The First Americans: After 1492

1. The First Americans: After 1492 Chapter 2; Section 4

2. The many different people that lived in the Americas knew little about the world beyond their shores. • 1400’s new people began to arrive in the Americas from across the ocean. • In 1492 Christopher Columbus arrived from Spain. • Other Europeans soon followed. • Before long, Natives began to see these newcomers as invaders and a threat to their way of life.

3. Early Contacts • Christopher Columbus and his crew were not the first to land in the Americas.

4. Viking voyages • Vikings: a bold seafaring people from Scandinavia • 1001 they settled briefly in Vinland, present day Newfoundland in Canada. • They did not stay in Vinland long • Viking stories tell of fierce battles with Skraelings, the Viking name for the Inuits.

5. Pacific Voyages • Many stories of people from Asia reaching the Americas. • Some belief that after the last Ice Age ended people from Asia continued to cross the Bering Sea into North America. • Others belief that fishing boats may have blown off course and landed on the west coast of South America.

6. Encounter in the Caribbean • These contacts had little impact on the Native Americans or the rest of the world. • Christopher Columbus’ 1492 encounter, however, set off a chain of events.

7. A tragic pattern • Columbus first landed in the Americas on a small Caribbean Island • Tainos: Natives in the Caribbean • Columbus’ friendly relation with Tainos did not last. • Columbus and other Europeans had little respect for native Americans or their culture.

8. A tragic pattern • They claimed Tainosland and forced them to work in gold mines, ranches or Spanish households. • Many died from harsh condition or European disease. • With 100 years of Columbus’ arrival the Tainos population had been destroyed. • The Tainos’ experience with Native Americans set a pattern that was repeated again and again throughout the Americas.

9. Cultural Exchange • An exchange of food, medicine, government, technology, the arts, and language led to the creation of one new world.

10. Native American Influences Food and farming • After 1492 Europeans learned of new foods such as corn, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, squash… • Today more than half of the world’s food crop come from plants that first grew in the Americas. • Europeans carried the new foods around the world. • Peoples diets changed and populations increased

11. Language • Native American influences also show up in language. • Europeans adopted Native Americans words for animals they had not known before. • They wore Indian clothing such as ponchos and moccasins • They used Indian inventions

12. Language • They learned about trees with Indian names such as hickory. • Most US states and provinces have native American names • Many rivers also bear native names. • Europeans respected Natives medical knowledge.

13. Other Influences • Natives also influenced the arts, sports, and even government. • Early American leaders saw the League of the Iroquois as a model for government and relations. • Despite attacks on their culture Native Americans survived throughout the Americas. • They preserved many of their traditions and harmony with the natural world.