APUSH Chapter Notes
Chapter 1: A New World (1491-1607)
The First Americans
The Settling of the Americas
- Most residents of the Americas descended from hunters/fishers
- Food crisis with mammoths and giant bison becoming extinct with
warmer climate
- Maize, squash, beans formed basics of agri.
Indian Societies of the Americas
- Tenochtitlán: capital of Aztec empire
- N American Indians didn’t have tech Europeans had like metal tools
and machines
- Indian societies perfected farming, hunting, structures of political
power, trade
Mound Builders of the Mississippi River Valley
- Poverty Point: commercial and governmental center whose residents
“mound builders” made trade routes throughout Mississippi and Ohio
River valleys
Western Indians
- Hopi and Zuni had settled village life with planned towns and multiple
family dwellings
- Survivors of declining community moved S and E, establishing villages
and desert farming and irrigation systems
- Pueblo Indians
Indians of Eastern North America
- Tribes inhabited towns and villages
- Lived on corn, squash, beans, fished and hunted
- Little centralized authority until leagues emerged to bring order
- Great League of Peace: Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga
brought period of stability to area
- Each group had their own political system and religious beliefs
Native American Religion
- Animism: spiritual power could be found in living and inanimate things
like animals, plants, trees, water
- Some tribes had hunters perform rituals to calm spirit of killed animal
- People who seemed to have special abilities (shamans, religious
leaders) had respected positions
Land and Property
- Village leaders assigned plots of land to families for a season
, - Land was a common resource, not an economic commodity
- Indians not devoted to accumulation of wealth and material goods
- Chiefs lived better than avg members of society
- Some Indian societies had rigid social distinctions
Gender Relations
- Most Indian societies centered on kinship groups which children
became members of mother’s family, not father’s
- Women played important roles in certain religious ceremonies
- Women owned dwellings and tools and took responsibility for
household and agri.
European Views of the Indians
- Either seen as “noble savages” or uncivilized barbarians
- Negative images of Indians overshadowed positive with religion, land
use, and gender relations
- Europeans described them as nomads who didn’t actually “use” the
land and didn’t have a claim on it
- Considered Indian men “unmanly” bc Euros believed wives should only
do household work and not force them to do agri.
Indian Freedom, European Freedom
Indian Freedom
- Colonizers concluded the notion of “freedom” was alien to Indian
societies
- Indians were “too” free, lacking order
- Indians had their own ideas of freedom
Christian Liberty
- Freedom wasn’t a single idea but collection of distinct rights and
privileges, enjoyed by small amount of pop
- Freedom meant abandoning sin and embrace Christ’s teachings
- Person’s religion closely tied to their economic, political, and social
position
Freedom and Authority
- Freedom meant obedience to law
- Early modern Euro societies extremely hierarchical
- “Coverture” - when a woman married she surrendered her legal identity
and covered by her husband
- Basically couldn’t do anything on her own
- Family life depended on male dominance and female submission in
Europe
Liberty and Liberties
- Liberty came from knowing one’s social place and fulfilling the duties to
that rank
- “Liberties” meant formal, specific privileges
, - Personal independence reserved for small part of pop
The Expansion of Europe
- Euro conquest of America began as a quest for a sea route to India, China, and
East Indies
- Second epochal event Adam Smith linked to Columbus was discovery by
Portuguese navigators of sea route from Europe to Asia
Chinese and Portuguese Navigation
- Zheng He led large naval expeditions in Indian Ocean
- China was world’s most important trading economy
- China didn’t feel need for expansion, so gov ended support for
long-distance maritime expedition and it fell to Portugal
- Caravel: ship capable of long-distance travel
Portugal and West Africa
- Portuguese ship brought rosemary from W Africa, proving that one
could go beyond the desert and return
- Portuguese established trading posts on W coast of Africa
- Sugar plantations worked by Muslim captives flourished on
Mediterranean islands
Freedom and Slavery in Africa
- Slavery in Africa predated coming of Europeans
- Slavery was a form of labor, but not basis of economy like in the New
World
- Portuguese mariners pushed exploration south with Bartholomeu Dias
and Vasco de Gama
The Voyages of Columbus
- Columbus sailed Mediterranean and N Atlantic, studying ocean
currents and wind patterns
- He hoped to convert Asians to Christianity and enlist them in a crusade
- King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain became sponsors
