Southwest tribes (e.g. Hopi): hunting and gathering tribes adobes, cliff dwellings; tough
climatic conditions in the Great Basin; shortage of water.
Great Plains Indians: (e.g. Sioux): hunting
nomadic lifestyles, dependence on buffalo, introduction of horses by Europeans
Eastern Woodland Indians: (e.g. Iroquois)
longhouses, role of matrons, agriculture
Northwest Coast tribes: (e.g. Kwakiutls), fishing, totem poles, potlatch
Leif Ericson
(ca. 1000) was a Norse explorer from Iceland. He was the first known European to have
set foot on continental North America (excluding Greenland), before Christopher
Columbus.
Christopher Columbus (1942)
- discovered America, Cuba, Haiti
Amerigo Vespucci
- the first European to recognize America as a continent in its own right (America named
after him)
John Cabot
- 1497- discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of
England is the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America
Hernán Cortés
- was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec. In
1519, he allied with some indigenous people against others and made a conquest of the
Aztecs.
Ponce de Leon
- 1513 – conquest of Florida
Hernando de Soto
- played an important role in conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru.
- 1539- he was the first European to reach the Mississippi
Jacques Cartier
- was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores
of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas”
Clash of the European and Indian cultures:
Encounters between peoples who had not previously known of one another's existence
were bound to be profoundly unsettling. Europeans were culturally taught to see others
as savages, while Native Americans were inclined to view strangers as gods. While the
Native Americans prophesied the arrival of Europeans, Europeans fantasized about what
awaited them in the lands they hoped to "discover." To illustrate, when Christopher
Columbus first encountered the Guanahani people, he came to believe that they were
physically and culturally "naked." The primary encounters of the Europeans and the
Native Americans were often terrifyingly brutal.
In 1492, the population of the Native Americans in the United States alone was from 5 to
15 million people. By 1900, the population of Native Americans was down to 250,000
,because of disease, exploitation, enslavement, war, and genocidal federal policies.
Indians were considered as a sub-human race that must be removed or terminated.
Their status didn't give them a basis for legal recognition in the Americas.
Diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza were introduced by Europeans and
reached catastrophic heights among Native Americans, who had never been exposed to
these diseases and had no immunity to them. As colonization and westward expansion
continued, Native Americans were victims to war, genocide, removal from tribal lands,
relocation, and forced labor.
These factors all contributed to the extinction of 50 to 90 percent of the indigenous
populations by the end of the nineteenth century. Overall, the cultural clash between the
Native Americans and the Europeans did positively affect the conquest of the Americas.
In exchange for their religious teachings and new technology, the Europeans were given
new forms of music, art, and food from the Native Americans to trade with the parts of
the world. The cultural clash of the Europeans and the Natives also resulted in the
formation of new races and religion. This clash is part of the reason for the diversity of
cultures in the Americas today.
Queen Elizabeth I and the dawn of Britain's overseas empire.
The first serious attempts to establish English colonies overseas were made in the last
quarter of the 16th century, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The 1580s saw the first
attempt at permanent English settlements in North America. Soon there was an
explosion of English colonial activity, driven by men seeking new land, by the pursuit of
trade, and by the search for religious freedom. In the 17th century, the destination of
most English people making a new life overseas was in the West Indies rather than in
North America.
Roanoke Colony
- The origins of one of the America’s oldest unsolved mysteries can be traced to August
1587, when a group of about 115 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the
coast of what is now North Carolina. Later that year, it was decided that John White,
governor of the new colony, would sail back to England in order to gather a fresh load of
supplies. But just as he arrived, a major naval war broke out between England and
Spain, and Queen Elizabeth I called on every available ship to confront the mighty
Spanish Armada. White finally returned to Roanoke. He found no trace of the colony or
its inhabitants, and few clues to what might have happened, apart from a single word—
“Croatoan”—carved into a wooden post. Investigations into the fate of the “Lost Colony”
of Roanoke have continued over the centuries, but no one has come up with a
satisfactory answer. “Croatoan” was the name of an island south of Roanoke that was
home to a Native American tribe of the same name. Perhaps, then, the colonists were
killed or abducted by Native Americans.
Colony of Virginia (1607)
- was the first enduring English colony in North America
- the founder of the new colony was the Virginia Company with the first two settlements
in Jamestown on the north bank of the James River. The Popham colony quickly failed
due to a famine, disease, and conflict with local Native American tribes in the first two
years.
John Smith
- He played an important role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony, the first
permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century. Smith was a
leader of the Virginia Colony based at Jamestown and led an exploration along the rivers
of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, during which he became the first English explorer
, to map the Chesapeake Bay area. When Jamestown was established, Smith trained the
first settlers to farm and work, thus saving the colony from early devastation. He
publicly stated "He that will not work, shall not eat". Harsh weather, lack of food and
water, the surrounding swampy wilderness, and attacks from local Indians almost
destroyed the colony. With Smith's leadership, however, Jamestown survived and
eventually flourished. Smith was forced to return to England after being injured.
