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Summary Aspects of the USA
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This is a summary of the book: Aspects of the USA, written by David Marler. It covers every chapter and all of the keywords are included.
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Aspects of the USAChapter 1: American history before 1700
America’s Indigenous Peoples
Settlement of America:
1. Beringia (Large land mass, near North Pacific Ocean) begins to disappear.
Earth begins to warm, ice receeds northwards.
2. Indigenous Americans cross the Bering into North America.
15.000 years ago.
3. Paleolithic hunter-gatherers began to spread out, living in tribes.
The Plains Indians were a Nomadic tribe. They lived in teepees and travelled long distances following
herds of buffalo. This is a way of life often depicted in popular culture, though many tribes lived a
very different lifestyle.
Wampanoags:
A tribe on the East Coast;
Seminomadic;
Moving through two locations during the year
Matrilineal family structure;
Property and family centered on a matriarch.
First greeted the English Pelgrims.
Historians estimate that around two million people lived in what is now the US when Columbus
arrived in 1492.
Christopher Columbus named the indigenous Americans Indian.
He incorrectly thought he had reached Asia.
Some indigenous Americans, however, prefer the term Native American or American Indian. It is also
commonly acceptable to refer to American Indians by the name of their tribe.
Leif Erikson first person to reach North America.
1000 CE, so nearly 500 years before Columbus.
Not regarderd as important because his arrivel did not bring about the era of European
exploration.
Christopher Columbus:
Made four voyages to the Americas between 1492 and 1504.
He never set foot on what is now considered the United States.
The New World had been inhabited for at least 14.000 years so he did not ‘discover’ the
Americas.
Met by Arawak people of Hispaniola.
Haiti and Dominican Republic.
1
,Christopher Columbus is a controversial historical figure. His arrival meant the decimation of nearly
the entire population. Native peoples culture is not talked about nearly as much, even it matters just
as much. People tend to admire a culture with great resemblance to their own. Cultures with an oral
tradition are often thought of as less and primitive.
Indigenous people have made some remarkable accomplishments:
Maize or corn is believed to be first domesticated in Mexico. The indigenous people were able to
pollinate the crop into a rich source of nutrients that is a staple in both Mexican and American diets
to this day.
Even more special is the fact they made it possible for the corn to be able to adapt to new
climates.
The same goes for foods like potatoes, corn, quinoa and cacao.
Export of some of the previously mentioned products made colonization profitable for the
Europeans, especially tobacco.
Ceremonial role for Native Americans, for pleasure in Europe.
In addition to being very skillful with farming, Native Americans were great builders too.
Age of Exploration 1492-1700
Conquistadores: Group of Spanish explorers.
Part of a larger movement of Europeans in the 15 th, 16th and 17th century to explore the world.
St. Augustine: Capital of Spanish Florida, founded in 1565.
The French, Spanish, Portuguese and English explored the Americas. Even though the English only
made up a small part, they were the most influential. The Spanish owned the most land, due to the
vast amount of power that was consolidated into one throne with the marriage of Queen Isabella I of
Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1469.
While Christopher Columbus travelled to the Americas for the first time, Europeans were searching
for a quicker way to reach Asia from Western Europe. People had travelled the Silk Route for
centuries but the Mediterranean was controlled by the Turks and Venetians.
Columbus convinced Isabella and Ferdinand to allow him to travel westwards across the Atlantic
Ocean, as the Portuguese tried going southwards.
2 important conquistadores:
1. Juan Ponce de Léon
First European in Puerto Rico and Florida in 1513
2. Hernando de Soto
First European to reach the Mississippi.
As mentioned before, the Conquistadores were not unproblematic. They are partially to blame for
the downfall of cultures, like the Aztecs in Mexico and native tribes in North America.
Great dying: Massive loss of life due to disease.
2
,Traces of Spanish colonization:
Names such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, etc.
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the US.
Motivation for the exploration of North America:
Some wanted to find a route to Asia.
Search for the riches the Spanish had brought with them when they conquered Mesoamerica
Queen Elizabeth I of England gave Sir Walter Raleigh permission to set up a colony in North America.
Raleigh stayed in England and delegated the establishment of colonies to others.
Raleigh’s first mission:
1. First semi-permanent colony was established in 1585 on Roanoke Island.
Did not get much resistence.
2. A lack of gold and silver and poor provisions caused a loss of morale. Besides, hostilities between
the English and Secotan grew.
3. The English were demotivated so badly, they decided to go leave the colony and return to England.
4. Attack a Spanish vessel on their way home, meaning they got some riches and the trip was
profitable after all.
The second time was less successful. Local tribes were not as welcoming this time. One of the
leaders, John White, was sent back home to ask for help. He had to stay there, due to a war between
Spain and England. Because of problems with his ship, he was unable to return and therefore could
not see what had happened in the three years he was absent.
Roanoke colony: The lost colony.
But what has happened to the colonists? Experts hypothesize about it all the time. Could they have
been murdered? Have they assimilated with local tribes? Did they try to sail back to England but sunk
on the way? No one knows to this day.
Jamestown: First permanent colony in 1607.
Not successful at first:
Many of the first colonists died of starvation;
Colony was abandoned due to the hardships colonists faced;
Many colonists were astocrats and were not used to the large amount of physical labour.
Hostility from native tribes.
1610: Jamestown becomes viable and stable.
Partially due to the trade of fur, tabacco and other goods.
Indentured servants: People who came to the New World to work (slavery).
Passage is paid for by a sponsor, but is forced to work off debt without receiving wages.
The difference between indentured servants and slaves is that there was no hope for freedom for
slaves.
3
, Change of situation in England:
1. With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, the throne was passed on to her nephew James I.
2. Religion becomes a large issue.
Uncertainty about which form of protestantism should form the new church of England. At first,
the Church of England closely resembled the Catholic Church. After the throne had been used by
different monarchs, rules became stricter.
Non-comfortmists: People who were not a member of the Church of England.
Severely punished by James I.
Puritans: Believed the Church of England should base its religious practices and teachings on the
theology of John Calvin.
Greatly affected by the new laws.
Seperatists: Believed a new church should be formed around Calvin’s religious principles.
Had to pay a fine or were imprisoned in case they did not attend the Church.
Many Puritans moved to Leiden, calling themselves pilgrims.
Goal is to set up a new religious Calvinist church.
A large group of Pilgrims set sail for the Virginia Colony in the New World in 1620. They had
permission of the Crown. They did however not reach Virginia. Because of this navigational blunder,
the colony they had established so far had not been approved by the crown.
Mayflower: The ship they sailed on.
Mayflower Compact: This new free colony would exist as a democratic political body.
First form of Democracy in the US.
Core foundations of US history:
Mayflower;
Pilgrims story;
Mayflower compact.
This all had a large impact on the country that would eventually be formed 150 years after the
Pilgrims landed in the New World.
In addition to the basic trouble the colonizers faced, being able to farm the North American land
proved to be challenging as well.
The Wampanoag tribe introduced the Pilgrims to Squanto. Squanto was a native American, capable
of speaking English. He was a slave who made his way back to North America. Squanto taught the
Pilgrims how to farm corn. In 1621, they had their first successful harvest.
To celebrate this, Thanksgiving was organized.
Thanksgiving is a bit of a misleading holiday. It it supposed to symbolize harmony. But to what extent
was there really harmony? A governor decided that the Wampanoags had not subdued the land, and
therefore only had a natural right to it, but not a civil right. This way, American Indians were forced
off their own land to make space for European colonists.
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