The AmericasBeginnings to the Present

By: Joohyun Ha, Jiyoon Lee, Jan Li, Danny Qiu, Devendra Shivraj, Sunny Zhang

The Americas: North America, Mesoamerica, South America (Andean Region)

Wake Up!

Starting at the Beginning

•Asians reached the Western Hemisphere through a series of migrations.

• Initially settled by nomadic people in search of food.

• Isolated from the rest of the world until Leif Ericsson's voyage.

"Oh, it needs to be a political map."

Major Ancient American CivilizationsOrganization & Reorganization of Human Societies

Important Mesoamerican city-state

•Inhabitants built holy sites where human sacrifices were held.

•Chinampas: "floating gardens"

•Ruled by alliances of aristocracy and priests.

•Declined probably from mismanagement of resources and conflicts among elite.

Teotihuacan 100 C.E.-750 C.E.

The Maya 250 C.E.-900C.E.

•City-state system

•Religious rituals dominated public life

•Rulers and warfare were connected with religion.

•Elaborate calendar system, concept of zero, writing system

•Decline: struggle for resources, class conflicts, warfare

Mesoamerica Postclassic Period, 900-1500

-Population growth lead to intensification of agriculture practices and increased warfare

-The Toltecs created a powerful military state.

-The Aztecs (Mexica): at first organized as altepetl and calpolli. Serve as mercenaries but gained power and began to build their capital, Tenochtitlan.

-Constant warfare: A lot of human sacrifices, impose tribute system.

-Merchants traded over long distances.

-Women were highly respected as founders of lineages, teachers, and priestesses. Dominate home and markets.

Andean Civilizations, 200-1500-Harsh environments:

calendar system, terraced farming, irrigation to help in agriculture.

-Ayllu & Mit'a were social bases of civilization.

-The Moche: society based on agriculture, trade, and distinct social classes.

-The Inca Empire: "Land of the Four Corners"

-Royal family descended from Sun.

-Each new king obligated to extend imperial boundaries. Imposed tribute system.

-Mit'a (labor conscription) provided workers. Local Ayllu chiefs ran governments. Heirs sent to live at Inca capital.

-Khipus: system of knotted cords to transmit information.

-Civil war weakened the Inca right before the arrival of Europeans.

Europeans Arrive and Dominate: 1450 to 1750

- Europeans conquered Latin America, ending traditional culture in conquered areas while leaving other, far-isolated areas intact.

- Sacrifices, matriarchy, and polytheism were among the old habits to be repressed and replaced by European ways, including effective slavery and Catholicism.

- Viceroys ruled Latin America for Spanish king and queen

As part of the Catholic Reformation, Jesuit

missionaries led by Ignatius of Loyola established missions all over Latin America, succeeding in

converting many natives. This contributes to the erosion of

traditional culture.

North America in 1750

•North American countries, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, were colonies of European nations in 1750.

• They mainly traded with their mother countries and exported raw materials.

•Major exports: crops and other raw materials

• Europe provided North American countries with manufactured goods.

• Export-based economy

1750 to 1900American Revolution (1775-1783)

Haitian Revolution (1791-1804)

• Influenced by the French Revolution

• Slaves rebelled against their masters

• First successful slave revolt

Revolutions in Latin America

• Inspired by Enlightenment ideas, previous revolutions, and Spain's weakness after the Napoleonic Wars.

• Resulted in an overall left-shift in political ideology

• Resulted in some industrialization which benefited the elite

Buenos Aires shows heavy European influence.

Latin American Wars of Independence

Independence movements were created by nationalism and resentment of foreign control.o Simon Bolivar took control of

independence movements in Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

o Brazilian Independence (1820)- Prince Pedro, son of the king of Portugal, declared Brazil independent. Brazil became a constitutional monarchy.

o Mexico (1810-1823)- Led by figures who all wanted freedom from Spain for all classes.

o José de San Martín frees Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay (1816-1820). Later joined forces with Bolivar to free Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru by 1825.

Latin America After Independence

• Even after independence, there were still many problems.o Failure of constitutional ruleo Dictatorship and military rule by caudilloso Relative lack of industrialization from export-

based economy which lead to economic backwardness.

o Socioeconomic inequality persists, affected by: Harsh labor systems such as slavery,

encomienda and hacienda systems. Elites owned most of the land. Peasants had no choice but to work for them.

• Foreign influence from US and Spain.• Dollar Diplomacy• Monroe Doctrine• Spain maintained control of Puerto Rico

and Cuba until the late 19th century.

