Native American Societies BEFORE 1492 [APUSH Unit 1 Topic 2] 1.2
Summary
TLDRThis video script introduces the AP U.S. History curriculum's Unit 1, Topic 2, focusing on the Americas before European arrival. It emphasizes the diversity of Native American cultures, from nomadic hunters to complex city-states like the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations. The script highlights the importance of maize cultivation and explores various regions, including the Southwest, Great Plains, Pacific Northwest, and the Mississippi River Valley, showcasing the distinct ways of life and societal structures of pre-Columbian America.
Takeaways
- 📚 The video begins an exploration of the AP U.S. History curriculum, focusing on Unit 1 Topic 2: The Americas before European arrival.
- 🌍 The script emphasizes the diversity of Native American cultures, debunking the stereotype of a homogenous group across the continent.
- 🏙️ In Central and South America, three major civilizations emerged: the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Inca, each with large urban centers, complex political systems, and well-formed religions.
- 📜 The Aztecs, also known as the Mexica, had a capital city, Tenochtitlan, with a population of 300,000 and a written language, along with complex irrigation systems and a fertility cult upheld by human sacrifice.
- 🏰 The Maya civilization was known for its large cities, complex irrigation and water storage systems, and monumental architecture like stone temples and palaces.
- 🏞️ The Inca civilization, in the Andes Mountains, was vast, ruling over 16 million people and covering about 350,000 square miles, with a key to their success being the cultivation of fertile mountain valleys.
- 🌽 Maize cultivation was crucial for these civilizations, providing a nutritious crop that supported economic development, settlement, and social diversification as it spread north.
- 🏡 In the North American Southwest, the Pueblo people were sedentary farmers of maize and other crops, building adobe and masonry homes, including some in cliffs.
- 🌿 The Great Plains and the Great Basin regions were home to nomadic hunter-gatherer peoples like the Ute, living in small, egalitarian kinship-based bands.
- 🛶 In the Pacific Northwest, coastal peoples like the Chinook lived in fishing villages, relying on abundant marine life and constructing large plank houses from cedar trees.
- 🌾 The Mississippi River Valley was home to complex societies like the Hopewell and Cahokia, with large settlements, extensive trade networks, and centralized governments.
- 🏘️ The Iroquois in the Northeast lived in longhouses within villages, growing crops like maize, squash, and beans, and were part of a larger kinship community.
Q & A
Why does the video start with Unit 1 Topic 2 instead of Unit 1 Topic 1?
-The video starts with Unit 1 Topic 2 because the first and last topics in every unit of the AP U.S. History curriculum review the whole unit, and the instructor already has videos reviewing the whole unit, so they are skipped.
What is the main idea the instructor wants students to take away from the video about the Americas before European arrival?
-The main idea is that Native American peoples organized themselves into diverse cultures depending on where they lived, emphasizing that they were not a homogenous group but had varied lifestyles and social structures.
What are the three major civilizations that emerged in Central and South America with large urban centers, complex political systems, and well-formed religions?
-The three major civilizations are the Aztecs in Central America, the Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula, and the Inca people in the Andes Mountains along the Pacific coast in what is today Peru.
What was the Aztec capital city, and what was its population at its height?
-The Aztec capital city was Tenochtitlan, which at its height was home to 300,000 people.
What common agricultural practice linked the three major civilizations of Central and South America?
-The cultivation of maize, a nutritious crop similar to corn, was a common agricultural practice that linked the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Inca people.
How did the cultivation of maize support economic development and social diversification among societies in the American Southwest?
-The cultivation of maize supported economic development and social diversification by providing a nutritious crop that allowed for the establishment of more settled societies, advanced irrigation, and a more complex social structure.
What type of society did the Pueblo people of the present-day New Mexico and Arizona have?
-The Pueblo people were a sedentary population that farmed maize and other crops, built adobe and masonry homes, and had a highly organized society with administrative offices, religious centers, and craft shops.
What kind of lifestyle did the Ute people living in the Great Plains and the Great Basin regions lead?
-The Ute people led a nomadic lifestyle as hunter-gatherers, living in small egalitarian kinship-based bands due to the need for large land areas for hunting and gathering in the arid regions.
What was unique about the housing of the Chinook people in the Pacific Northwest?
-The Chinook people lived in fishing villages and constructed giant plank houses made from cedar trees, which could house up to 70 members of the same kinship band.
