TOPIC 1.2Native American Societies BeforeEuropean Contact
THEMATIC FOCUS Geography and the Environment (GEO) Geographic and environmental factors, including competition over and debates about natural resources, shape the development of America and foster regional diversity. The development of America impacts the environment and reshapes geography, which leads to debates about environmental and
geographic issues. Learning Objective B Explain how and why various native populations in the period before European contact interacted with the natural environment in North America.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS KC-1.1.I.A The spread of maize cultivation from present day Mexico northward into the present-day American Southwest and beyond
supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies. KC-1.1.I.B Societies responded to the aridity of the Great Basin and the grasslands of the western Great Plains by developing largely mobile lifestyles. KC-1.1.I.C In the Northeast, the Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard, some societies developed mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the
development of permanent villages. KC-1.1.I.D Societies in the Northwest and present-day California supported themselves by hunting and gathering, and in some areas developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the ocean. Required Course Content.
Period 1-Key ConceptsStudents will understand/know that...
Key Concept 1.1: As native populations migrated and settled across the vast expanse of North America over time, they developed distinct and increasingly complex societies by adapting to and transforming their diverse environments.
I. Different native societies adapted to and
transformed their environments through innovations in agriculture, resource use, and social structure. A. The spread of maize cultivation from present-day Mexico northward into the present-day American Southwest and beyond supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies. (i.e. Athabaskan, Hokokam, Anasazi, Pueblo) B. Societies responded to the aridity of the Great Basin and the grasslands of the western Great Plains by developing largely mobile lifestyles. (i.e. Siouan, buffalo, nomads, tepees)
C.In the Northeast, the Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard some societies developed mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the development of permanent villages. (i.e. Algonquian, Cahokia, Iroquois Confederation, Muskogean, Agricultural
Revolution) D. Societies in the Northwest and present-day California supported themselves by hunting and gathering, and in some areas developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the ocean. (i.e. land bridge, long houses, fishing, totem poles)
Key Concept 1.2: Contact among
Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans resulted in the Columbian Exchange and significant social, cultural, and political changes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean
I. European expansion into the Western Hemisphere generated intense social, religious, political, and economic competition and changes within European societies. A. European nations’ efforts to explore and conquer the New World
stemmed from a search for new sources of wealth, economic and military competition, and a desire to spread Christianity. (i.e. nation-states, Prince Henry the Navigator, Christopher Columbus, Queen Isabella, missions) B.The Columbian Exchange brought new crops to Europe from the Americas, stimulating European population growth,
and new sources of mineral wealth, which facilitated the European shift from feudalism to capitalism. (i.e. squash, sweet potatoes, gold) C.Improvements in maritime technology and more organized methods for conducting international trade, such as joint- stock
companies, helped drive changes to economies in Europe and the Americas. (i.e. the Renaissance, map making, printing press, mercantilism, caravel, astrolabe, Prince Henry the Navigator)
II. The Columbian Exchange and development of the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere resulted in extensive demographic, economic, and social changes.
A. Spanish exploration and conquest of the Americas were accompanied and furthered by widespread deadly epidemics that devastated native populations and by the introduction of crops and animals not found in the Americas. (i.e. Columbian Exchange, conquistadores, Aztecs, Incas, smallpox, sugar, bananas, horse, pigs) B.
In the encomienda system, Spanish colonial economies marshaled Native American labor to support plantation-based agriculture and extract precious metals and other resources. (i.e. Hernan Cortes, gold, silver) C. European traders partnered with some West African groups who practiced slavery to forcibly extract
slave labor for the Americas. The Spanish imported enslaved Africans to labor in plantation agriculture and mining. (i.e. Guinea,Ghana, Mali, Songhay, Madeira and Azores islands, asiento system, sugar) D. The Spanish developed a caste system that incorporated, and carefully defined the status of, the diverse
population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire. (i.e. mestizos,slavery, encomienda) III. In their interactions, Europeans and Native Americans asserted divergent worldviews regarding issues such as religion, gender roles, family, land use, and power. A. Mutual misunderstandings between Europeans and Native Americans often defined the early years of interaction and trade as each group sought to make sense of the other. Over time, Europeans and
Native Americans adopted some useful aspects of each other’s culture. (i.e. Columbian Exchange, Maize, horses) B. As European encroachments on Native Americans’ lands and demands on their labor increased, native peoples sought to defend and maintain their political sovereignty, economic prosperity, religious
beliefs, and concepts of gender relations through diplomatic negotiations and military resistance. (i.e. Roman Catholicism, Pueblo Revolt, matrilineal) C. Extended contact with Native Americans and Africans fostered a debate among European religious and political leaders about how non-Europeans should be treated, as well as
evolving religious, cultural, and racial justifications for the subjugation of Africans and Native Americans. (i.e. Bartolome de las Casas,New Laws of 1542, Valladolid Debate, Juan Gines de Sepulveda)
Period 1-Thematic Learning Objectives Students will be able to...
Explain the causes of migration to colonial North America and, later, the United States, and analyze immigration’s effects on U.S. society. MIG-1.0
Analyze causes of internal migration and patterns of settlement in what would become the United States, and explain how migration has affected American life. MIG-2.0
Explain how geographic and environmental
factors shaped the development of various communities, and analyze how competition for and debates over natural resources have affected both interactions among different groups and the development of government policies. GEO-1.0
Explain how different labor systems developed in North America and the United States, and explain their effects on workers’ lives and U.S. society. WXT-1.0
Explain how patterns of exchange, markets, and private enterprise have developed, and analyze ways that governments have responded to economic issues. WXT-2.0
Analyze how technological innovation has affected economic development and society. WXT-3.0
Explain how cultural interaction, cooperation, competition, and conflict between empires, nations, and peoples have
influenced political, economic, and social developments in North America. WOR-1.0
Explain how religious groups and ideas have affected American society and political life. CUL-1.0
Explain how ideas about women’s rights and gender roles have affected society and politics. CUL-3.0
Explain how different group identities, including racial,
ethnic, class, and regional identities, have emerged and changed over time. CUL-4.0
How did native populations in North America develop distinct and increasingly complex societies by adapting to and transforming their diverse environments?
Different native societies adapted to and transformed their environments through innovations in agriculture, resource use, and social structure. agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the development of permanent villages.
What impact did the spread of maize cultivation have on the American Southwest?
The spread of maize cultivation from present day Mexico northward into the present-day American Southwest and beyond supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies.
How were Mississippian people similar to other Native American groups in the pre Contact era?
How were Mississippian people similar to other Native American groups in the pre-contact era? The environment in which they lived influenced their societies and economies. They were largely nomadic, depending on horses to follow herds of animals.They had no religious practices or beliefs.
In what ways did European expansion into the Western Hemisphere generate change within European societies themselves?
“European expansion into the Western Hemisphere generated intense social, religious, political, and economic competition and changes within European societies.” Stimulated European population: In Europe and Asia massive population growth due to new food which led to increased migration, colonization, and imperialism.
