THE AMERICAS

1. THE AMERICAS Ian Chi, Lihui Guo, Alex Libman, Yihua Wu, Jefferey Yan, Sisi Zimmerman

2. Beginning to 600BCE

3. Beginning to 600BCE - From 18000BCE to 14000BCE people from the Eastern Hemisphere traveled over the land bridge between Siberia and Alaska to North America - These people began small civilizations that adapted to the environment around them and by 1000BCE people began to exert their political and cultural powers over territory - As people migrated to Latin America, they were very successful in living off the land - They were able to exploit animals and plants for food, and the earth for minerals and resources. - By 3500BCE, the Mesoamericans had survived off a strong plant diversity and fishing. They had domesticated corn, beans, squash and manioc (calorie rich crop). - As a result, there were large surpluses of food and trade and cultural exchanges began within the small communities.

4. Olmecs (1200BCE-400BCE) - The Olmecs were founded around 1200BCE between what is today Mexico and South America - There were 3 capital cities during the existance of the Olmecs.They were San Lorenzo (1200BCE to 900BCE), La Venta (900BCE to ~700BCE) and Tres Zapotes (~700BCE to 600BCE) - Each city was specialized in a product. These consisted of salts, cacao, clay, and limestone. - Large mounds of dirt in the cities provided an urban center for the Olmecs. These were used mainly for ritual activities and artisans would decorate them with carvings and sculptures. They were found in all the cities, and were relatively easy to build because of the low-skill requirement. Some mounds may also have been used to house the elite, raising them above the poor. - Eventually, every city was deserted with its monuments defaced. Some archaeologists suggest it was a ritual associated with the change of rulers, others say they were driven out by attacks from other cultures.

5. Religion, Social structure and culture - The social hierarchy consisted of the elite rulers at the top, shamans just under, and the large commoner class. The rise of urban centers seemed to coincide with the entrance of a new ruler. The elite would often live in dwellings heavily decorated and adorned themselves with finely crafted objects and fancy clothing. The commoners would live in small houses made of sticks and mud. Collective labor among the commoners greatly increased food production. - Religion played a major role in Olmec society. They were polytheistic and many of the gods were part animal, part human. A similarity between most of the gods was the ability to change into an animal (jaguar, snake, shark). The elites often held large ceremonious rituals. There was often human sacrifice to achieve contact with the gods. Shamans were also often used to achieve direct contact with the gods. They would watch stars and make predictions, creating calendars and even writing (undeciphered). These would go on to influence other cultures, especially the Mayans. - The culture of the Olmecs was an influence over a large area of the Americas. There were many small jade and stone carvings found. However, the largest cultural footprint was in the huge heads carved from stone. Sixteen heads have been found and judging from their unique details, were probably sculptures of their leaders. These heads were often found around urban centers, reinforcing the idea of them being memorials.

6. Chavin (900BCE-250BCE) - The Chavin was based off the site of Caral, which was a large area in 2600BCE. It was the basis for many other civiliaztions with its ceremonial plazas, irrigation, pyramids and large platforms. There was also very large agricultural areas that produced large amounts of crops. - The capital city, Chavin de Huantar, was located at the crossroads of trade in the densely populated region of Peru and the Andean foothills. This allowed the city to prosper and get ahead of other settlers. - Chavin was the centerpiece between the sea and land, which allowed it to link economies between the sea and producers of grains, corn, potatoes, coca, fruits and even llamas. - Llamas were bred in Peru and were the only beasts of burden domesticated in the Americas. They were used for labor and provided meat and wool. These were key to the development of Chavin. - The technology in Chavin was a major advancements. Metallurgy, or the usage of metals in technology. Golden ornaments and breastplates have been found, proving the ability of the Chavin to refine these metals.

