1) the pre columbian world
TRANSCRIPT
The Pre Columbian World: America
and Europe
What do you think of when you hear the word
History? Two Standard definitions
Events which happen in the past The study of those events in the past by
contemporary people What do we mean by U.S. History?
U.S. History is not limited to the exact dates of our nation itself
What is History?
The First Settlement of America
North and South America were the last areas of the world to be occupied
First American settlers came from Northwest Asia and Siberia
First groups begin to cross land bridge around 15,000 years ago Crossed in pursuit of herds and tribes were
hunter-gathers Over the next few thousand the migrants began
to spread out across the continents
Native American Society
Due to overhunting and the warming of the climate the Natives in North America begin to change focus Form semi-permanent farms
focused on Beans, Corn, and Squash
Cultural and social differences abound in North America mostly driven by environment
Most native religion was driven by local factors and were polytheistic
Major civilizations rose in North America outside of Mesoamerica
Europe was a backwater of the known world
before 1500 Exploration was limited during the Middle Ages
with Marco Polo being the main exception Europe’s society focused on trade through
Constantinople for eastern goods Europe as a result became obsessed with the
goods from China and southeast Asia The Trade was interrupted with the fall of
Constantinople in 1453 to the Turks
Europe before 1500
Europe and the Atlantic
Historically the Mediterranean had been the main focus of trade for Europe
During the 15th Century we see the trade routes shift to the Atlantic
To deal with these new routes merchants develop new ships The Mediterranean favored
shallow triangular sailed ships Atlantic required durable ships
with square sales Compromise was reached in the
Caravel design The Caravel becomes the main
ship for both explores and merchants