Americas: Pre C olumbian Empires to Colonies

1. Americas: Pre Columbian Empires to Colonies This should sound familiar from 8th grade US History

2. Who knew about America by 1492? • jjhttp://www.davidpratt.info/americas/amer6-2.gif

3. Mayans, Inca, Aztecs Achievements Mayans- Large buildings, Hieroglyphics, 365 calendar, complex numbering system that used zero, developed a ball game that used a sideways hoop, colorful murals Aztecs- Floating gardens, Aligned temples to movements of sun and moon, fierce warriors, Feudal social hierarchy, very religious and sacrificed to their Gods Incans- Developed “Quipu” knot system, Stone buildings high in Andes using no cement, terraced farming, Incan Road for trade

4. Age of Discovery • Marco Polo increased interest in trade with China and new sea routes needed to be discovered • Prince Henry of Portugal developed new lighter ship • Ferdinand and Isabella just reunited Spain under Christian rule in 1492 after the Reconquista which expelled Muslims and Jews • Christopher Columbus of Genoa was convinced he could reach Asia sailing Westward and convinced the Spanish rulers to give him 3 ships • 2 months later after his crew almost mutinied they hit America by accident calling it India

5. The Columbian Exchange • ll

6. Other Explorers • Vasco de Gama- Sailed around southern tip of Africa in 1497 to reach Asia • Ferdinand Magellan- 1519 circumnavigated the world, Magellan died on the voyage • John Cabot- claimed land in America for England • Cartier, Chaplain, and Robert de la Salle- explored the St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River for France • Henry Hudson- explored Hudson Bay and Hudson River, and died on the Hudson Bay after a mutiny

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8. Conquest of the Aztecs • Hernando Cortes moved on to Mexico after the Caribbean islands were secured for Spain • He met with Aztec ruler Montezuma where they were first thought of as Gods • Cortes left and returned in 1521 with thousands of natives with European weapons that despised the Aztecs • The Aztecs fell using clubs and spears and later smallpox weakened those remaining • The remaining Aztecs were enslaved and forced to adopt Christian beliefs

9. Conquest of the Incas • In 1530 Francisco Pizarro sailed from Panama to conquer the Incas who were recovering from a civil war • Pizarro’s advanced weapons gained a quick advantage • Later Pizarro invited the Incan emperor to talk about peace, which was a trick and killed the king and ambushed the capital city • By 1533 the Incan Empire fell and the remaining Incans were forced to work for their new masters and adopt Christianity

10. Colonial Rule • Latin America was formed and fused European and Native American cultures together • Spanish Viceroys (Governors) were sent to rule the new territories • Native Americans were forced to work the land in the Encomieda System • A social structure emerge with Spaniards at the top, then religious leaders, Spaniards born in the new world (creoles), Mixed Spanish and Native (mestizos), then Native peoples • Native American number declined rapidly due to diseases, so they looked to Africa for free labor

11. Northern Colonies • jj

12. Other Colonies • New France- established in Canada, the Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River, small villages and trading outposts (Furs) • New Netherland- Hudson claimed area around New York, founded trading cities (Fur), and allowed Dutch West India Company to control the territory • English Colonies- 1607 Jamestown, Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, Puritans at Massachusetts Bay in 1630, Expanded to 13 colonies along the Atlantic

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14. Legacy of Transatlantic slave trade on Africa • Encouraged African Warfare- wanted to captured each other to obtain guns, rum, and goods • Disrupted African Culture- created a legacy of violence, bitterness, and social upheaval • Increased Cultural Diffusion- ideas and goods entered Africa and slaves brought beliefs, legends, and music to the Americas • Estimates are 15 million slaves were brought from Africa and 11 million to New Spain • Many died on the voyage called the “Middle Passage”