State-Building in THE AMERICAS and AFRICA (1200-1450) [AP World History Review, Unit 1 Topics 4-5]

Summary

This video explores state-building in the Americas and Africa between 1200-1450. In North America, the Mississippian Culture, notably the Cahokia, built mounds and had a class system, but declined around 1450. The Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations in the Southwest thrived until climate change led to their extinction by 1300. In Central America, the Aztecs, or Mexicas, established Tenochtitlan and expanded via a tribute system. In Africa, societies like the Hausa Kingdom formed kin-based networks and participated in the trans-Saharan trade, leading to Islam's spread. The video also touches on the roles of men, women, and griots in African societies.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The Mississippian Culture, prominent in North America, was known for constructing large mounds for various purposes.
• 🏰 The Cahokia civilization, located in present-day southern Illinois, had a hierarchical class system and a ruler known as the Great Sun.
• 🌧️ The Cahokia settlement was mysteriously abandoned around 1450, possibly due to environmental disasters like floods.
• 🏜️ The Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations in the southwestern part of North America adapted to arid conditions by building cliff dwellings.
• 🌡️ By 1300, the Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations declined due to increasingly dry climates, leading to their eventual extinction.
• 🏛️ The Aztecs, or Mexicas, established the impressive city of Tenochtitlan, which featured ziggurats and thriving marketplaces.
• 🌳 The Aztecs expanded their empire through a tribute system, allowing them to govern without direct local involvement.
• 🌾 In sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture was widespread, but centralized governments were not; instead, societies were organized into kin-based networks.
• 👑 The Hausa Kingdom exemplified the African state-building approach, with seven states connected by kinship ties but no central authority.
• 📚 African societies valued oral literature, with griots playing a crucial role as custodians of history, narratives, and lineage.
• 🏞️ The trans-Saharan trade system significantly benefited the Hausa Kingdom and facilitated the spread of Islam in West Africa by the 1300s.

Q & A

What was the first large-scale civilization in North America?

The first large-scale civilization in North America was the Mississippian Culture.

What were the significant structures built by the Mississippian Culture?

The Mississippian Culture built huge monumental mounds for religious, ceremonial, or elite residential purposes.

Who were the Cahokia and where were they located?

The Cahokia were a significant group within the Mississippian Culture, located in what is now southern Illinois.

What was the social structure like in Cahokia?

Cahokia had a rigid class system with a ruler called the Great Sun, followed by priests, nobles, and then everyone else including farmers, hunters, merchants, and artisans.

Why was the Cahokia settlement abandoned around 1450?

The exact reason for the abandonment of Cahokia is unknown, but historians speculate it could have been due to an environmental disaster such as a flood.

How did the Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations adapt to their environment?

The Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations, living in an arid and treeless region, built homes and towns in the sides of cliffs using bricks and other building materials.

What happened to the Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations by 1300?

By 1300, the climate in the region became drier, leading to the extinction of both the Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations.

What was the Aztec's capital city and what was it known for?

The Aztec's capital city was Tenochtitlan, known for its ziggurats and bustling marketplaces. It was located roughly where Mexico City is today.

How did the Aztecs expand their empire?

The Aztecs controlled their subjects through a tribute system administered by a local governor, which allowed them to exercise political dominance over distant lands without direct local involvement.

How did sub-Saharan African societies typically organize themselves?

Sub-Saharan African societies often organized themselves into kin-based networks, led by chiefs, and groups of villages were connected in loose federations.

What was the role of griots in African societies?

Griots were the storytellers in African societies, housing the history, narratives, and lineage of their tribe. They had a prophetic presence and were believed to be able to sing about one's destruction or prosperity.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 State-Building in the Americas and Africa (1200-1450)

This video segment explores the development of civilizations in the Americas and Africa between 1200 and 1450. In North America, the Mississippian Culture, particularly the Cahokia, are highlighted for their monumental mounds used for religious, ceremonial, and elite residential purposes. The Cahokia had a class system with a ruler known as the Great Sun, and their society mysteriously declined around 1450, possibly due to environmental factors. The Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations in the southwestern part of North America are also discussed, noting their cliff dwellings and eventual extinction due to climate change. The Aztecs, or Mexicas, are featured for their capital city, Tenochtitlan, and their innovative tribute system that allowed them to govern without direct local involvement. The segment then shifts to Africa, where agriculture was adopted but centralized governments were not common. Instead, kin-based networks and loose federations were the norm, exemplified by the Hausa Kingdom. The Hausa Kingdom's integration into the trans-Saharan trade system and the adoption of Islam are also mentioned. The video concludes with a brief overview of the roles of men and women in African societies, the importance of oral literature and griots, and sets the stage for a future discussion on Europe.

