this is a studyguide and summary for unit 1 of the apush exam, with notes and mind maps from the first four chapters of the foner textbook give me liberty.
it covers america before european colonization, exploration of the americas, and the early english colonies.
Chapter One
What were the major patterns of Native life before the
Europeans?
→ Before the Europeans, there was lots of diversity in Native life.
● type of civilization depended on reliability of food source
○ dependable food source → permanent civilization
■ Pueblo peoples
● irrigation
■ Maya, Inca, Aztec
● conquest states
○ tribute
■ complex hunter gatherers
● stored food
■ all of these are the most complex peoples. they had more time to
work on trade and the arts because they didn’t have to worry about
food.
○ undependable → moving a lot!
● identity in the tribe
○ each tribe had their own language, religion, lifestyle
○ still… shared some traits
■ used 3 sisters
■ practiced some form of animism and polytheism, but usually with
one supreme god.
■ land was seen as something to be shared - community > individual
■ native women could divorce, societies were matrilineal, they played
important parts in religious ceremonies, domestic, and agricultural
work.
How did Indian and European ideas of freedom differ
on the eve of contact?
→ European freedom was the freedom to obey, own their own land, and to
practice a uniform view of Christianity.
● freedom to obey self government, freedom for women to submit to men
● freedom for men to own private property
○ taking it from the natives because they did not own it, they only used it.
● freedom to practice christianity
○ but only a specific view of christianity (such as catholicism or protestantism)
because religious uniformity was key to order
☆ thought everyone wanted European version of freedom → justification for colonization
, What impelled European explorers to look west across
the Atlantic?
→ European explorers were motivated by a wide range of things, the most
important being God, Gold, and Glory.
● spreading christianity - God
○ to actually “save” people or stop the spread of islam
■ remember the year columbus sailed to the new world was also the
year the reconquista ended.
● mercantilism + later imperialism (not yet though!) - Gold
● to compete with other Europeans - Glory
● find a new market for commercial goods
● population growth too big for home country
● find a route to asia
not a motivation, but also important - shipbuilding advances
● astrolabe, caravel, compass, quadrant
What happened when Natives came in contact with
Europeans?
→ An exchange of flora, fauna, disease, culture, and religion took place.
🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖🐖
● food from new world to old world → population growth + healthier ppl
● european livestock like piggies
○ brought animal diseases
● great dying
○ 90% of native population died
○ little ice age followed → increased demand for fur
● eventual native dependence on european goods + loss of native culture
● sometimes voluntary sometimes forced conversion of natives to christianity
What were the chief features of the Spanish Empire in
the Americas?
→ The Spanish Empire in the Americas was characterized by its cruel
treatment of the native population belonging to the cities and villages the
empire was based on.
○ intense labor using the natives essentially as slaves
○ encomienda → repartimiento → hacienda
○ Black Legend
○ Bartolome de las Casas “Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies”
○ Pueblo Revolt
● mixed mestizo population
● focus on converting natives
● centered on urban cities already made by natives, bases created not on native
cities stayed as military bases and never became settlements
○ for example spanish florida
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