Describe factors contributed to the establishment of Mesoamerican
A different world existed during the pre-Columbus period (pre-1492). Isolated, the Americas evolved with various plants and animals. Most beans, squash, corn (maize), and other plants did not exist in the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia). On the other hand, the Americas did not have horses, barley, grapes (so, no Napa Valley wine), and more (checkbook) because they only existed in the Old World.
The people, also, developed in different ways. I first want to ask you to picture in your mind a Native. What do they look like? What are the roles in their community? How do they live? Are they “civilized?” I ask these questions because books, movies, and other forms of entertainment portray them very differently than how they lived. Not all American Natives were the same. Their languages, customs, religious practices, lifestyles, hunting and farming techniques, and social orders were all diverse from one another (not all were nomadic). Most of all, some of the most impressive civilizations at the time were in the Americas. For example, Mayans in Central America created a vast empire, and the Incas in Peru built an empire that stretched for miles along the mountains. The most powerful, the Aztecs lived close to the modern Mexico City with their capital reaching the size of 200,000 to 250,000 inhabitants. This city thrived because of irrigation and sewage systems (like a modern city).
North American Natives (modern the United States) were not as advanced in language and writing as their counterparts to the south; however, they also developed impressive civilizations. In the Mississippi Valley region, the Cahokia was sprawled out with waring chiefdoms. Their structure is like the Godfather (yes, the movie). Like in the film, the five families were often in conflict with another, and the most powerful (Vito Corleone, or in this case, the Paramount Chief) would rule over the other regions. In the Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico), the Pueblo lived inside the mountains for coolness (as you may experience, the area gets over 100 degrees during the summer) and defensive purposes (regions with scarce resource fight for them). The American South (Cherokee, Creek, Seminoles, and Choctaw) developed farming communities. The Iroquois dominated the Northeast.
Moreover, after the fall of the Empire of Rome, Europe was a “backwater” region which relied more on bartering (exchanging items, like pigs or milk, instead of money). The start of the Crusades (fight for the Holy Land) changed the fortunes of Europe when Europeans, who were not accustomed to venturing too far from their homes, went thousands of miles to fight. Afterward, many found a lucrative trade with Asian countries (spices, silk, etc.) which established the beginnings of global commerce (globalization is a recent term; however, this process began hundreds of years ago).
Columbus
The discovery of the Americas was an accident, and Christopher Columbus and his men were fortunate enough to stumble upon the land. Columbus thought sailing west to avoid the other European powers, or the Turkish Middle-men (who controlled the land route) was the best route to the Asian trade, in which he convinced the newly consolidated Spain (accomplished the re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 1492). The story of Columbus knowing the world was round and everyone thought it was flat is false (most in the upper-echelon of society knew the earth is round). The British monarchy rejected Columbus because he failed to calculate the circumference correctly. Most thought sailing west would lead to death since they had no idea the large landmasses were in the middle of the journey. Without the Americas, Columbus and his men would have died of starvation or lack of water.
Nevertheless, in October of 1492 Columbus landed somewhere in the Bahamas where he called them “Indians” since he believed it was the East Indies (Asia). Even after several more voyages to the Americas, Columbus died not know it was uncharted lands. A side note, Columbus did not “discover” the New World. Vikings had settlements in Greenland and Canada, but there was no way to disseminate information, which did not happen until the mid-1400s with the invention of the printing press. The reason we credit Columbus is that word spread of his “discovery” which sparked a mad craze to sail west. Columbus had three other voyages before he died, and he never realized the land he stumbled upon was a new continent. It wasn’t until Amerigo Vespucci (America) when the Europeans understood that this was indeed a New World.