What was the Hopewell people's method of extensive trade, and what did they trade with regions as far away as?
-The Hopewell people lived in towns of about four thousand to six thousand people and traded extensively with other regions, as far away as Florida and the Rocky Mountains.
What was the significance of the Cahokia people's settlement in the Mississippi River Valley?
-The Cahokia people had the largest settlement in the region, with a population between 10,000 and 30,000 at its height, and they were led by powerful chieftains who centralized the government and engaged in extensive trade networks from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
Outlines
🌟 Introduction to Native American Civilizations
This paragraph introduces the video's focus on the diverse cultures of Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. It emphasizes the misconception of a homogenous Native American culture and highlights the variety of lifestyles, from nomadic hunters to complex city-based empires. The Aztecs, Maya, and Inca civilizations are mentioned as examples of advanced societies with large urban centers, complex political systems, and religions. The paragraph also notes the importance of maize cultivation for economic and social development.
🏞 Diverse Societies of North America
The second paragraph delves into the diversity of Native American societies in North America. It describes the Pueblo people of the Southwest, who were sedentary farmers and built homes in the cliffs. The nomadic hunter-gatherers of the Great Plains and the Great Basin, such as the Ute people, are also highlighted. The paragraph then discusses the coastal societies of the Pacific Northwest, like the Chinook and Chumash, who relied on fishing and hunting, and built large communal houses. Finally, it covers the Hopewell and Cahokia people of the Mississippi River Valley, known for their extensive trade networks and large settlements, as well as the Iroquois in the Northeast, who lived in longhouses and cultivated crops like maize, squash, and beans.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AP U.S. History Curriculum
💡Native Americans
💡Diverse Cultures
💡Aztecs
💡Maya
💡Inca
💡Maize
💡Pueblo People
💡Hunter-Gatherers
💡Pacific Northwest
💡Mississippi River Valley
💡Iroquois
Highlights
Introduction to the AP U.S. History curriculum focusing on Unit 1 Topic 2: The Americas before European arrival.
Explanation of why Unit 1 Topic 1 is skipped as it reviews the unit, and the instructor has videos for that purpose.
Emphasis on the diversity of Native American cultures, contrary to the common stereotype of a single, unified culture.
Overview of the Aztec civilization, including their capital city Tenochtitlan and their complex systems of irrigation and human sacrifice.
Introduction to the Maya civilization, their large cities, and advanced architectural and irrigation systems.
Discussion of the Inca civilization, their massive empire, and their cultivation of fertile mountain valleys.
Importance of maize cultivation for the economic development and social diversification of Native American societies.
Description of the Pueblo people's sedentary lifestyle, farming practices, and architectural achievements.
Examination of the nomadic peoples of the Great Plains and Great Basin, their lifestyle, and the Ute people as an example.
Introduction to the Pacific Northwest societies, their reliance on fishing and hunting, and the Chinook and Chumash people.
Overview of the Hopewell and Cahokia people in the Mississippi River Valley, their large settlements, and trade networks.
Highlight of the Iroquois people in the Northeast, their village structure, farming practices, and longhouse living.
The significance of maize as a nutritious crop that supported the spread of Native American societies northward.
Invitation to subscribe for more AP U.S. History help and video content.
The instructor's signature sign-off, indicating the end of the video.
