1450-1690

Transatlantic Encounters and Colonial Beginnings

QuestionsHow did the people in Mesoamerica and the

Andes region compare and contrast with the people in North America?

What forces led to the Age of Exploration?What are the similarities & differences among

the Spanish, French, & British patterns of colonization in America?

What were the advantages & disadvantages of Spanish, French, & English colonial patterns in terms of long-term colonization in America?

Migration began 35,000-15,000 years ago Cut off from the Eastern HemisphereAgriculture independently inventedNomadic hunters and gatherersSpread throughout North and South America

Early Inhabitants of the Americas

Early Mesoamericans3,000 BCE – settlement in Central and South

AmericaCrops such as maize, squash, beans,

tomatoes, and potatoes are cultivatedSettlements developed into large, complex

societiesFew animals were domesticatedHuman labor supplied the work of agricultureReligious centers developed into cities along

the Gulf of Mexico1,200 BCE – emergence of the Olmec

Emerged during the 3rd century BCELived in modern day Guatemala, Belize,

Honduras, El Salvador, and southern MexicoDeveloped a system of writingMade advances in math and astronomyDeveloped an accurate calendarOrganized into city-states

The Maya

Teotihuacan and the AztecsTeotihuacan was a center of religion and

governmentBelieved to be the first great city of the

Western HemispherePopulation estimated to have been between

125,000-200,000The Toltecs unified central Mexico after the

decline of TeotihuacanThe Aztec replaced the Toltec after the exile

of the Toltec leader Topilzin

The AztecThe main city was Tenochtitlan with an

estimated population of 300,000 at its heightThe Aztec drained swamps, constructed

irrigation works and terraces, and used floating gardens (chinampas)

Chinampas boosted agricultural productionThe Aztec rose to power through military

might and aggressive expansionImposed a tribute system on conquered

peoples to support Tenochtitlan

The Chavin emerged in the region of modern day Peru around the time of the Olmec in Mesoamerica

After the decline of the Chavin, the Moche flourished from 100-700 CE

The Moche built an irrigation system and cultivated maize, beans, manioc, sweet potatoes, and coca

The Inca became the most powerful civilization in the Andes region

A system of roads connected the empire, and runners carried messages so the ruler could keep in touch with his subjects

Andean Civilizations

The People of North AmericaNo major civilization controlled large

amounts of land in North AmericaDifferent languages and lifestyles emerged in

North AmericaSome groups were nomadic hunters of bison,

deer, whales, seals, and walruses (in the Arctic region)

Some groups gathered nuts, berries, and roots to supplement fish or meat

Development of agriculture did allow permanent settlements to grow

Developed in the southwestern United StatesUsed river water to irrigate their crops of

maize, beans, squash, and sunflowersBy 700 CE, the Anasazi constructed

permanent pueblos (stone and adobe buildings)

Most pueblos contained a ritual enclosure called kivas

Villages were connected by roadsThe Anasazi abandoned the area by about

1300

The Anasazi

Agricultural societies emerged in the woodlands east of the Mississippi River

Cultivated maize and beansLived in an environment with abundant trees

and rainMany built earthen mounds used for

ceremonial stages, dwellings, and burial sitesThe largest mound settlement was at CahokiaMound settlements began to be abandoned

around 1300 – the same time the Anasazi began to abandon their dwellings

Eastern Woodland Cultures

The People of North AmericaBy 1450 most people lived in small kinship-based

groupsVariety of languages spokenObserved different customsNomadism and subsistence agriculture was commonPopulation estimated to be 10-25 million at the time

of contact with EuropeansSettled societies generally traced lineage through

matrilineal descentNomadic groups generally traced lineage through

patrilineal descent

North American group that came closest to mirroring the organizations of the Aztecs and Inca

Loose alliance of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas

Bound together by a common Iroquois language

Had the political and military organizational skills to dominate its neighbors

Hiawatha was leader who first organized the Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy

Voyages of European Exploration

The Columbian Exchange

Portugal began explorations in the early 1400sHenry the Navigator led ventures down the

African coast and established a navigation schoolNavigation technology and advances in ship

design pushed exploration forwardBartholomew Dias and Vasco Da Gama set out

to sail around the tip of AfricaIn 1500, Pedro Cabral reached South America

and claimed Brazil for PortugalChristopher Columbus sailed across the

Atlantic for Spain

Portuguese and Spanish Voyages

Did Portugal or Spain control newly discovered lands?

