ap euro contact
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Contact with the Americas
Who was first?• Asians and the Bering Strait land bridge 10-15,000 (or
more) years ago, duh!
• depends...
• what is America?
The candidates
Leif 900s“Amteric”
China 1421
Africa 1311
Portuguese 1460s Cristobol Colon
Giovanni Caboto 1497
Polynesians 1000
How will we know?
• DNA testing
• ocean currents
• archeology
• sunken ships
Why did they come?The Portuguese
• initial leaders of exploration
• trade outposts in Africa
• route to the “Indies”
• slaves and sugar--Brazil
Why did they come? Spain
• trade route and resources
• encounter with the indigenous people
• different value systems
• encomienda system
• Cortes (1524) and divide and conquer
• Bartolomé de las Casas
Why did they come? England
• prolific in the NE of North America
• pause: Reformation
• resume: industrial revolution!
• competition with Spain and France
• religious fundamentalists
Why did they come? France
• busy in the 15th c. with religious wars
• vampire effect
• compete with Spain and England
• highest amount of toleration
Consequences of Euro Contact
• Initial impressions
• Americas estimated population total before Euro contact = 20 to 40,000,000
• 90% of the population perishes from disease, warfare and suicide
• New ethnic groups: mestizos and zambos
• shift in land usage
Colombian Exchange
• From Europe to the Americas
Colombian Exchange
• From the Americas to Europe syphilis*