Ch 1.1 The Americas, West Africa, and Europe

 

 

 

Ancient Cultures in the Americas

1.    40k years ago, humans crossed the Bering Strait (Beringia)

a.    looking for food

 

2.    Hunting and Gathering

a.    Wooly mammoth was main source of food, clothing, and tools

b.    12-10k years ago, Ice Age ended

                                                  i.    Immigrants to North America started gathering food

3.    Agriculture Develops

a.    Agricultural revolution in Mexico 10-5k years ago

                                                  i.    Grew maize, corn, peppers, beans

4.    Maya, Aztec, and Inca Societies Fourish     

a.    Easy storage of food created more time to develop society

b.    Olmecs created a thriving civilization, but collapsed in 400 B.C.

c.    From the collapse, Maya and Aztecs rose (A.D. 250 – 900 and 1200’s respectively)

d.    Inca in South America, created glittering empire

5.    Complex Societies Arise in North America

a.    Hohokam and Anasazi introduced corn, beans, and squash in the Southwest

                                                  i.    Hohokam settled in Salt and Gila rivers (Arizona)

                                                ii.    Anasazi took the modern day four corners region

b.    Adena, Hopewell, Mississippian took east of Mississippi river

                                                  i.    Excelled at trade and building massive earth structures

Native American Societies of the 1400’s

1.    California and the Northwest Coast

a.    Kashaya Pomo (central coast), Yurok, Hupa ( north of Kashaya Pomo)

                                                  i.    Hunted waterfowl, fished in streams

b.    Kwakiutl, Nootka, Haida from ( Alaska to Oregon)

                                                  i.    Collected shellfish and hunted in ocean, harvested salmon

                                                ii.    Kwakiutl organized potlatches, (like potluck!)

1.    host family gave stuff away

2.    The Southwest

a.    Pueblo and Pima tribes (from Hohokam and Anasazi)

                                                  i.    Tougher life, built adobe multi-story houses near Rio Grande river.

                                                ii.    Underground kivas, ceremonial chambers

3.    Eastern Woodlands

a.    Iroquois  in northeast

                                                  i.    hunted game ( wild turkeys, deer, bear)

                                                ii.    made tools to craft winter gear

b.    People in warm southeast

                                                  i.    Could live off the land, grew corn, squash, beans.

4.    Trading Networks

a.    Each Native American tribe was known for a special skill

                                                  i.    Nootka = whaling, Ojibwa = wild rice, Taos = pottery

                                                ii.    Trade routes stretched from east to west, wherever tribes met

5.    Values of  the Land

a.    Native Americans thought land was sacred

                                                  i.    Did not sell land, tried to alter as little as possible

6.    Religious Beliefs and Social Organization

a.    Religion:

                                                  i.    Native Americans thought all living and nonliving things had spirits

b.    Social Organization:

                                                  i.    Family was the most basic structure of society

1.    broke up to hunt, but reassemble for ceremonies

West African Societies of the 1400’s

1.    Songhai Kingdom

a.    Controlled LOTS of trade (trans-sahara)

                                                  i.    Rulers taxed heavily, grew rich

b.    As a result of taxing, rulers expanded military, cities, and land

2.    Benin Kingdom (Niger Delta)

a.    Oba (leader) named Ewuare developed Benin City

                                                  i.    Headed organized system of government

3.    Kongo Kingdom (Congo River)

a.    Leader held small kingdoms together with marriage, tax, or war

b.    Kongo was a monarchy, just like Europeans

4.    West African Culture

a.    Family     

                                                  i.    Age = rank, oldest member had power over all

b.    Political Leaders

                                                  i.    Used religion to claim authority

1.      West Africans believed in spirits, like Native Americans

c.    Believed in one God

                                                  i.    Understood Christianity and Islam

d.    Believed in collective ownership of land

5.    Trading Patters with the Wider World

a.    Songhai kingdom traded metals from the Sahara

b.    Trading brought Islam, embraced by Songhai

6.    The Portuguese

a.    Built sugar plantations

                                                  i.    Imported slaves from West Africa

b.    Slave trade and sugar plants became model to America

                                                  i.    America started to import slaves

 

 

European Societies of the 1400’s

1.Social Hierarchy

a.    Monarchs/ nobles, clergy, landowners, peasants

                                                ii.    Exchanged responsibilities

2.    Not much class change, EXCEPT merchants

2. Christianity Shapes the Euro Outlook
1. Roman Catholic Church

                                          i.    Role of priests to convey messages

2. Christianity

                                          i.    Bible encouraged conversion

3. Muslim armies arrived in 600’s, fought and conquered
4. Christian armies launched Crusades to re-conquer the Holy Land, but failed

                                          i.    Crusades sparked trade, decreased power of nobles and clergy

1.    Reformation divided Christianity into Catholicism and Protestantism

3. Commerce Expands and Nations Arise
1. Crusades opened up trade routes, Euro’s got spices from Asia
2. In Italy, 2 types of modern business functions

                                          i.    Checks/credit amongst businesses

                                        ii.    Joint-stock companies

3. By 1400’s, Portugal, Spain, England, France rose to power

                                          i.    Collected taxes, expanded land

                                        ii.    Invested taxes in weapons to conquer land to get wealth

4. Renaissance Spirit Takes Hold (rebirth)
1. Sparked philosophy, art, math, science, and geography
2. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael

                                          i.    Religious themes

3. Artists inspired people like Chris Columbus to travel
4. Johann Gutenberg’s movable type helped spread Renaissance
4. Europe Enters a New Age of Expansion
1. Marco Polo tried to journey to China in 1200’s

b. Due to the harsh journeys, Europeans tried to map other ways by sea

6. Sailing Technology Improves
1. Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal

                                          i.    Sailed along West African Coast for 40 years

2. Bartolomeu Dias (1488)

                                          i.    Reached Southern African tip

3. Vasco da Gama made it to India (1458)

d. Columbus thought of sailing west to Asia instead