Keywords

💡Mississippian Culture

The Mississippian Culture refers to a pre-Columbian civilization that was dominant in what is now the United States around 800 to 1600 CE. Known for their complex society and large earthen mounds, they built monumental structures for religious, ceremonial, and elite residential purposes. The Cahokia, located in present-day southern Illinois, is a prime example of this culture. The video highlights the Mississippian Culture as a significant part of North American history during the specified period.

💡Cahokia

Cahokia was a major city of the Mississippian Culture, known for its complex social structure and large-scale earthworks. The city had a rigid class system with a 'Great Sun' ruler, priests, nobles, and commoners. The video mentions that around 1450, the Cahokia settlement was abandoned, possibly due to environmental factors such as floods, which is a significant event in the narrative of the video.

💡Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations

These are two ancient civilizations in the southwestern part of North America known for their unique architecture. They built homes and towns in cliffs due to the arid and treeless environment. The video discusses how these civilizations thrived for a time but eventually disappeared by 1300, likely due to climate change, illustrating the impact of environmental factors on early civilizations.

💡Aztecs

The Aztecs, also known as the Mexicas, were a Mesoamerican civilization that rose to power in the post-classic period. They founded the city of Tenochtitlan, which is now Mexico City. The video emphasizes the Aztecs' state-building through a tribute system, where conquered peoples paid tribute to the Aztecs in various forms, allowing them to maintain political dominance without direct local involvement.

💡Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the Aztec Empire, known for its impressive architecture and bustling marketplaces. The video describes the city's grandeur and the astonishment of European explorers upon seeing it, highlighting the city's significance in the Aztec civilization and its impact on early European perceptions of the New World.

💡Tribute system

The tribute system was a method of state-building used by the Aztecs, where conquered peoples were required to pay tribute to their Aztec overlords. This could include money, land, military service, or goods and services. The video explains how this system allowed the Aztecs to exert control over distant territories without the need for direct governance, showcasing their strategic approach to empire-building.

💡Hausa Kingdom

The Hausa Kingdom was a pre-colonial state in West Africa, formed by the Hausa ethnic group. The video describes how it was organized into seven states connected by kinship ties, with each state specializing in different areas such as agriculture or defense. The kingdom's involvement in the trans-Saharan trade system and its eventual adoption of Islam by the 1300s are highlighted as key aspects of its development.

💡Kin-based networks

Kin-based networks were a common form of social organization in sub-Saharan Africa, where communities were organized around family ties and led by chiefs. The video explains how these networks formed loose federations and councils to solve regional problems, providing a contrast to the centralized governments of other civilizations. This concept is central to understanding the societal structure of many African communities during the period discussed.

💡Griot

A griot is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, or musician. The video mentions griots as important figures in African societies, who preserved the history, narratives, and lineage of their tribes. They were respected for their knowledge and their ability to influence the tribe's fortunes, illustrating the cultural significance of oral tradition in African societies.

💡Trans-Saharan trade system

The trans-Saharan trade system refers to the network of trade routes that connected sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and the Middle East. The video explains how this trade system facilitated the spread of Islam into West Africa and was a significant factor in the economic and cultural development of regions like the Hausa Kingdom, highlighting the importance of trade in shaping historical societies.

Highlights

Mississippian Culture was the first large-scale civilization in North America, known for their monumental mounds.

Cahokia, located in southern Illinois, had a rigid class system with a ruler called the Great Sun.

Cahokia's vibrant culture mysteriously declined around 1450, possibly due to environmental disaster.

Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations in North America adapted to arid conditions by building cliff dwellings.

Both Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations faced extinction by 1300 due to climate change.

The Aztecs, or Mexicas, founded the capital city Tenochtitlan in 1325, which impressed Europeans with its grandeur.

Aztecs' state-building involved a tribute system where conquered people paid for the privilege of remaining conquered.

Sub-Saharan Africans organized into kin-based networks led by chiefs, forming loose regional federations.

The Hausa Kingdom exemplified state building in Africa with seven states connected by kinship ties.

Hausa Kingdom benefited from the trans-Saharan trade system and largely became Muslim by the 1300s.

In sub-Saharan Africa, small communities organized by kinship ties were the norm, with men in skilled labor and women overseeing farming.

Oral literature was prevalent in African societies, with griots as the keepers of history and lineage.

Griots held a prophetic presence, believed to have the power to sing of one's destruction or prosperity.

