HIUS 221, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE, ALREADY
GRADED A+
Beringia
The first Americans arrived on the continent by crossing a now submerged land bridge
Paleo-Indians crossed land bridge many millenia ago
Misconceptions of Indians
-Their societies were static, fixed to particular homelands and lifestyles
-Native societies lived in isolation until "discovered" by whites
-They were nomads who luved in teepees of buffalo hide
-Before the arrival of white Europeans, Native American peoples lived in harmony and peace with the
land an with each other, largely due to the influence of their nature-based religions
The Eastern Woodlands Indians
-The Indians east of Mississippi were the first natives north of Mexico contacted by the Europeans
-They were mostly agricultural, lived in semi-permanent villages, and were organized into small bands
led by chiefs
-Traded heavily
-Most important trade: beaver pelts
-The beaver pelt trade became an important factor in relations between Indians and whites and colonial
economic development
First Contact
-Would be peaceful/cross-cultural exchange
-Conflict over land would then occur
-Treaty would be negotiated, would lead to more misunderstanding and anger
-Whites would violate treaty, sometimes in defiance of own governments
-Indian warriors would kill whites with/out provocation
-Whites ensue victory in war
-Indians would be expelled from lands or terminated
-I v. I & I v. W
-By Civil War, tribes east of Miss. had either been assimilated into white culture, forced into
reservations, or exterminated
Indian Religion
-Based mostly on worship of nature and the spirit-beings they believed existed
-Most Indian creation stories illustrated a bond between the tribe and their ancestral lands, where the
"Great Spirit" breathed life into the people and bound their spirits to the spirits in nature around them.
-Indian peoples believed the land was sacred, and concepts of land ownership did not exist in their
culture
, -Communal ownership
-These beliefs clashes with those of Europeans, who saw the land as a resource to be developed
Fate of Native Americans
-Majority died from diseases brought from Europeans with no immunity
-Smallpox (most died without having any contact with whites)
-1492, 50 million Indians lived in North America
-By first colony in Virgina, only 4 million were left
-Antropologists have determined that plagues occured among the Indians before contact with whites
-Intertribal warfare also decimated Indian populations
Prince Henry the Navigator
-(1394-1460) ~ was tough, experienced soldier and mariner
-Established a school for ships' captains and navigators
-These men went out on voyages south along the African coast, established putposts, making maps, and
sending reports back to Henry
-Eventually, his captains made contact with India, China, and Japan
-Over the course of the 15-16th centuries, Portugal became the first European nation to establish a
colonial empire
Columbus (1451-1506)
-Genoa, Italy; was another skilled mariner
-Theorized that he could reac East Asia by sailing west from Europe
-Columbus knew world was round
-For years, tried without sucess to interest the maritime powers of Europe in backing such a venture
-1942, Columbus approached the king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella
-Spanish monarchs, seeking to compete with Portugese domination of trade with China and India,
agreed to provide Columbus with ships and crew
-Sailed from Spain in August 1942
-Made landfall on an island he named San Salvidor on October 12 1942
-Continued exploration, Cuba and Hispaniola
-Made contact with "Indians"
-Returned to Spain in early 1943
-Although Columbus had found no gold or spices, Ferdinand and Isabella realized realized the potential
of his achievement
-Second voyage: concluded that he discovered a previously unknown land mass off the coast of
Southeast Asia
-Third voyage: Columbus was charged with committing atrocities against native populations and briefly
imprisoned
-Fourth: he and ither sailors were stranded in an island for a year
-Columbus died in 1506, two years after his last voyage, in poverty
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
GRADED A+
Beringia
The first Americans arrived on the continent by crossing a now submerged land bridge
Paleo-Indians crossed land bridge many millenia ago
Misconceptions of Indians
-Their societies were static, fixed to particular homelands and lifestyles
-Native societies lived in isolation until "discovered" by whites
-They were nomads who luved in teepees of buffalo hide
-Before the arrival of white Europeans, Native American peoples lived in harmony and peace with the
land an with each other, largely due to the influence of their nature-based religions
The Eastern Woodlands Indians
-The Indians east of Mississippi were the first natives north of Mexico contacted by the Europeans
-They were mostly agricultural, lived in semi-permanent villages, and were organized into small bands
led by chiefs
-Traded heavily
-Most important trade: beaver pelts
-The beaver pelt trade became an important factor in relations between Indians and whites and colonial
economic development
First Contact
-Would be peaceful/cross-cultural exchange
-Conflict over land would then occur
-Treaty would be negotiated, would lead to more misunderstanding and anger
-Whites would violate treaty, sometimes in defiance of own governments
-Indian warriors would kill whites with/out provocation
-Whites ensue victory in war
-Indians would be expelled from lands or terminated
-I v. I & I v. W
-By Civil War, tribes east of Miss. had either been assimilated into white culture, forced into
reservations, or exterminated
Indian Religion
-Based mostly on worship of nature and the spirit-beings they believed existed
-Most Indian creation stories illustrated a bond between the tribe and their ancestral lands, where the
"Great Spirit" breathed life into the people and bound their spirits to the spirits in nature around them.
-Indian peoples believed the land was sacred, and concepts of land ownership did not exist in their
culture
, -Communal ownership
-These beliefs clashes with those of Europeans, who saw the land as a resource to be developed
Fate of Native Americans
-Majority died from diseases brought from Europeans with no immunity
-Smallpox (most died without having any contact with whites)
-1492, 50 million Indians lived in North America
-By first colony in Virgina, only 4 million were left
-Antropologists have determined that plagues occured among the Indians before contact with whites
-Intertribal warfare also decimated Indian populations
Prince Henry the Navigator
-(1394-1460) ~ was tough, experienced soldier and mariner
-Established a school for ships' captains and navigators
-These men went out on voyages south along the African coast, established putposts, making maps, and
sending reports back to Henry
-Eventually, his captains made contact with India, China, and Japan
-Over the course of the 15-16th centuries, Portugal became the first European nation to establish a
colonial empire
Columbus (1451-1506)
-Genoa, Italy; was another skilled mariner
-Theorized that he could reac East Asia by sailing west from Europe
-Columbus knew world was round
-For years, tried without sucess to interest the maritime powers of Europe in backing such a venture
-1942, Columbus approached the king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella
-Spanish monarchs, seeking to compete with Portugese domination of trade with China and India,
agreed to provide Columbus with ships and crew
-Sailed from Spain in August 1942
-Made landfall on an island he named San Salvidor on October 12 1942
-Continued exploration, Cuba and Hispaniola
-Made contact with "Indians"
-Returned to Spain in early 1943
-Although Columbus had found no gold or spices, Ferdinand and Isabella realized realized the potential
of his achievement
-Second voyage: concluded that he discovered a previously unknown land mass off the coast of
Southeast Asia
-Third voyage: Columbus was charged with committing atrocities against native populations and briefly
imprisoned
-Fourth: he and ither sailors were stranded in an island for a year
-Columbus died in 1506, two years after his last voyage, in poverty
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
