Chapter 1
1) Describe the geological and geographical conditions that set the stage for North American history. - In the geological aspect, the Native Americans that tended to the land did not aggressively control the land leaving rich soil for the incoming Europeans to later on control. But they also burnt down many trees to create living spaces for the tribes. Geographically it was good for the Europeans because it was by the water and all the rocks underneath the top layer of soil were rich for farming.
2) Describe the origin and development of the major Indian cultures of the Americas. -The Indian Tribes like the Aztecs and the Incas were very infamous for working the fields, like taking care of corn and crops, which later reached the Southwest first and later on North America. This led to the cultivation of beans and maize in the southwest which inevitably started farming in America.
3) Explain the developments in Europe and Africa that led up to Columbia’s voyage to America. - Because Spain and Portugal were rivals, they were always trying to out beat each other. Since the Portuguese set up trading posts in Africa first, other European countries started and later on Spain set up posts too. Because the Portuguese didn’t like taking water routes, it took them longer to get to India through land to get spices and jewels. While this was happening, the Spanish people became unified and seeing that they were now stronger, planned to outstrip their rivals of the Indian
Farming is a common agriculture source of Native Americans. They farmed maize, beans and wheat. To improve their farming, both areas, created an elaborate irrigation system. Aztecs, Incas, Hohokams were remarkable for their irrigation system.
Though, Columbus’s voyage was unsuccessful, it created a fluctuation of quest throughout the other European superpowers to find a trade route to India. Similar to Spain, France had an Italian merchant Giovanni Verrazano.In addition, England hired an Italian merchant John Cabot. After the Italian merchant voyage to find India's route route fail the motivation for wealth gradually grows,though Spain differs due to motivate of glory and God. Therefore, it is elucidated that finding a trade route to India through hiring Italian merchants were similar factors in the motivations between the major European superpowers there are differences lay in their individual methods for abstracting
The initial inhabitants of North and South America, known as Paleo-Indians, arrived here over thousands of years ago. It is believed that the Native American forefathers reached this country via a piece of land that linked Asia to North America. Upon arrival, the Paleo-Indians split into numerous tribes. They broke off into a number of tribes, including but not limited to, the Paiutes, the Shoshonis, the Algonquians, the Aztecs, and the Mayans. The Paiutes and the Shoshonis tended to migrate seasonally. They are both tribes that settled in Nevada and Utah. The Algonquian tribe inhabited present-day northeastern United States and eastern Canada. They preferred to remain in their territories, they rarely migrated. The Aztecs, a bellicose nation, colonized what is now Mexico and Guatemala. The Aztecs had gained power over central Mexico before the Spanish accessed the new world. The Mayans also settled in Mexico and Guatemala. They were a very intelligent nation that already had writing and mathematics systems in place by the time the Spanish arrived. The various indigenous tribes then settled in a variety of places across the Americas and formed their own religious and cultural practices.
The Native Americans sustained and took care of their home, while the Europeans pushed and pulled for more money to fall from it. This caused the land to lose a lot of its density and eventually the Europeans’ wealth as well. Things that were lost were proper farming grounds, culture of the Native Americans, and wild life. Different views of the Europeans and Native Americans caused a lot of conflict. The Europeans’ views on the Indians’ way of life became critical once they saw and felt as if their society was not controlled
6. Describe the impact of the Columbian Exchange in food, people, diseases, and gold on the Americans, Europe, and Africa.
Before 1448, European had to use the Silk Road to trade with Asia. In 1453, Muslim took over Constantinople; the only way to Asia had been cut. European nations started to use the Maritime way, and they took over many places in Asia as their access to an easier trade system. Among these European nations, like what they did to America, their goals and the way they achieved their initiatives in Asia are different from one another. Portuguese was the first group that explored the way to Asia without going through Muslims.
They also brought over new types of diseases that the Native Americans were never immune to. The Europeans also brought over farming tools that would benefit the
The whole continent offered a range of different weather conditions, different physical features of the area, varies greenery, animals and uncooked materials. Those are objects that the European Americans could travel through and explore. Therefore the possible of obtaining these new resources and the enormous areas of land were waiting for the European Americans to locate. Some of the land was practically free.
In general, they were the first people to cultivate chocolate, corn, cotton, peanuts, pineapples, potatoes, rubber, quinine, tobacco, and vanilla. But, in the frozen tundra of Western Alaska, Native Americans dealt with arctic conditions. They relied on hunting and fishing. They hunted seals, whales, and other marine mammals. These animals were not only useful as food, but as skinned layers of clothing that kept them warm in such climate. However, in milder regions along the northwest Pacific Coast, the people there could produce food with very little effort. The physical environment impacted them by providing marine life for fishing. In the Southwest, some of the earliest farming societies developed. Since the environment was desert, Native Americans developed complex irrigation systems for farming. They even dug wells, built ponds, and built dams to collect rainwater to water their crops in the desert weather. All across the different regions and climates where the First American lived, they all adapted to thrive in whatever environment they were dealing
Another area in which the Indians thrived was that of agriculture and their understanding of the earth. Europeans had little knowledge of agriculture, or chose not to use what they did have. Europe was in a state of agricultural depression. Most of the soil was completely exhausted due to overuse and general mistreatment of the land. Both activities which continued in America.
One misconception that the Europeans had about North America was that the land had never truly been used. They believed the land had never been used for crops or homesteading, as evidenced by Alexis de Tocqueville. “North America was inhabited only by wandering tribes who had no thought of profiting by the natural riches of the soil.” In fact, it is quite the opposite. Many tribes utilized the fertile land, employing
Discuss the forces that drove Europeans to exploration. Why was America discovered in 1492 and not two centuries earlier or two centuries later?
In standard one we covered seven sections that talked about how North America looked after and before the Revolutionary War. In 1.1 we went over how North America was separated between the Spanish, French, Dutch, and English and the distinctions between the four cultures. We mainly went over the 13 colonies of the English and how they were separated by regions. In 1.2 we talked about the events that led up to the Revolutionary War and the events that happened during the war. In 1.3 and 1.4 we discussed how the American colonies were after the war and the good and bad decisions that the colonist made in their government system. In 1.5 we discussed the levels and branches of governments and checks and balances. In 1.6 and 1.7 we covered the
The first people (Indians) to fill the lands were the Asians. The Asian people migrated across an isthmus called the Bering Isthmus. They moved all throughout America. They created tribes like the Mayans, Aztecs, and
Vasco da Gama's revolutionary sea expedition to India is one of the most crucial moments in the entire history of exploration. Till the middle of 15th century, Portugal was the foremost seafaring country in Europe. King Manuel I: the ruler of Portugal hired about four ships for the voyage around Africa to the legendary land of India. King Manuel I knew that India was a huge cradle of variety of spices, which were extremely rare to see in other places and moreover they were pretty expensive in Europe. The king had also noticed that the Muslim merchants transported the spices by caravans through Arabian deserts and sold them in the markets of the Mediterranean ports. King Manuel I expected a new sea route to India, as that would enable him to import spices directly. This achievement was very important for Portugal as they could trade and earn money a lot of money from it. India was filled with spices: Pepper was a very common and the most used spice, it was used to preserve food and to flavor spoiled meat. Pepper was originated from Cochin and Malabar Coast in India. Cloves and cinnamon were equally used. They were used for keeping the food hygienic and ventilated. They were also sprinkled across the floor to avoid foot odor from entering the room. Many spices were also used for the cure of various illnesses and deadly diseases. India was the foremost spice trader for most of the countries including Europe.