Contact: Europeans and Amerindians

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AP U.S. History: Unit 1

Student Edition

CONTACT: Europeans and Amerindians

  1. Overview—big ideas

    • Prior to 1492, Amerindians in the Western Hemisphere had developed a wide variety of civilizations and cultural groups ranging from the highly developed Inca and Aztec civilizations in South America and Mesoamerica to the relatively less developed nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes in North America.

    • By 1600 Europeans had created the world’s first truly global economy.

    • The "age of discovery" resulted in the greatest human catastrophe the world has ever known: 90% of Amerindians died by 1600; slavery of tens of millions of Africans.

    • Cultural differences between European and Amerindians were so immense that major conflicts occurred in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

    • Summary of relations between the three major colonial powers in America and the Amerindians

      • Spain sought to Christianize and control the Indians (through the encomienda and mission systems)

      • The French sought to establish strong trade relations with the Amerindians; Jesuits sought to convert them.

      • English settlers often sought to either move Indians westward or annihilate them.

  1. Native Americans (Amerindians)

  1. Population in 1491: approximately 50-70 million (about 10 million in present-day U.S.)

  1. Arrived more than 40,000 years ago via the Bering Strait (called Beringia when it was above land) and eventually spread to tip of South America (by 8,000 BCE)

    1. First immigrants hunted animals for meat and furs; probably built small fishing vessels.

    2. Beringia became isolated when Bering Strait under water c. 10,000 years ago

  1. New research on origins of Amerindians.

    1. Old Crow site in Yukon may be 50,000 years old.

    2. French team in northeastern Brazil working on site that might be 48,000 years old.

    3. 1992, new archeological research suggests oldest inhabitants may have come from south Asia or even Europe before northern

Use the space below for notes:

Important Note:

The DBQ and the Long Exam (LE) will NOT deal exclusively with material prior to 1607. However, material in this unit may be tested on Short Exam Questions or as part of broader questions on the DBQ or LE.

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Asians as previously thought.

  1. No evidence exists that humans lived in eastern Siberia (Russia) 30,000 years ago (only 12,000 years ago).

  2. Other groups of Asians may have used boats to reach sites south of Beringia, perhaps as far south as South America and earlier than those in North America.

  1. By 8,000 BCE, Amerindians reached the tip of South America.

    1. Hundreds of tribes with different languages, religions and cultures inhabited America.

    2. Between 4,000 & 1,500 BCE permanent farm villages came to dominate parts of Peru, south-central Mexico, northeastern Mexico, and the southwestern U.S.

      • Grew maize, amaranth (a cereal), manioc (tapioca), chili peppers, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and beans

  1. Developed civilizations ("sedentary societies"—non migratory)—late-Stone Age

    1. Incas in Peru

    2. Mesoamerica: Aztecs in Mexico, and Mayans in Yucatan (earlier) developed advanced agricultural techniques based primarily on corn.

      • Built stone-carved cities rivaling many in Europe.

      • Studied mathematics and astronomy

      • Men and women worked fields and families saved surpluses for trade.

  1. North American Indians were generally less developed : most were "semi-sedentary" by Columbus’ time

    1. Most people lived in small scattered nomadic settlements.

    2. Some tribes were non-migratory and able to sustain themselves due to natural resources in their region.

  1. Chinook peoples in the Pacific Northwest were skilled fishermen (especially salmon) and elk hunters.

    • Had little contact with other peoples as they were not nomadic.

    • Lived in long houses with as many as 50 people in each house.

    • In the early 18th century, the Lewis and Clark Expedition would encounter several Chinook peoples (e.g. Clatsop and Cathlamet)

    1. Western Great Plains and Great Basin regions

  1. Most peoples of the Great Plains engaged in sedentary farming (growing corn and other grains) and lived in permanent settlements.

  2. Numerous nomadic tribes depended on the buffalo for


    • Mobile lifestyle included the use of tipis for shelter that could be easily broken down and carried.

    • This nomadic lifestyle was later enhanced with the introduction of the horse by Spanish settlers that enabled a much larger population to be dependent on buffalo hunting.

    1. Many peoples had some agriculture, probably developed by women

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