Atlantis

Trade in North AmericaUnited State• Slave trade flourished legally until 1808, and

illegally until the 1860s.• After independence, the United States traded

freely with European nations other than Britain.

• Technology dramatically improved since 1790, increasing the amount of manufactured products.

• Railroad network expanded dramatically from 1840s to 1900s.

• Overall, the Industrial Revolution changed the United States from export-oriented to import-oriented.

Mexico• Followed suit and underwent industrialization,

also developing a strong petroleum extraction industry.

• Railroad network expanded rapidly.Canada• Began exporting coal and iron; remains a

dominant exporter of these resources to this day.

American Policies

- Monroe Doctrine (1823)o The US would intervene with

any European efforts to colonize land or interfere with American politics

- Roosevelt Corollary (1904)o This expanded the Monroe

Doctrine to the use of US military to keep the Europeans out

o Justified US intervention in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti

- These policies were later renounced in favor of the "Good Neighbor Policy" (1933)o US would not interfere with

what was going on in Latin America

1900 to 1945- The Mexican Revolution's success resulted in reforms,

greater socioeconomic equality, and reduced foreign ownership.

- In Brazil, Vargas increased centralization and created an authoritarian regime after rising to power in a revolution.

- In Argentina, the Peróns fought for social benefits for the people and spent a lot to improve the welfare of the nation along with industrializing.

- New art trends arise as mural art mixed romanticism of the Indian heritage with Christian and communist ideas. Additionally, Kahlo and others reacted to industrialization with discontent.

- Latin American intellectuals lost faith in democracy, contributing to the rise of socialist political parties.

The Great Depression Hits Latin America

•The world economy collapsed, and the demand for raw materials (especially in industrialized nations) declined.

•The industrialization of relatively modernized countries like Argentina and Brazil were set back "a decade or more".

• Leaders attempted to create self-sufficient economies supported by a large middle class.

• "Disenchanted with liberal politics", military officers seized power in many areas.

Cold War Relations• Cold War politics spilled into Latin

America as U.S. supported revolutions took place in the effort to contain communism and maintain economic ties.

• Successful changes in government occurred in Guatemala, Brazil, Chile, and Nicaragua.

• Fidel Castro took over Cuba and establishes reforms.

• Cuban Missile Crisis increased Latin America's significance in the Cold War.

• In Argentina, right-wing forces successfully overcame left-wing opposition in the Dirty Wars.

Changes in the 1980s•With the revival of religion in

Latin America, a new political party called the Christian Democrats rises to power.

•Countries are again stable democracies due to dissatisfaction with dictators and opposition to right-wing dictators.

•Countries enter an era of prosperity and become more involved in the global trade.

Social Changes•Current governments are beginning to foster of human

rights, in light of what happened several decades previously.

•Population growth, urbanization and worker migration are still continuing problems. There is still discrimination held within Latin American society towards Indians and Blacks.

•The role of women gradually progresses as most women achieve suffrage in the 1950s.

•Population expansion leads to a large percentage of unemployment as the industrial sector can not provide enough jobs.

• Living conditions are deteriorating and many people are forced to move into shantytowns.

Connection to Today

• Countries in North America export large amount of crops and livestock to foreign markets due to their vast arable territory such as the Great Plains in the U.S., the Canadian prairie, and parts of northern Mexico.

• The United States produced 32% of corn in the world in 2011, being the largest producer of corn.

• In 1994, Mexico, the United States, and Canada made the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), eliminating tariffs and increasing trade.

• In 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) was established by 153 major trading countries in the world to foster international trade.

Bonus Change

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_____http://tinyurl.com/cxycbrw on May 2nd, 2013."AP World History: Course and Exam Description." College Board. The College

Board, n.d. _____Web. 3 May 2013. <http://tinyurl.com/3gl3okc>.Bulliet, Richard W., Pamela Crossley, Daniel Headrick, Steven Hirsch, Lyman

Johnson, and _____David Northrup. The Earth and Its Peoples. 5th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. Print.

The Geography of Transport Systems. Colonial Trade Pattern, North Atlantic, 18th Century. _____Retrieved from http:/tinyurl.com/cerg2j5 on May 2nd, 2013.

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Norbury, K. (2013, March 7). Canadian exporters ready for shifts in the international coal _____trade. Retrieved from http://www.canadiansailings.ca/?p=6272 on May 2nd, 2013.