7. Culture, Religion and Social structure - In Chavin society, the social hierarchy consisted of the rich elite upper class and the commoners, similar to the Olmecs. Also similar to the Olmecs, the religious leader was high up as the priest. However, most people treated each other very nicely and considered each other as brothers and sisters obligated to help the community. The elite were divided from the commoners mainly through their clothing and adornments - the rich often wore golden ornaments, breastplates, crowns and jewelry. The elite lived on mounds, similar to Olmec, in houses made of cut stone or adobe (brick made of clay and straw). The poor would live in similar dwellings, albeit smaller. -In terms of religion the Chavins were similar to the Olmecs in that both believed in the idea of animals and humans joined together. Specifically in Chavin religion, the idea of the jaguar-man was very important and provided a strong image of their religion -For culture, the Chavins, like the Olmecs, were well known for their finely crafted ornaments. The Chavins also developed culture in the form of pottery styles and religious motifs, such as the jaguar-man, that were present throughout South America. They were also known for their technology - being the first to use metallurgy was a large achievement.

8. 600 B.C.E. to 600 C.E.

9. New Civilizations Rise • By 400 B.C.E., the Olmecs had faded, but their legacy remained. • New societies developing in the Americas built on their achievements to make even greater advancements. • These civilizations used agricultural innovations that were used prior, and were still very religious. • However, the population had divided into classes and dominated by hereditary elites that controlled the peasantry.

10. Teotihuacan (100 C.E. - 750 C.E.) • Located near present-day Mexico City, it was one of the largest and most important cities at its height around 450 C.E. • It was governed by an oligarchy who grew wealthier and more powerful as the society developed. • The people worshipped a large number of gods and spirits. The city was filled with architecture devoted to the gods. They also practiced human sacrifice, which was viewed as a sacred task and essential for the society's welfare. • The population was largely agricultural. They had an elaborate irrigation system and carved terraces into hillsides. Chinampas were commonly used, which were artificial islands in marshes that permitted year-round agriculture. These played a crucial role in sustaining the population. • Art was also manufactured, such as pottery and trade was very common between themselves with other Mesoamerican civilizations. • Relative peace was enjoyed and a military force existed to protect trade, but they were not an imperial state.

11. Maya (250 C.E. - 900 C.E.) • The Maya emerged in present-day Guatemala and spread to nearby areas. • It was never a unified state, instead consisting of about forty city-states each with its own monarchy. • The population was large, which required more intensive farming. They drained swamps and built elevated fields to help increase their yield. They also used irrigation and terraced farming to their benefit depending on the seasons. • Architecture also flourished as they built impressive temples and pyramids to honor their gods. The elite rulers were often linked to these gods. • The military didn't particularly fight for territory, but instead, fought to take captives that were often sacrificed or were forced to labor. • Society was patriarchal, but women of higher classes did play important roles, such as assisting in important public rituals or ceremonies. Women, in general, were essential to the household, much like in other societies, and managed family life.

12. Moche (200 - 700 C.E.) • The civilization developed by the Andes Mountains in South America, which was a mountainous zone with high altitudes and hot climates. • Ayllu developed, which were clans that owned land communally. The members of each were obligated to help each other, which provided a model for labor organization. Mit'a was a labor system that worked on public development projects. • As well as the other civilizations, the Moche had a massive irrigation system, consisting of a complex network of canals and aqueducts. They cultivated a large variety of crops. They also kept alpacas and llamas for transportation, textiles, and meat. • Their society was highly stratified, but not particularly politically unified. Priests and military leaders held all the power. • Both men and women were involved in everyday tasks, though men generally hunted, while women worked with textiles and agriculture. • There were also many skilled artisans and they produced high-quality textiles and ceramics, with ornate decorations.