The video provides a quick overview of the Americas and Africa's state-building and cultural developments from 1200-1450.

Transcripts

Hi and welcome back to Heimler’s History.

In this video we’re looking at state-building and what’s generally going on in the Americas

and Africa from 1200-1450.

And I can see it in your eyes: you’re ready.

Let’s get it.

Let’s start with the Americas, and more specifically let’s start in North America.

The first large-scale civilization in North America was the Mississippian Culture.

And these folks loved mounds.

(candybar) Nope. (mound) Yep.

They built these huge monumental mounds for religious, ceremonial, or sometimes elite

residential purposes.

Maybe the most significant of these folks are the Cahokia who were located in what is

now southern Illinois.

The Cahokia had a rigid class system (somewhat like the Hindu caste system).

Each town had a ruler called the Great Sun.

Under the Great Sun were the priests and nobles.

Under the priests and nobles was everyone else: farmers, hunters, merchants, and artisans.

Now even though the Chahokia enjoyed a vibrant culture, sometime around 1450 the whole Cahokia

settlement was abandoned, and no one really knows why, although historians speculate that

it was because of some kind of environmental disaster like a flood.

Alright let’s go across the continent to the southwestern portion of North America

and meet the Chaco and Mesa Verde civilizations.

These folks scratched out a living in a very arid and treeless portion of our fair land.

And therefore they had no wood to build homes.

Instead they built homes and towns in the side of cliffs out of bricks and other building

materials.

Both of these groups had thriving civilizations for a good long time, but by 1300 the climate

got drier and both groups went extinct.

Man, that escalated quickly.

Alright, let’s move down the map to Central America and talk about the Aztecs, or as they’re

sometimes known, the Mexicas.

In 1325 they founded a magnificent capital city called Tenochtitlan (which was located

roughly were current day Mexico City is located).

This city was magnificent with its ziggurats and bustling marketplaces.

In fact when Europeans finally set eyes on this city they were astonished at its beauty.

A Spaniard said it this way:

When we saw so many cities and villages built in the water and other great towns on dry

land we were amazed and said that it was like the enchantments (...) on account of the great

towers and cues and buildings rising from the water, and all built of masonry.

And some of our soldiers even asked whether the things that we saw were not a dream?

(...) I do not know how to describe it, seeing things as we did that had never been heard

of or seen before, not even dreamed about.

— Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The Conquest of New Spain[6]

From this city center, the Aztecs conquered much of Mesoamerica.

Their particular method of state-building is worth noting.

The Aztecs controlled their subjects by means of a tribute system administered by a local

governor.

The tribute system was essentially a payment that conquered people had to make to the Aztecs

for the privilege of remaining conquered.

The tribute collected could be money, land, military service, or goods and services.

This arrangement allowed the Aztecs to exercise political dominance over distant lands without

being directly and locally involved.

ALright, let’s head over to Africa and see what those folks are up to.

By 1000 most of the sub-Saharan Africans had adopted agriculture, but they did not form

centralized governments like a lot of other civilizations did.

Rather, they organized themselves into kin-based networks.

Each network was led by a chief.

And then groups of villages that were geographically clustered were connected in loose federations.

And the chiefs from those regional federations formed councils to solve the regions problems.

A great example of this form of state building is the Hausa Kingdom.

Sometime before 1000 the Hausa ethnic group formed seven states which were connected by

kinship ties.

Even so, the states had no central authority.

Each state specialized.

For example, the states located in the plains had the land and climate for farming, so they

were the agriculturalists.

The westernmost states specialized in military tactics and therefore provided defense for

the other states.

The Hausa kingdom benefited tremendously from the trans-Saharan trade system, and as you

know, those trade routes brought Muslims into West Africa and by the 1300s the Hausa kingdom

had largely become Muslim.

And the Hausa Kingdom is a good example of what the rest of sub-Saharan Africa was like

(in general).

In general, wherever governments existed, they were not centralized governments ruling

over large empires.

Rather, they almost always small communities organized by kinship ties.

The men were usually found doing the jobs that required skilled labor like blacksmithing.

The women often oversaw the farming and domestic duties of the home.

Literature existed in African societies, but it was largely oral in nature.

One of the most significant members of any African society was the griot or griottes.

They were the storytellers who housed within themselves the history and narratives and

lineage of the tribe to which they belonged.

And they had sort of a prophetic type presence among the people: it was said that a griot

could sing your destruction or your prosperity.

Alright, that was a quick flyby of what was happening in the Americas and Africa during

1200-1450.

Next time: Europe.