- Reconquista: “reconquest” of Spain from the Moors, African Muslims
who occupied part of Iberian Peninsula
Contact
Columbus in the New World
- Arrived at the Bahamas and encountered larger islands of Hispaniola
and Cuba
- Euro colonization began in 1493, and Columbus died thinking he
discovered a west route to Asia
Exploration and Conquest
- Printing technique made it possible to spread info fast in Europe which
spread Columbus’ achievement
- Conquistadores: Spanish who took the lead in exploration and conquest
inspired by God, Gold, and Glory
, - Magellan led first expedition to sail around the world
- Hernán Cortés: encountered Tenochtitlán and conquered the Aztec city
using military tech
- Most powerful ally was disease
The Demographic Disaster
- Columbian Exchange: transatlantic flow of goods and people
- Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, tobacco, cotton introduced to
Europe from Americas
- Indian pops suffered catastrophic decline from diseases like smallpox,
flue, measles
The Spanish Empire
- Spain established immense empire reaching from Europe to Americas
and Asia
- Spanish Empire included most populous parts of New World
- Mexico City built on ruins of Tenochtitlán
Governing Spanish America
- Spanish crown replaced destructiveness of conquistadores with stable
system of gov
- Catholic Church played significant role in administration of Spanish
colonies
- Royal officials usually appointees from Spain instead of creoles
- Local councils, unis, merchant organizations enjoyed considerable
independence bc empire was so large
Colonists in Spanish America
- Spanish America has populous enough that importations of African
slaves were unnecessary
- Haciendas: large-scale farms controlled by Spanish landlords
- Indians performed most of the labor unlike other New World empires
- Gov barred non-Spaniards from emigrating to American domains but
opportunity for social advancement drew numerous colonists from
Spain
- At first, large majority were young, single men
Colonists and Indians
- Peninsulares on top of social hierarchy but didn’t constitute more than
small part of pop of Spanish America
- Indians outnumbered Euro colonists and descendants
- Intermixing of colonial and Indian peoples bc of Spanish crown
demanding single men to marry
- Mestizos: persons of mixed origin that made up large part of Spanish
America
Chapter 1: A New World (1491-1607)
The First Americans
The Settling of the Americas
- Most residents of the Americas descended from hunters/fishers
- Food crisis with mammoths and giant bison becoming extinct with
warmer climate
- Maize, squash, beans formed basics of agri.
Indian Societies of the Americas
- Tenochtitlán: capital of Aztec empire
- N American Indians didn’t have tech Europeans had like metal tools
and machines
- Indian societies perfected farming, hunting, structures of political
power, trade
Mound Builders of the Mississippi River Valley
- Poverty Point: commercial and governmental center whose residents
“mound builders” made trade routes throughout Mississippi and Ohio
River valleys
Western Indians
- Hopi and Zuni had settled village life with planned towns and multiple
family dwellings
- Survivors of declining community moved S and E, establishing villages
and desert farming and irrigation systems
- Pueblo Indians
Indians of Eastern North America
- Tribes inhabited towns and villages
- Lived on corn, squash, beans, fished and hunted
- Little centralized authority until leagues emerged to bring order
- Great League of Peace: Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga
brought period of stability to area
- Each group had their own political system and religious beliefs
Native American Religion
- Animism: spiritual power could be found in living and inanimate things
like animals, plants, trees, water
- Some tribes had hunters perform rituals to calm spirit of killed animal
- People who seemed to have special abilities (shamans, religious
leaders) had respected positions
Land and Property
- Village leaders assigned plots of land to families for a season
, - Land was a common resource, not an economic commodity
- Indians not devoted to accumulation of wealth and material goods
- Chiefs lived better than avg members of society
- Some Indian societies had rigid social distinctions
Gender Relations
- Most Indian societies centered on kinship groups which children
became members of mother’s family, not father’s
- Women played important roles in certain religious ceremonies
- Women owned dwellings and tools and took responsibility for
household and agri.
European Views of the Indians
- Either seen as “noble savages” or uncivilized barbarians
- Negative images of Indians overshadowed positive with religion, land
use, and gender relations
- Europeans described them as nomads who didn’t actually “use” the
land and didn’t have a claim on it
- Considered Indian men “unmanly” bc Euros believed wives should only
do household work and not force them to do agri.