13. The Americas(600CE - 1450CE)

14. Decline of the Maya • The "Golden Age" of the Maya was from around 500 to 850 CE. Around this time, Mayan civilization produced many great achievements. At the heart of all of this was a tremendous city called Tikal, which may have had as many as 100,000 people. • The Maya developed a complex calendar, which was the most accurate for its time. This was based on a number system that included zero. • The Maya also had many large-scale building projects, which were built by slaves acquired through battle or by people of the large peasant population. • To this day, no one is really sure what happened to the Maya. Historians argue that it could have been disease or drought or internal warfare. Whatever the case was, in the ninth century CE, the Maya started to desert their cities.

15. The Aztecs • The Aztecs, appearing around the mid-1200s, controlled territory in present-day Mexico. Their capital was at Tenochtitlan. • In their social structure, warriors were elite. This was due to their policy of vast expansion. At their height, the Aztec Empire was of some 12 million people. Yet, the Aztec Empire did not have a bureaucratic form of government. Much like the classical Roman Empire, the Aztecs mostly allowed conquered peoples to govern themselves as long as they paid the taxes. • Women, although having a subordinate role, were important in Aztec society. They, like most women from other early civilizations, primarily had household duties, as well as involving themselves in skilled crafts, such as weaving. However, unlike a lot of women from other early civilizations, some were even involved in commerce. Also, they could inehrit property.

16. The Inca • The Inca appeared around 1300 CE, and established their capital in Cuzco. At its height, they are believed to have controlled over 2,000 miles of the Western coast of South America. • In the Inca Empire, there was a well-established bureaucracy. At the top of this was a king-like figure, who was believed to have been descended directly from the sun god, and thus was given high respect. Then, there was nobility, who were controlling the bureaucracy. Warriors were also very important, as the Inca were also an expansionist society, which meant a professional military was needed for conquering others. • Women in Inca society were very much like women in Aztec society. They were expected to do housework, weave cloth, and help in the fields. Also, like Aztec women, they could inherit property. • The inca never had a system of writing, but they did use quipu, a set of knotted strings, in order to record census data and keep an account of harvests.

17. Religion • Despite not having contact with each other, each of these civilizations had similar aspects within their religion. One important similarity was that they worshipped a sun god. Of course, this sun god wasn't the same one throughout the civilizations, but these civilizations each had a sun god. Most known for this were the Incas, who believed that their leader was a descendant of the sun god, and believed that the sun god was the most powerful, despite being polytheistic. • Another huge similarity was the use of human sacrifices. The most known for this, however, were the Aztecs. Their military captured many human sacrifices from conquered neighbors. Tens of thousands of people were killed each year. Although on lower scales, the Maya and Incas also practiced human sacrifice. Incas usually preferred to instead sacrifice material goods or animals rather than animals. • Specific to only the Incas, rulers were mummified, much like Egyptian rulers.

18. Interaction with the Environment • It was the surplus of agricultural crops that made these cities possible in the first place. The Maya, for example, created terraces to trap silt from the rivers in order to grow food. • Aside from architecture, the Inca and Aztecs also built extensive road systems in order to manage their huge empires. Because the Maya was not such a big empire and did not expand nearly as much, they did not build road systems. Also, these road systems facilitated trade throughout the empires. Mayan Pyramid

19. European Conquest - 1450-1750 • At the beginning of this period the Europeans were beginning their age of exploration • 1492 - Columbus discovers America causing the Spanish and Portuguese to draw the line of Demarcation giving Spain control of the Americas excluding Brazil, while the Portuguese got Asia • The Spanish start to colonize the Americas • 1521- Cortez conquered the Aztec Empire • 1533 - Pizarro conquered the Incan Empire • By the latter 1500's much of the rest of Europe began exploring as well. Especially England, France, and to a lesser extent the Dutch

20. Religion - 1450-1750 • As part of the Counter Reformation in Europe Jesuits were being sent around the world and to the Americas. • Jesuits tried to convert natives to Catholicism • Catholicism ended up mixing with native religions which the Church frowned upon • Attempts at conversion increased intellectual life and built schools which are still around today • The Church gained great power and wealth in Latin America • Religion also played a role because the first English settlements were by Puritans trying to escape religious persecution