Transcripts
hey there and welcome to a new year at heimler's history this year we're going to be working our
way through the ap u.s history curriculum one topic at a time and i'm glad to have you along
in this video we're going to begin with unit 1 topic 2 which is all about the americas before
the europeans arrive so we've got no time to waste get them brain cows ready i'm about to milk them
let's get to it all right let me begin by telling you why we're starting with unit one topic two and
not unit one topic one in every unit of the ap u.s history curriculum the first and the last topics
basically just review the whole unit and i've got videos reviewing the whole unit so we're just
gonna skip those good good good so we begin our study of united states history before there even
was a united states namely in native america now the big idea that you need to take away from this
video is that before the europeans arrived on the american shores native american peoples organized
themselves into diverse cultures depending on where they live and it's the diverse cultures part
that i need to emphasize commonly when we think of native americans we think of guys on horses
killing buffalo and retiring to their teepees at night we just sort of paced that idea over the
whole continent but that is patently untrue some native americans lived in fishing villages others
roamed the land as nomadic hunters and gatherers some settled down and got their farm on while
others congregated in giant city-based empires so you have to realize that when we encounter the
americas before the european arrival we're dealing with a very diverse set of folks so let's just
take a jaunt around the american continents and see what's going on first let's talk about central
and south america there three major civilizations emerged all of them boasting large urban centers
complex political systems and well-formed religions let's start with our friends the aztecs
in central america or mesoamerica now you may hear these people referred to as the mexica
which is what they call themselves so don't get confused azdek's mexica semiconductor they had a
magnificent capital city called tenochtitlan which at its height was home to 300 000 people they had
a written language they employed complex systems of irrigation priests upheld a cult of fertility
both for the land and for the people and such fertility was only upheld by human sacrifice all
right people the crops are looking a little peaked population is down i think you know where this is
headed kevin you about to get sacrificed hey kevin is back and if you're here for ap world you might
remember kevin he's always getting sacrificed by the aztecs anyway let's move along to the second
civilization in this region the maya now they established themselves on the yucatan peninsula
and the maya also developed large cities they made use of complex irrigation and water storage
systems they built giant stone temples and palaces for rulers whom they believed were descended from
the gods and then going even further south into south america we've got the inca people
they established their civilization in the andes mountains along the pacific coast in what is today
peru and this empire was massive at its height it ruled 16 million people and covered something like
350 000 square miles that's a lot of land tony now the key to the success of the inca people was the
cultivation of fertile mountain valleys where they grew potatoes and other crops which were watered
by elaborate systems of irrigation now one thing all three of these civilizations had in common was
the cultivation of maize which is a corn like crop and you know what if you never tasted it trust me
it's amazing you know no matter how many times i recycle that joke it's always funny but the
cultivation of maize is important because it was a nutritious crop and as it spread north into the
present day american southwest the establishment of this crop supported economic development the
settlement of peoples advanced irrigation and social diversification among societies
so the point is maize is a big deal and i'm not going to make any more corny jokes about it
sorry anyway as i said maize cultivation spread north and so we ought to spread our
learning a little bit north too so on the north american continent we also meet a diversity of
native peoples and just for poops and giggles let's start with the southwest
let me introduce you to the pueblo people who lived in present-day new mexico and arizona
they were a sedentary population which means they kind of stayed in one place and didn't move around
there were farmers of maize and other crops and they built adobe and masonry homes both in the
open and right into the sides of cliffs they were a highly organized society with administrative
offices religious centers and craft shops and then if we move a little bit north to the great
plains and the great basin regions we find not sedentary folks but nomadic peoples and these
regions were populated with hunter-gatherer-type people who needed a lot of land to do said hunting
and gathering because of the aridity of the region a good example of this kind of people
was the ute people who lived out this lifestyle in small egalitarian kinship based bands and then if
we head over to the pacific northwest we meet a different kind of people all together the folks
who lived over here lived by the sea and settled themselves into fishing villages and they also
relied on elk which they found in abundance in their forests a good example is the chinook
people and they made use of the great cedar trees around them to construct giant plank houses which
could house up to 70 members of the same kinship band the chumash people lived on the coast but
further south in present-day california and they were actually still hunters and gatherers but
they did live in permanent settlements which they constructed in places where there was enough game
and vegetation to support all their hunting and gathering all right now let's head over to
the mississippi river valley where we're going to find much larger and more complex societies
chiefly because the fertile soil surrounding the rivers meant that societies could stay put
and farm and develop i'll introduce you to two of them first the hopewell people they lived in towns
of about four thousand to six thousand people and they traded extensively with other regions
as far away as florida and the rocky mountain also in that region we have the cahokia people
who boasted the largest settlement in that region and at its height the settlement counted somewhere
between 10 and 30 000 people the government was led by powerful chieftains who centralized the
government and engaged in extensive trade networks from the great lakes all the way down to the gulf
of mexico and finally let me introduce you to some folks living in the northeast of america namely
the iroquois they lived in villages made up of several hundred people where they grew crops like
maize and squash and beans also like their pacific northwest counterparts they built and lived in
longhouses where they lived with anywhere between 30 and 50 of their family members all right that's
what you need to know about unit one topic two of ap us history if you need any help getting an a in
at heimler's history then go ahead and subscribe and i'll keep making videos for you heimler out
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