Powhatan Confederacy
- The Powhatan people are an indigenous group that is traditionally from Virginia. In the
21st century, eight Indian tribes are officially recognized by Virginia, as having ancestral
ties to the Powhatan confederation. Warfare between Europeans and Indians was
common in the seventeenth century. In 1622, the Powhatan Confederacy nearly wiped
out the struggling Jamestown colony
Pocahontas
- was a Native American woman notable for her association with the colonial settlement
at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Powhatan, the paramount chief. She
saved the life of Colonist John Smith. Pocahontas was captured and held for ransom by
the Colonists during hostilities. During her captivity, she converted to Christianity and
took the name Rebecca. When the opportunity arose for her to return to her people, she
chose to remain with the Colonists. She travelled to London where she was presented to
English society as an example of the "civilized savage" in hopes of stimulating investment
in the Jamestown settlement. She became something of a celebrity.
John Rolfe
- Spain held a virtual monopoly on the tobacco trade. Most Spanish colonies in the New
World were located in southern climates more favorable to tobacco growth than the
English settlements, notably Jamestown. As the consumption of tobacco had increased,
the balance of trade between England and Spain began to be seriously affected. Rolfe
was one of a number of businessmen who saw the opportunity to undercut Spanish
imports by growing tobacco in England's new colony in Virginia. He had somehow
obtained seeds to take with him from a special popular strain, then being grown in
Trinidad South America, even though Spain had declared a penalty of death to anyone
selling such seeds to a non-Spaniard. Rolfe married Pocahontas, daughter of the local
Native American leader Powhatan. Their marriage created a climate of peace between the
Jamestown colonists and Powhatan's tribes for several years
Indian uprising (1622)
The Powhatan "came unarmed into our houses with deer, turkeys, fish, fruits, and other
provisions to sell us". The Powhatan grabbed any tools or weapons available and killed
all the English settlers they found, including men, women, and children of all ages. They
killed 347 people, a quarter of the population of the Virginia colony. Jamestown, founded
in 1607, was the site of the first successful English settlement in North America, and
was then the capital of the Colony of Virginia. Its tobacco economy led to constant
expansion and seizure of Powhatan lands, which ultimately provoked a violent reaction.
Virginia Company of London as an instrument of British colonization
- The London Company (also called the Virginia Company of London) was an English
joint-stock company established with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in
North America
Society in the Chesapeake region
- planters, indentured servants, slaves
climatic conditions in the Great Basin; shortage of water.
Great Plains Indians: (e.g. Sioux): hunting
nomadic lifestyles, dependence on buffalo, introduction of horses by Europeans
Eastern Woodland Indians: (e.g. Iroquois)
longhouses, role of matrons, agriculture
Northwest Coast tribes: (e.g. Kwakiutls), fishing, totem poles, potlatch
Leif Ericson
(ca. 1000) was a Norse explorer from Iceland. He was the first known European to have
set foot on continental North America (excluding Greenland), before Christopher
Columbus.
Christopher Columbus (1942)
- discovered America, Cuba, Haiti
Amerigo Vespucci
- the first European to recognize America as a continent in its own right (America named
after him)
John Cabot
- 1497- discovery of the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of
England is the earliest known European exploration of coastal North America
Hernán Cortés
- was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec. In
1519, he allied with some indigenous people against others and made a conquest of the
Aztecs.
Ponce de Leon
- 1513 – conquest of Florida
Hernando de Soto
- played an important role in conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru.
- 1539- he was the first European to reach the Mississippi
Jacques Cartier
- was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores
of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas”
Clash of the European and Indian cultures:
Encounters between peoples who had not previously known of one another's existence
were bound to be profoundly unsettling. Europeans were culturally taught to see others
as savages, while Native Americans were inclined to view strangers as gods. While the
Native Americans prophesied the arrival of Europeans, Europeans fantasized about what
awaited them in the lands they hoped to "discover." To illustrate, when Christopher
Columbus first encountered the Guanahani people, he came to believe that they were
physically and culturally "naked." The primary encounters of the Europeans and the
Native Americans were often terrifyingly brutal.
In 1492, the population of the Native Americans in the United States alone was from 5 to
15 million people. By 1900, the population of Native Americans was down to 250,000
,because of disease, exploitation, enslavement, war, and genocidal federal policies.
Indians were considered as a sub-human race that must be removed or terminated.
Their status didn't give them a basis for legal recognition in the Americas.
Diseases such as smallpox, measles, and influenza were introduced by Europeans and
reached catastrophic heights among Native Americans, who had never been exposed to
these diseases and had no immunity to them. As colonization and westward expansion
continued, Native Americans were victims to war, genocide, removal from tribal lands,
relocation, and forced labor.
These factors all contributed to the extinction of 50 to 90 percent of the indigenous
populations by the end of the nineteenth century. Overall, the cultural clash between the
Native Americans and the Europeans did positively affect the conquest of the Americas.
