Chapter 1: The Meeting of Cultures
Chapter 1: The Meeting of Cultures
Beginnings of America:
•
Nearly 12,000-14,000 years ago / 9000 BC migrations reached the southern tip of South
America / 15th century AD = contact with Europeans -> brought with them diseases
(smallpox) ended in: demographic catastrophe, weakened societies, aided Spanish/
Portuguese exploration
America before Columbus:
•
Adaptation to surroundings = nomadic bands, hunting, fishing, agriculture -> created civilizations •
Population: a lot more people (Indians)
•
Civilizations in the South -> Peru = Incas with a powerful empire, political system, large paved roads / Central America & Mexico = Mayas and a culture w written language, numbers, calendar, agriculture -> Aztecs = established rule, harsh religion, “savages” /
Economies = agriculture, high social standings, elaborate capital cities
•
Civilizations in the North -> North of Mexico = not as great as Southern, hunting, fishing, gathering, Eskimos fished and hunted seals, large, frozen lands / Pacific Northwest -> salmon fishing, settlements along coast, engaged in competition / Far West -> wealthier, densely populated / Southwest -> irrigation / Great Plains = sedentary farming /
Woodland Indians -> Mississippi (Cahokia = St. Louis) / Northeast = mobile, farming by clearing the land fast / Algonquin tribes -> Iroquois Confederation
Why do historians so often differ?
•
Positivists: shared views that real knowledge can only be derived from direct, scientific observation of clear facts
•
“Facts” are unknown bc they mean almost nothing without an effort for proof / Leads to many disputes for what may seem like an easy question
•
Some day there is no such thing as a “truth,” product of interpretation
Tribal Cultures:
•
Agricultural Revolution = population growth, stronger religion/customs (many gods/ totems) •
Divided tasks by gender -> women controlled the social/economic organization
Europe Looks Westward:
•
Before: not many people knew
Beginnings of America:
•
Nearly 12,000-14,000 years ago / 9000 BC migrations reached the southern tip of South
America / 15th century AD = contact with Europeans -> brought with them diseases
(smallpox) ended in: demographic catastrophe, weakened societies, aided Spanish/
Portuguese exploration
America before Columbus:
•
Adaptation to surroundings = nomadic bands, hunting, fishing, agriculture -> created civilizations •
Population: a lot more people (Indians)
•
Civilizations in the South -> Peru = Incas with a powerful empire, political system, large paved roads / Central America & Mexico = Mayas and a culture w written language, numbers, calendar, agriculture -> Aztecs = established rule, harsh religion, “savages” /
Economies = agriculture, high social standings, elaborate capital cities
•
Civilizations in the North -> North of Mexico = not as great as Southern, hunting, fishing, gathering, Eskimos fished and hunted seals, large, frozen lands / Pacific Northwest -> salmon fishing, settlements along coast, engaged in competition / Far West -> wealthier, densely populated / Southwest -> irrigation / Great Plains = sedentary farming /
Woodland Indians -> Mississippi (Cahokia = St. Louis) / Northeast = mobile, farming by clearing the land fast / Algonquin tribes -> Iroquois Confederation
Why do historians so often differ?
•
Positivists: shared views that real knowledge can only be derived from direct, scientific observation of clear facts
•
“Facts” are unknown bc they mean almost nothing without an effort for proof / Leads to many disputes for what may seem like an easy question
•
Some day there is no such thing as a “truth,” product of interpretation
Tribal Cultures:
•
Agricultural Revolution = population growth, stronger religion/customs (many gods/ totems) •
Divided tasks by gender -> women controlled the social/economic organization
Europe Looks Westward:
•
Before: not many people knew