21. Trade - 1450-1750 • Columbian exchange • exchange of goods from the Americas to the Afro-Eurasian continent and vise versa. This included animals, plants, and diseases which killed off much of the native populations in the Americas • Triangular Trade • European manufactured goods went to Africa and were traded for slaves and other goods. Slaves would go on across the middle passage to the Americas and be forced into labor of raw materials which were brought back to Europe • Slave labor was used heavily, both natives and slaves transported from Africa. Indentured servants were also common

22. Spanish and Portuguese Settlements 1450-1750 • Success of the Spanish conquistadores in conquering the Americas came from their use of horses and gunpowder, and the spread of disease, especially smallpox and measles, which natives had no immunities to • The Spanish and portuguese would plant one or two crops in an area which later became bad for the native economies when they gained freedom, and involved extensive labor, and harmed the environment • Strict social hierarchy was put in place by the Spanish based on race which included the new mixed races of Spanish and natives • Spanish encomienda - declared Native people as slaves to the Spanish

23. English and French Settlements 1450-1750 • English • The English looked to set up permanent settlements in their colonies developing strong governments which others originally weren't interested in • At the end of this period tensions were rising in the English colonies towards the American Revolution • The French got along better with the natives than most, by adapting to their customs and trading with them. • The French and English often fought with the English usually being the victors • For Russia and French Canada the main trade commodity was furs rather than agriculture of mining

24. The Americas (1750 - 1900)Maps

25. The Americas (1750 - 1900)Interaction with the Environment • In North America, forests are viewed as a hindrance to development, and unlike in Europe, mass amounts of trees are cut down. Cotton cultivation proves to be harmful in the South. • Latin America remained for the most part very agriculturally driven; industrialization was slow. • After the end of the slave trade, large amounts of people mostly from Europe and Asia began migrating to both the U.S. and Latin America. Large population growth is seen. • New technologies from the Industrial Revolution increase output from the land. New plants and animals arrive in the Americas.

26. The Americas (1750 - 1900)Culture and Interaction • Ideas of freedom and nationalism spread between the peoples of Latin America rapidly. • Most of the Americas remain catholic, with the Catholic Church being the strongest in Latin America. • Immigrants cause anti-immigrant and racial conflict in some places, one example being the chinese in the U.S. where they had the Chinese Exclusion Act passed against them.

27. The Americas (1750 - 1900)State-Building, Expansion, and Conflict • The Americas still are under European rule by 1750. The Spanish control most of Latin America, while the British and French control upper North America. • The Revolutionary War begins in 1775, and the U.S.A. is independent by 1776. • Haiti becomes the first Latin American nation to get independence in 1804. • With the rise of democratic ideals, many new independency movements sprout up in Latin America. Some, such as in Venezuela and Mexico, encompass violent conflict. • The U.S. expands their focus westwards and fends off Native Americans. The U.S. also wins the Mexican-American War, annexing the northernmost provinces of Mexico such as Arizona and California. • Some Southern American states also expand by conflict, such as Peru. • American Civil War happens from 1861 to 1865.

28. The Americas (1750 - 1900)Economic Systems • Newly formed nations finally gain the control of their own resources. • North America advances much more industrially than Latin America. • Railroads are built sporadically however in a few non-industrialized nations, improving the economy of nations such as Argentina where the cattle was too far from cities. • Latin America bases their economy on agriculture while importing manufactured goods from Europe. • New technologies such as the cotton gin allow for much greater production.

29. The Americas (1750 - 1900)Social Structures • Slavery was dissolved in Latin America because of democratic ideals. In the U.S., slavery was abolished completely after the end of the. Racial tension remained however. • The rise of an industrial class, similar to Europe, was seen in the North. • Womens' rights were quite lacking in the Americas other than the U.S. in the early period. • Some Latin American nations grant women the right to an education by the 1870's. Women also start to work outside the home in industrial jobs.