Indian Freedom, European Freedom
Indian Freedom
- Colonizers concluded the notion of “freedom” was alien to Indian
societies
- Indians were “too” free, lacking order
- Indians had their own ideas of freedom
Christian Liberty
- Freedom wasn’t a single idea but collection of distinct rights and
privileges, enjoyed by small amount of pop
- Freedom meant abandoning sin and embrace Christ’s teachings
- Person’s religion closely tied to their economic, political, and social
position
Freedom and Authority
- Freedom meant obedience to law
- Early modern Euro societies extremely hierarchical
- “Coverture” - when a woman married she surrendered her legal identity
and covered by her husband
- Basically couldn’t do anything on her own
- Family life depended on male dominance and female submission in
Europe
Liberty and Liberties
- Liberty came from knowing one’s social place and fulfilling the duties to
that rank
- “Liberties” meant formal, specific privileges
, - Personal independence reserved for small part of pop
The Expansion of Europe
- Euro conquest of America began as a quest for a sea route to India, China, and
East Indies
- Second epochal event Adam Smith linked to Columbus was discovery by
Portuguese navigators of sea route from Europe to Asia
Chinese and Portuguese Navigation
- Zheng He led large naval expeditions in Indian Ocean
- China was world’s most important trading economy
- China didn’t feel need for expansion, so gov ended support for
long-distance maritime expedition and it fell to Portugal
- Caravel: ship capable of long-distance travel
Portugal and West Africa
- Portuguese ship brought rosemary from W Africa, proving that one
could go beyond the desert and return
- Portuguese established trading posts on W coast of Africa
- Sugar plantations worked by Muslim captives flourished on
Mediterranean islands
Freedom and Slavery in Africa
- Slavery in Africa predated coming of Europeans
- Slavery was a form of labor, but not basis of economy like in the New
World
- Portuguese mariners pushed exploration south with Bartholomeu Dias
and Vasco de Gama
The Voyages of Columbus
- Columbus sailed Mediterranean and N Atlantic, studying ocean
currents and wind patterns
- He hoped to convert Asians to Christianity and enlist them in a crusade
- King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain became sponsors
- Reconquista: “reconquest” of Spain from the Moors, African Muslims
who occupied part of Iberian Peninsula
Contact
Columbus in the New World
- Arrived at the Bahamas and encountered larger islands of Hispaniola
and Cuba
- Euro colonization began in 1493, and Columbus died thinking he
discovered a west route to Asia
Exploration and Conquest
- Printing technique made it possible to spread info fast in Europe which
spread Columbus’ achievement
- Conquistadores: Spanish who took the lead in exploration and conquest
inspired by God, Gold, and Glory
, - Magellan led first expedition to sail around the world
- Hernán Cortés: encountered Tenochtitlán and conquered the Aztec city
using military tech
- Most powerful ally was disease
The Demographic Disaster
- Columbian Exchange: transatlantic flow of goods and people
- Corn, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts, tobacco, cotton introduced to
Europe from Americas
- Indian pops suffered catastrophic decline from diseases like smallpox,
flue, measles
The Spanish Empire
- Spain established immense empire reaching from Europe to Americas
and Asia
- Spanish Empire included most populous parts of New World
- Mexico City built on ruins of Tenochtitlán
Governing Spanish America
- Spanish crown replaced destructiveness of conquistadores with stable
system of gov
- Catholic Church played significant role in administration of Spanish
colonies
- Royal officials usually appointees from Spain instead of creoles
- Local councils, unis, merchant organizations enjoyed considerable
independence bc empire was so large
Colonists in Spanish America
- Spanish America has populous enough that importations of African
slaves were unnecessary
- Haciendas: large-scale farms controlled by Spanish landlords
- Indians performed most of the labor unlike other New World empires
- Gov barred non-Spaniards from emigrating to American domains but
opportunity for social advancement drew numerous colonists from
Spain
- At first, large majority were young, single men
Colonists and Indians
- Peninsulares on top of social hierarchy but didn’t constitute more than
small part of pop of Spanish America
- Indians outnumbered Euro colonists and descendants
- Intermixing of colonial and Indian peoples bc of Spanish crown
demanding single men to marry
- Mestizos: persons of mixed origin that made up large part of Spanish
America