The Americas were a burden to these Europeans because their search was for the Northwest Passage (sea-route through the Americas). Every explorer searched for this route to Asia, which they never found it (The British gave up in the 1850s). It wasn’t until the 20th century when the United States completed the Panama Canal, a sea route that cut the time to cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Aztec-Empire 2.jpgAztec Map
As a result of Columbus’ voyage, Spain emerged as a world power. At first, Spain relied on Conquistadores to explore and conquer the Americas (as long as this soldiers-for-hire sent 20% of their conquest to the monarchy). Hernan Cortes began his quest in 1519, and within two years he and his men destroyed the Aztec Empire (with the help of disease). European diseases wiped out the Native population. For example, within 150 years an estimated 80 million Natives died (1/5 of humanity). After Cortes’ success, others (Pizzaro, de Soto, de Coronado, etc.), all tried their attempts to find great wealth. Motivated by military success, national glory, and riches, some succeeded; however, some died looking for it (like de Soto in 1542). In North America, de Coronado and de Soto (two most well known), searched for the fabled city of gold (El Dorado or City of Cibola), a city actually made of gold. In the American Southwest, de Coronado and his men approached the Pueblo Indians. Believing they found the city of gold, these men pillaged the city when they realized there was no wealth. Rumor spread (by the Publeo Indians), of a city of wealth to the east, so de Coronado and his men headed to the Great Plains (if you have ever been there, there is nothing. I mean, nothing). This was an attempt to free them of Spanish control, but it did not work. Once the Spaniards figured out the ploy, they tortured their guide, who spilled the beans, and made their way back due to the compass. The Spanish soldiers killed over a hundred men put their heads on spikes as a warning. Roughly eight decades later, the Natives rebelled against Spanish rule, which became the most significant setback inflicted on the European colonizers, but after twelve years the Spanish regained control. Read the text for the other adventures of Spanish Conquistadores.
The Spanish faced competition by the Dutch (after their independence from Spain), French, and later the English. The Dutch became a commercial maritime power and settled New Amsterdam (today, New York). France settled Canada and benefitted from the fur trade (very profitable). England was left with the land to the south (will go over it next week).
Spain’s influence continued to remain strong; however, their own success weakened themselves. The amount of gold and silver flooded their domestic market with currency. One might think this is great, but it was too much of a good thing. It is similar to eating a whole bag of candy (if you have a sweet-tooth). A person might feel gratified with themselves, but a stomach ache is what will come next. The amount of gold and silver inflated the Spanish currency and weakened it’s purchasing power. A modern example may be the United States’ debt. The country owns 21 trillion dollars and could pay it off by printing that amount of money to pay off the creditors (similar to what Germany experienced after 1930); however, it would make everything go up in price. A carton of milk may now cost fifteen dollars. We call this hyperinflation, and it destroys economies.
Martin LutherMap
Although the French’s North American presence grew, it was the English that became Spain’s most significant challenger. As a result of the Protestant Reformation (separation of the Catholic Church with the rise of Lutherism and Calvinism), England separated itself from the Catholic Church and created the Anglican Church, based off of Protestant Christianity (reasons were political and King Henry VIII wanting to get his way). Turmoil occurred in England after King Henry VIII’s death, and the future of Protestantism was at stake. It was not until Queen Elizabeth I’s reign when England stabilized its internal affairs and began to have an interest in North America. Motivated by piracy (English sailors stole from Spanish ships), England attempted to settled Roanoke Island, but it failed for many reasons (check the book). One reason, Spain decided to invade England with the Spanish Armada, but a strong wind pushed the fleet into the North Sea, and many believed God’s hand was at work. Nevertheless, this victory cemented Elizabeth’s legacy as a strong leader that saved England.
England’s North American experience was painful at first, but soon it would grow into a thriving empire. This topic will be discussed next week.
Summarize the chapter.
Recognize the critical points of the chapter.
Demonstrate an understanding of the material and purpose of the chapter.
Focus Questions – Answer only 3 of the following questions.
Why were there so many diverse human societies in the Americas before Europeans arrived?
Create a bulleted list of important points from the section titled, Early Cultures in America.
Summarize the section titled, Early Cultures in America, in your own words.
What factors contributed to the establishment of Mesoamerican (what is now Mexico and Central America) empires from 1500 b.c.e to 1500 c.e.?
Where did the Eastern Woodlands peoples who emerged after the collapse of Cahokia tend to live and how did they survive (supply themselves with food)?
While North American societies shared fundamental beliefs and myths, what are some examples of how climate and geography contributed to differences among the regional civilizations of North America before 1500 c.e.?
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