30. The Americas (1900 - Present)

31. The Americas (1900 - Present)Human Interaction with Environment • Economic botany and agricultural science were applied to promising plants such as cocoa and coffee in Brazil. • With US support, in 1915 the Panama Canal is opened. • Mines and refineries in the early 1900s caused craters in the ground and toxic runoff that polluted nearby water sources. • All over Latin America grasslands were transformed into farming lands. • Wars (WWII for example) scarred landscape with ammunition and damaged equipment. • Loss of Brazilian Forest due to population growth and economic development. Deforestation and farming and grazing on marginal land because of food necessity. Erosion and water pollution were a result. • Global warming caused by many factors such as carbon dioxide, fumes, emissions from machines.

32. The Americas (1900 - Present)Development/Interaction of Cultures • Ideas that the wealthy rule the country is predominant in most Latin American countries. • Latin American countries and the US interact in a number of ways (economically and politically). • The religion of Christianity has been dominant in the Americas for the past century. • People in the Americas understand the ideas of liberty and freedom.

33. The Americas (1900 - Present)State-Building, Expansion, Conflict • The US and Latin America had heavy ties economically and politically. • For most of the 1900s, US companies dominated the Latin American economy. • The US, during the Cold War, aided governments that were against communism • Platt Amendment: allowed US to occupy Cuba from 1906-1909, 1912, 1917-1922. They also occupied the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras. • Latin American countries were economically dominated by the US but still managed to lavish in luxury; Argentina and Brazil built palaces for ex. • The US was involved in WWI, WWII, Vietnam War, Korean War to name a few. • In Latin America there were revolutions, repressions and democratic reform; the Dirty Wars, Somozoas vs. Sandinistas vs. Contras, distribution of wealth.

34. The Americas (1900 - Present)Economic Systems • The idea of free-trade imperialism was dominant in Latin American countries in the early 1900s • From both World Wars, the US flourishes. • The Great Depression: October 24 1929 the New York stock market crashed. Stocks became worth have their original value, people rushed to withdraw money from their bank accounts (causing banks to collapse). Unemployment and homelessness increased in both the US and in Latin America. • Smoot-Hawley tariff was imposed to protect American industries. • In Latin America, much of wealth was controlled by 1% of the population in most countries. • Many revolutions in Latin America to get rid of the corrupt wealthy and achieve economic freedom. They tried to get rid of American influence. • Economic alliances such as NAFTA and MERCOSUR start to form. • Financial crisis in 2008 setback things in the US; debt increases, unemployment increases, collapse of housing market, unnecessary risky lending techniques by big firms.

35. The Americas (1900 - Present)Social Structures • In the US there were traditional values in which women and those of racial minorities couldn't get jobs that white men could because of their inferiority. • In WWII, traditional ideas were weakened when women and those of racial minorities were recruited to work in jobs once held by white men. • In most Latin American countries 1% of population controls 85% of the country's land. • There is a sharp divide between the wealthy and the poor. • Later via revolutions and coups, land is distributed more fairly. • Cuba: Fidel Castro's gov't redistributes land, lowers rent, raises wages. • In present time, much of the wealth is still in the hand's of the wealthy. There are many poverty stricken areas in both the US and in Latin America.

36. Bibliography • Bulliet, Richard W., Pamela Crossley, Daniel R. Headrick, Steven Hirsch, Lyman Johnson, and David Northrup. The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History. Fifth Edition ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2010. Print. • "AP World History Course Description."Collegeboard. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2013. <apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/AP_WorldHistoryCED_Effective_Fall_2011.pdf>. • Armstrong, Monty, David Daniel, and Abby Kanarek. Cracking the AP World History Exam. 2013 ed. New York: Random House, 2012. Print. • McCannon, John. Barron's AP World History. 5th ed. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's, 2010. Print.