Period 1: 1491-1607
Bailey Gordon Jan. 4th, 2016
Maize Cultivation
Maize cultivation allowed Native Americans to shift from strictly hunting to agriculture. This not only affected what they ate, but their living habits. Natives were able to settle in one place rather than continue in nomadic hunting bands. Early Americans even had a corn god to which they worshiped. Corn was one of the most important crops grown by Native Americans. This would aid the support for the theme GEO-4. Corn allowed natives to be stationary and shaped their communities.
Algonquian
The Algonquian were three tribes bound together to help one another. It was comrised of mainly fishing. The tribe originated in the Hudson River Valley and Long Island. The Mahicans, Shinnecock and Lenni Lanape that made up the tribe would soon show their presence in the French and Indian War. This allows us to analyze the affect settlement yeilded on tribes in that it was not healthy and later caused deadly disputes, similar to what the theme MIG- 2 asks us to do.
Iroquois Confederation
Similar to that of the Algonquian, the Iroquois Confederation was a political union of five tribes. A part of is was the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk. They were able to hold together through the fifteenth century all the way to the American Revolution. The Iroquois Confederation were nearby the Algonquian in the Mohawk Valley. They would also make it on scene of the French and Indian War as they would remain neutral towards the French and English.
Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs
While the previous talked about tribes in North America were not so far advanced, tribes in South America were. The Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs were very highly sophisticated civilizations. They had accurate calendars, extensive trade, and cultivated crops. American civilizations would later be influenced greatest by their agricultural methods. This would play a part in the affects that theme MIG-2 asks about with the settlement of the people.
Conquistadores
Conquistadores are considered to be any group of Spainish explorers who sought to conquer the lands of native people in the New World. Their reasoning behind it was god, gold and glory, the three G's. They made a strong presence from Mexico to Chile. However, other nations came to settle as well. The New World was also in the eyes of the French, and English. Settlement of the English caused widespread death of Native Americans due to new diseases brought over by them.
Native American Cultures (1491-1607) - AP US History (APUSH) @TomRichey