In 1493, the Pope drew an imaginary line from north to south

Spain claimed all lands to the west of the linePortugal claimed all lands to the east of the

lineBrazil became Portugal’s only claim in the

Eastern HemisphereSpain began to explore and colonize the

Americas

The Treaty of Tordesillas

Conquistadors set out in search of gold and to convert Native Americans to Christianity

Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec in 1519Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca in 1532Native populations were decimated by

diseaseAt the end of the 16th Century, Spain had a

massive empire in the New World

Spanish Empire in the Americas

Native Americans were eager for European trade; they were not initially victims of Spanish exploration

They became dependent on and indebted to Europeans

Disease decimated perhaps 95% of Native American population

A World Transformed

Spanish Conquests & ColoniesThe Spanish used the encomienda system to create large cash crop

plantations using Native American & African slave labor

By 1650, 1/2 million Spaniards immigrated to the New WorldMostly unmarried males came to New World;

intermarriage led to mixed-blood mestizos & mulattos

Distinguished between social classes: peninsulares & creoles

The Spanish gov’t operated strict control over the colonies

From Plunder to Settlement

Spanish Settlements in North AmericaJuan Ponce de Leon came to FL in 1513,

searching for wealth and the fountain of youth

Francisco Cornoado searched for the seven golden cities of Cibola in 1540

Hernan De Soto led an army in search of gold across the Southeast, and discovered the MS River

In 1565, St. Augustine, FL became the first permanent settlement in North America

Missions were established in FL and in NM and CA

Spanish missionaries focused heavily on converting Native

Americans & establishing missions

Organized joint-stock companies like the Dutch East India Company

Initial Dutch explorations focused on East and Southeast Asia

In the late 17th century, the Dutch entered the trans-Atlantic slave trade

In 1624, the Dutch West India Company established the colony of New Netherland

Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor and claimed the area for the Netherlands

Dutch Exploration and Settlement

Interested in extending trading networkLittle interest in conquestTook a practical approach with Native

Americans that did not involve conquest or religious conversion

New Netherland was not a democracyLand given to patroons who ruled like

medieval lordsNo elected assembly, but more religious

freedomDeveloped a diverse populationWomen had some legal rights

Dutch Exploration and Settlement

In 1608, Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec; French Empire eventually included St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes, Mississippi

Because the fur trade was the basis of the colonial economy, Indians became valued trading partners (not exploitive like Spain)

Jesuit priests tried to convert the natives to Christianity

Population grew slowly in the French colonies due to the cold Canadian climate

French Explorations and Settlements

Like Spain, the French gov’t encouraged converting Native

Americans & establishing missions

Britain was late in their attempts to explore and colonize the New World

Internal struggles and religious conflict took focus off colonization

Queen Elizabeth I brought stability to BritainDefeat of the Spanish Armada made Britain a

superior naval powerBritain’s first attempt at colonization was a

failure (the “Lost Colony”)

British Beginnings in the New World

In the 1600s, English settlers arrived in North America

Several joint-stock companies were formed to begin English settlementEnglish colonization differed from

Spanish & French because the English gov’t had no desire to create a centralized empire in the New World

Different motivations by English settlers led to different types of colonies

British Beginnings in North America

17th century England faced major social changes:The most significant was a boom in

population – led to competition for land, food, and jobs

British gov’t supported efforts to relocate their surplus population to North America (preserved law and order at home)

Migrating to the English Colonies

Motives for migration to America:Religious: purer form of worshipEconomic: Escape poverty or the

threat of lifelong povertyPersonal: to escape bad marriages

or jail termsMigration to America was facilitated

by the English Civil War & Glorious Revolution

Migrating to the English Colonies

The values of the migrants dictated the “personality” of the newly created colonies; led to distinct (not unified) coloniesThe ChesapeakeNew EnglandMiddle ColoniesThe Carolinas & Georgia

Four Colonial Subcultures

By the early 1600s, Spain, England, & France had large territorial claims in

North America (but these colonies were not heavily populated, especially in

Spanish & French claims)

These colonial claims came largely at the expense of the

Native Americans already living there

Govt’s in English colonies had more independence from Britain than Latin American colonies

Colonial govt’s were all organized differently Govt’s had assemblies, often with two houses Colonists came to think they should share the

right to determine colonial rules and regulations

No authoritarian viceroys were establishedLarge urban areas did not develop until much

later

Governments in North America

Less rigid social classes based on ethnicity developed in the English colonies

Southern colonies did eventually develop strict social classes between black and whites

Social classes in the middle and northern colonies were more fluid than in Latin American colonies

Most colonists were farmers, and labor patterns emerged differently than in Latin American colonies

Indentured servants and slaves were used primarily in the middle and southern colonies where larger farms developed

Social Patterns

QuestionsHow did the people in Mesoamerica and the

Andes region compare and contrast with the people in North America?

What forces led to the Age of Exploration?What are the similarities & differences among

the Spanish, French, & British patterns of colonization in America?

What were the advantages & disadvantages of Spanish, French, & English colonial patterns in terms of long-term colonization in America?

Advantages for long-term colonization

Disadvantages for long-term colonization

Spain

France

England