIST 1 2010-2011

How it all began: The Ice Age



22,000 years ago - Beringia
Land Bridge – link between
Asia & the Americas
Walked on foot down the
Pacific Coast into the
Americas.
See how the end of the Ice
Age affected this migration
path:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beri
ngia

How did Ancient Americans
survive?
Hunting:



Wooly Mammoth provided
food, clothing, bones for
making shelter & tools.
When the Ice Age ended
12,000 – 10,000 years ago this
type of hunting
changed…WHY?
Temperatures warmed,
glaciers melted, and sea levels
rose, people could no longer
travel by foot to the Americas.
How did Ancient Americans
survive?

People began to gather, instead of
only hunting



Gathered nuts, berries, fruit,
grains, squash, beans
First crops: corn, pumpkins,
peppers, and beans.
How did the development of
agriculture change the Ancient
Americans’ life styles?
 People could stay in one place
and store food
 Societies evolved into
complex cultures
North American Societies Around
1492 – Native Americans



When Columbus arrives in the Americas in 1492 all of the Ancient
Americans had mysterious disappeared.
By 1492 the Native Americans inhabit the area. Most of the societies were
divided by region (in modern-day US):
 California
 Northwest Coast
 Southwest
 Eastern Woodlands
Despite diverse living conditions some cultural patterns emerged:
 Trade
 Land Use
 Religious Beliefs
 Social Organization
Trading Networks, Religion, Social Organization

Transcontinental trading allowed Native Americans to trade with
each other without direct contact.


As traders passed through they would goods hundreds of miles from
where they started.
Religion: Native Americans believed that the natural world was filled
with spirits.


Spirits of nature such as rain, wind, & sun.
Believed in one supreme being know as the “Great Spirit” or “the
Creator.”

Tribal customs depended on strong bonds between family members
and tribes.

Elders & Young


Elders would teach the young, and the young would respect them.
Men & Women
 Division of Labor - Each gender had different duties in the tribe
Native American & European
Interactions – A time of Peace…
…or a time of war?
Connecting it the present…


Do cultural norms (i.e. acceptable behaviors of a
group of people) impact interactions between
strangers? Can you think of an example where
this happened to you?
Maybe a time where you met someone different
than yourself? When visiting far away places
(towns, cities, states, etc)
 What happened?
 How did you feel?
 What did you think? Why?
Map of the World, according to
Europeans around 1492
European Culture & Values



Social Hierarchy – people were
organized according to rank.
Nuclear family – the household
was made up of a mother, father,
& children. (The extended family
did not play a huge role.)
Religion – Roman Catholic was
the dominant religion.


The leader of the church, known
as the Pope had power within the
church & government.
One of the main beliefs of the
Catholic Church was to spread
Christianity to other people &
countries while protecting
themselves.
Christianity & The Crusades



Examples of Protecting
Christianity:
SPAIN –
Reconquista/Reconquest to
defend their land from Muslim
control & influence  by 1492
they drove the Muslims out of
Spain.
Holy Land of JERUSALEM –
Christians did not want
Muslims to have access to the
Holy Land so they launched
the CRUSADES…
Crusades


Fighting took place from 1096 – 1270 and in the
end the Christians failed to get the Holy Land
only for themselves.
Consequences of the Crusades in Europe:



Sparked an increase in trading…WHY?
Many nobles lost their lives during the fighting,
allowing the monarchs to spend money they way they
liked...on overseas exploration.
Long-term: Decline of power held by the Pope.
Growth of Commerce & Population

Due to the Crusades and the trading that took
place between new people, Europeans now
wanted:





Silk
Porcelain
Tea
Rugs
More items to trade  more trades routes =
NEW MARKETS (more people trading & more
$$$)
The Rise of Nations

Due to the Crusades, monarchs gained new power.




Each monarch began to make more money for his/her country. The
wealthiest countries at the time were:





Collect new taxes
Increase the size of armies
Strengthen local governments
Portugal
Spain
France
England
Now that countries had more money, the monarch would
pay people of that country to explore overseas in order
to get new land & trade routes = MORE POWER &
MONEY for the home country!
The Renaissance



Renaissance – spiritual/artistic
movement that started in Italy
during the late 1400s and
spread throughout Europe.
Artists started designing
realistic paintings and
sculptures, by using new ideas
such as perspective.
The Renaissance helped
people to think of themselves
as individuals and to have
confidence.
Improvements in technology



What did ships before
Columbus use to sail from
country to country?
The creation of a compass
improve navigation so the
ships could stay on course.
The Caravel – NEW triangle
shaped sails to use against the
wind.
The Caravel
Why were Europeans ready to
explore?

Think about the six events that lead up to
European Exploration:






Christianity/The Crusades
The growth of Commerce & Population
The rise of nations
The Renaissance
Improvement in sailing technology
In partners, please explain why each event
encouraged or promoted European exploration?
What do you think?

In what ways are Native American beliefs similar
to Europeans and what ways are they different?

How did these cultures interact with each other?

What new ideas do they share with each other?

How do cultures respond when they interact with
new ideas?