APUSH Review: Period 1 (1491 - 1607) In 10 Minutes!

Summary

This educational video script offers a comprehensive overview of the historical period from 1491 to 1607, focusing on Native American life pre-contact, European exploration motives, and the profound impacts of the Columbian Exchange. It discusses the adaptation of Native Americans to their environments, the technological advancements aiding European exploration, and the establishment of the encomienda system. The script also addresses the justifications for harsh treatment of natives and Africans, the efforts of both groups to maintain autonomy, and the cultural and societal shifts that ensued.

Takeaways

• 🌽 The significance of maize (corn) as a major food source for Native Americans pre-contact in what is now Mexico and the southwestern United States.
• 🎣 Different adaptation strategies of Native Americans to their environments, from agriculture to hunting and gathering, especially in the northwestern portion of the United States.
• 🛳️ Technological advancements like the sextant and joint-stock companies facilitated European exploration and trade, acting as precursors to the Columbian Exchange.
• 💰 The 'three G's' - gold, glory, and God (or gospel) - were the primary motivations for European exploration and contact with the New World.
• 🌍 The Columbian Exchange involved the exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, significantly impacting each continent.
• 🥔 The introduction of new foods like corn and potatoes to Europe from the Americas, influencing diets and economies, particularly in Ireland.
• 😷 The devastating impact of European-borne diseases like measles and smallpox on Native American populations, leading to a significant decline in their numbers.
• 🐎 The transformation of Native American life due to the introduction of horses and guns, making hunting easier and warfare more destructive.
• 🏰 The establishment of the encomienda system in the Spanish Empire, which granted land to Spanish settlers in exchange for the forced labor and Christianization of Native Americans.
• 🤝 The unique aspect of Spanish colonization where intermarriage with Native Americans was more common compared to English colonization.
• 🗣️ Debates over the treatment of Native Americans, with figures like Bartolomé de las Casas advocating for better treatment, though they were in the minority.

Q & A

What significant food source was central to civilizations in present-day Mexico and the southwestern United States prior to 1491?

Maize, or corn, was a significant food source and entire civilizations were built around it.

How did the lifestyle of Native Americans in the northwestern portion of the United States differ from those in the southwest prior to European contact?

Native Americans in the northwestern portion, including northern California, Oregon, and Washington, were hunter-gatherers, unlike those in the southwest who relied heavily on maize.

What technological improvements facilitated European exploration and trade during the period of 1491 to 1607?

Technological improvements included the sextant, which helped determine longitude and latitude, and joint-stock companies that pooled money for funding exploration.

What were the 'three G's' that motivated European exploration and contact with the Americas?

The 'three G's' were gold, glory, and God (or gospel), representing the pursuit of wealth, power/status, and the spread of Christianity.

What is the Columbian Exchange and why is it significant for Period One of the AP exam?

The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It is significant as it had profound impacts on all three continents and is likely to be a topic on the AP exam.

How did the introduction of new foods from the Americas impact Europe, specifically in countries like Ireland?

The introduction of foods like corn and potatoes had a significant impact on Europe, influencing diets and potentially supporting larger populations, as seen in Ireland.

What was the impact of European contact on Native American populations in terms of diseases?

European contact led to the spread of diseases like measles and smallpox, to which Native Americans had no immunity, resulting in the death of as much as 90% of the native population.

What new social structures emerged in the Spanish Empire in the Americas as a result of contact with Europeans?

New social structures included the caste system with racially diverse populations such as mestizos (mixed Spanish and native ancestry) and mulatos (mixed Spanish and African ancestry).

What was the encomienda system and how did it impact Native Americans?

The encomienda system was a system where the Spanish crown granted land to Spanish settlers, who were then expected to Christianize the natives. This often led to natives being treated harshly and forced into heavy manual labor.

How did the treatment of Native Americans and Africans by Europeans get justified during the period of exploration and contact?

The harsh treatment was justified by beliefs in white superiority, religion, and the view that these groups were uncivilized, leading to their exploitation and enslavement.

What strategies did Native Americans and Africans use to preserve their autonomy in the face of European and African encroachment?

Native Americans and Africans sought to preserve their autonomy by resisting changes to their way of life and worldview, forming maroon communities for runaway slaves, and combining Christianity with their own religions.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Native American Life and European Exploration

This paragraph delves into the pre-contact period of Native Americans, highlighting the significance of maize as a staple food source and the diverse ways of life across different regions, from hunter-gatherers to agricultural societies. It also introduces the technological advancements and motivations behind European exploration, such as the sextant for navigation and joint-stock companies for funding. The paragraph emphasizes the three G's - gold, glory, and God - as the driving forces behind these expeditions.

