Chapter 1 New World Beginnings

225 million years ago world was one big landmass called the pangea before it broke apart to form continents separated by oceans.

Ice Ages Ice ages are recurring

periods in the Earth's history, usually thousands or tens of thousands of years in length, when the entire Earth experiences colder climatic conditions. During these periods, enormous continental glaciers called ice sheets cover large areas of the Earth’s surface. Ice ages are separated by warmer periods called interglacial periods. Several ice ages have occurred throughout our planet's history. The last ice age peaked about 18,000 years ago, after which the Earth again began to warm.

Great Ice Age

Shaped Geological history of North America and contributed to origins of human history

Covered part of Europe,Asia, and the Americas until it melted 10,000 years ago revealing a land bridge

Bering Strait

Land Bridge connected Eurasia and North America

( Present day Siberia and Alaska)

Asian hunters crossed over on bridge until sea level rise and cover it again. This led to their isolation until discovery by Europeans.

Ice Age Migration Pattern

By the time Europeans made it to the North America, ancestors of natives had migrated down to South and Central America for warmer climate.

Natives created sophisticated civilization in the Americas

Incas city Machu-Picchu in Peru

Natives created sophisticated civilization in the Americas

Mayans (in Central America) and their decaying civilization as depicted in Apocalypto

More sophisticated civilization Aztecs in Mexico had

developed agriculture, elaborate cities(Tenochtitlan) , commerce and mathemetical knowledge. When the Spaniards landed in Mexico in 1519, they discovered a civilization thattook their breath away with its opulence and grandeur -- and also with its insatiable appetite for human sacrifice. The Catholic monks and friars that accompanied Cortez on his expedition began to probe and delve into the origins of the mighty Aztec empire -- recording the legends and traditions of the great migration that took the Aztecs to the valley of Mexico.

Earliest “Americans”

Developed agriculture ( corn) responsible for the large size of Native American civilizations in Mexico and South America.

Hunters/gatherers cultivated corn which became the main food source. This is the foundation of stabilizing huge nation states like the Incas and the Aztecs. They no longer had to migrate or live a nomadic existence.

Widespread of crop cultivation

Corn planting reached Americans in South west region like the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico. They built irrigation system.

Maize, beans, squash-rich diet and farming techniques contributed to population density in continent

Iroquois nation in North America rival those of the Incas and Mayans. Some natives had no desire to alter the face of the land or the means to do it so they spread out in N.A. in small groups.

Indirect Discoveries of the New World

Norse seafarers tried to colonize present day Newfoundland( Part of N.A.) but left because no funding.

Christian crusaders exposed to exotic goods during their crusades against theMuslims.Later they wanted to find route to Asia to get it. This motivation for riches and goods would eventually lead to discovery of N.A.

Europeans Enter Africa:The stage is set for exploration

1. European appetites for Eastern treasures increased as a result of Marco Polo’s tales of his stay in China. He worked for Kubla Khan for 17 years.The stories spurred exploration them to find a less expensive route to Asia or develop alternate sources of supply.

The Stage is set

2. Portuguese mariners developed the caravel, a ship that could sail from Europe to African coast where they set up trading post for gold and slaves.

The stage is set for exploration

3. Spain unite through the marriageof2sovereigns- Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella Castille. They wanted to beat the Portuguese in trade so they looked westward to unexplored land (N.A.). Lucky timing for Columbus.

Columbus audience with the king and queen

Columbus Comes upon New World

given 3 ships by Spanish monarchy

Oct. 12, 1492 landed in Bahamas while searching for new water routes to Indies (orient)

Called natives Indians and the term stuck to this day

Columbus’s “failure” had long-lasting affects on history

1. His failure led other nations to find the routes around land barriers blocking the ocean pathway which led to discovery of new continents

His voyage created an interdependent global economic system

Europe provided the markets, capital, and technology.

Africa :labor New World: raw

materials like precious metals and soil for farming

When Worlds Collide: Old vs. New

Food from New world such as beans, tomatoes, potatoes help fed growing population of Old world (most important Indian gift to Europeans)

Maize, manioc, and sweet potatoes may have fed the African population

Old and New World exchange

New World gives to the Old World: gold, silver, corn, potatoes, pineapple, tomatoes, tobacco, beans, vanilla, chocolate, and syphilis.

Old World gives to New World: wheat, sugar, rice, coffee, horses, cows, pigs, smallpox, measles, bubonic plague, influenza, typhus, diphtheria, scarlet fever and slave labor

Spanish Conquistadores and their affects

Wanted silver & gold in America. Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) –Spain and

Portugal split up new lands in New world In1500 Spain dominated in exploration and

colonization Silver introduced to New World which caused

a price revolution--- increased consumer cost by 500% beginning of capitalism

Spanish Affects continued

New World money transformed World Banks because this laid the foundation for commercial banking today

Caribbean islands used as staging sites for attacks on other nations

Spanish govt set up encomienda: act of giving natives to colonist to convert, a form of slavery

Key Events of the Conquest of Mexico

1. 2 interpreters/slaves helped Cortez discover discontent and internal problems of Aztecs which he used to gain control

2. 20,000 Indian allies helped Cortez conquer

3. Moctezuma believed Cortes was the god Quetzalcoatl so allowed him to approach

4. 1520-21 Cortes laid siege to city and a year later Aztecs submitted to Spanish rule

Statistics of death cause by the arrival of the Spaniards

Within 50yrs of Spanish arrival population of Taino natives in Hisponiola dropped from 1 mill to 200 ( diseases the main reason)

Centuries after Columbus landed: 90% of Native Americans dead.

Entire cultures, ancient ways of life extinguished forever.

The Spread of Spanish America

1. Conquered millions of Indians and built cities along S. America

2. Conquered N.M. founded Santa Fe: set up missions to convert heathens

3. Spanish guilty of killing, enslaving, and infecting natives with small pox, but they also built a colossal empire from Ca. to Florida to Terra del Fuego

Differences between English and Spanish Settlers/Conquerors

Spanish colonial settlements stronger, richer than English

Spanish genuine empire builders and cultural innovators. They intermarried with the natives and fused their cultures together.

English shunned and isolated the natives they encounter