In exchange for their religious teachings and new technology, the Europeans were given
new forms of music, art, and food from the Native Americans to trade with the parts of
the world. The cultural clash of the Europeans and the Natives also resulted in the
formation of new races and religion. This clash is part of the reason for the diversity of
cultures in the Americas today.
Queen Elizabeth I and the dawn of Britain's overseas empire.
The first serious attempts to establish English colonies overseas were made in the last
quarter of the 16th century, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The 1580s saw the first
attempt at permanent English settlements in North America. Soon there was an
explosion of English colonial activity, driven by men seeking new land, by the pursuit of
trade, and by the search for religious freedom. In the 17th century, the destination of
most English people making a new life overseas was in the West Indies rather than in
North America.
Roanoke Colony
- The origins of one of the America’s oldest unsolved mysteries can be traced to August
1587, when a group of about 115 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the
coast of what is now North Carolina. Later that year, it was decided that John White,
governor of the new colony, would sail back to England in order to gather a fresh load of
supplies. But just as he arrived, a major naval war broke out between England and
Spain, and Queen Elizabeth I called on every available ship to confront the mighty
Spanish Armada. White finally returned to Roanoke. He found no trace of the colony or
its inhabitants, and few clues to what might have happened, apart from a single word—
“Croatoan”—carved into a wooden post. Investigations into the fate of the “Lost Colony”
of Roanoke have continued over the centuries, but no one has come up with a
satisfactory answer. “Croatoan” was the name of an island south of Roanoke that was
home to a Native American tribe of the same name. Perhaps, then, the colonists were
killed or abducted by Native Americans.
Colony of Virginia (1607)
- was the first enduring English colony in North America
- the founder of the new colony was the Virginia Company with the first two settlements
in Jamestown on the north bank of the James River. The Popham colony quickly failed
due to a famine, disease, and conflict with local Native American tribes in the first two
years.
John Smith
- He played an important role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony, the first
permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century. Smith was a
leader of the Virginia Colony based at Jamestown and led an exploration along the rivers
of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, during which he became the first English explorer
, to map the Chesapeake Bay area. When Jamestown was established, Smith trained the
first settlers to farm and work, thus saving the colony from early devastation. He
publicly stated "He that will not work, shall not eat". Harsh weather, lack of food and
water, the surrounding swampy wilderness, and attacks from local Indians almost
destroyed the colony. With Smith's leadership, however, Jamestown survived and
eventually flourished. Smith was forced to return to England after being injured.
Powhatan Confederacy
- The Powhatan people are an indigenous group that is traditionally from Virginia. In the
21st century, eight Indian tribes are officially recognized by Virginia, as having ancestral
ties to the Powhatan confederation. Warfare between Europeans and Indians was
common in the seventeenth century. In 1622, the Powhatan Confederacy nearly wiped
out the struggling Jamestown colony
Pocahontas
- was a Native American woman notable for her association with the colonial settlement
at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Powhatan, the paramount chief. She
saved the life of Colonist John Smith. Pocahontas was captured and held for ransom by
the Colonists during hostilities. During her captivity, she converted to Christianity and
took the name Rebecca. When the opportunity arose for her to return to her people, she
chose to remain with the Colonists. She travelled to London where she was presented to
English society as an example of the "civilized savage" in hopes of stimulating investment
in the Jamestown settlement. She became something of a celebrity.
John Rolfe
- Spain held a virtual monopoly on the tobacco trade. Most Spanish colonies in the New
World were located in southern climates more favorable to tobacco growth than the
English settlements, notably Jamestown. As the consumption of tobacco had increased,
the balance of trade between England and Spain began to be seriously affected. Rolfe
was one of a number of businessmen who saw the opportunity to undercut Spanish
imports by growing tobacco in England's new colony in Virginia. He had somehow
obtained seeds to take with him from a special popular strain, then being grown in
Trinidad South America, even though Spain had declared a penalty of death to anyone
selling such seeds to a non-Spaniard. Rolfe married Pocahontas, daughter of the local
Native American leader Powhatan. Their marriage created a climate of peace between the
Jamestown colonists and Powhatan's tribes for several years
Indian uprising (1622)
The Powhatan "came unarmed into our houses with deer, turkeys, fish, fruits, and other
provisions to sell us". The Powhatan grabbed any tools or weapons available and killed
all the English settlers they found, including men, women, and children of all ages. They
killed 347 people, a quarter of the population of the Virginia colony. Jamestown, founded
in 1607, was the site of the first successful English settlement in North America, and
was then the capital of the Colony of Virginia. Its tobacco economy led to constant
expansion and seizure of Powhatan lands, which ultimately provoked a violent reaction.
Virginia Company of London as an instrument of British colonization
- The London Company (also called the Virginia Company of London) was an English
joint-stock company established with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in
North America
Society in the Chesapeake region
- planters, indentured servants, slaves