05:01

🌏 The Columbian Exchange and Its Impacts

This section focuses on the Columbian Exchange, detailing the exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It outlines the impact on Europe, including the introduction of new food sources like corn and potatoes, and the shift from feudalism to capitalism. The devastating effects on Native Americans are also discussed, with diseases causing widespread death and the introduction of horses and guns altering their way of life. The paragraph further explores the impact on Africans, with the increase in the slave trade, and the emergence of the encomienda system in the Spanish Empire, which led to the exploitation of Native Americans and the eventual replacement of their labor with African slaves. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the debates over the treatment of natives and the justifications used by Europeans, as well as the efforts of both Native Americans and Africans to preserve their autonomy.

Keywords

💡Push Review Period

The 'Push Review Period' refers to a specific time frame during which a comprehensive review of a subject is conducted, typically in preparation for an examination. In the video, this period covers the historical timeline from 1491 to 1607, aiming to ensure viewers are well-prepared for a test on the subject matter.

💡Native Americans Pre-Contact

This term denotes the state and lifestyle of Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. The video emphasizes the significance of maize as a food source and the diverse ways of life among different Native American groups, from agriculture to hunting and gathering.

💡Maize

Maize, also known as corn, is highlighted as a crucial food source for Native Americans. The video explains that entire civilizations were built around this crop, particularly in what is now Mexico and the southwestern United States.

💡Hunter-Gatherers

The term 'hunter-gatherers' is used in the script to describe the lifestyle of Native Americans in the northwestern portion of the United States, including regions like Oregon, Washington, and northern California, where they relied on hunting, fishing, and foraging for sustenance.

💡European Exploration Goals

The video outlines the motivations behind European exploration, which can be summarized by the 'three G's': gold, glory, and God (or gospel). These represent the pursuit of wealth, power and status, and the religious aim of spreading Christianity.

💡Columbian Exchange

The 'Columbian Exchange' refers to the widespread exchange of animals, plants, culture, human populations, and diseases between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World following Columbus's voyage. The script mentions the introduction of maize and potatoes to Europe as a significant outcome of this exchange.

💡Encomienda System

The 'Encomienda System' was a system established by the Spanish crown, granting land to Spanish settlers on the condition that they would Christianize the native population. The video describes this system as a form of forced labor, essentially a type of slavery, where natives were made to work on infrastructure in the Spanish colonies.

💡Diseases

The script discusses the devastating impact of diseases brought by Europeans, such as measles and smallpox, to which Native Americans had no immunity. It is noted that these diseases led to the death of as much as 90% of the native population upon contact.

💡Slave Trade

The increase in the slave trade is a direct consequence of European contact with Africa, as mentioned in the video. This led to a greater demand for African slaves in the Americas, which had a profound impact on the African population and the subsequent history of the Americas.

💡Bartolomé de las Casas

Bartolomé de las Casas is mentioned as an advocate for the better treatment of natives. He was a Spanish friar who opposed the harsh treatment of Native Americans and is known for his efforts to improve their conditions during the colonial period.

💡Autonomy

The concept of 'autonomy' is central to the video's discussion of how both Native Americans and Africans sought to maintain their independence or self-rule amidst the upheavals of European colonization. The term is used to emphasize the desire of these groups to preserve their own ways of life and resist the imposition of European and African influences.

Highlights

Native Americans adapted to their environments before 1491, with maize being a significant food source in Mexico and the southwestern US.

Technological improvements like the sextant and joint-stock companies facilitated European exploration and trade.

The Columbian Exchange involved the exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

The Columbian Exchange led to an increase in food like corn and potatoes in Europe, influencing countries like Ireland.

European exploration was driven by the goals of wealth, power, status, and spreading Christianity.

Diseases introduced by Europeans killed many Native Americans, with up to 90% mortality upon contact.

The Spanish established the encomienda system, granting land to settlers who promised to Christianize and exploit Native Americans.

The Spanish intermarried more with Native Americans than the English, leading to racially diverse populations like mestizos and mulatos.

Europeans sought to change Native American lifestyles and worldviews, while natives aimed to preserve their autonomy.

Africans adapted to the Western Hemisphere by combining Christianity with African religions and forming maroon communities of runaway slaves.

The encomienda system treated Native Americans harshly, essentially as slaves, forcing them into heavy manual labor.

Europeans justified their treatment of Native Americans and Africans based on beliefs in white superiority and uncivilized status.

Bartolomé de las Casas advocated for better treatment of Native Americans, though he was in the minority among Europeans.

Native Americans and Africans both sought to preserve their autonomy in the face of European and African influences.

The Columbian Exchange had significant impacts on the three continents involved, including changes in agriculture, disease, and labor.

Understanding the Columbian Exchange and its effects is crucial for AP exams, especially for Period 1.

The video provides a quick short answer practice question to help students prepare for AP exam questions on the Columbian Exchange.

Transcripts

what's going on a push people we have a

push review period one which is from

1491 is 1607 I'm gonna cover this bad

boy in ten minutes for you and you will

know everything you need to know about

period one to succeed in a push before

we begin a shout out time this one is

going out to mr. sir Bo's class my

comment section was being blown up with

request mr. sir bro to give you a shout

out your students think you're an

amazing teacher so good luck to you all

thank you for your support you are

brilliant and will do great on the exam

all right let's start off talk about

Native Americans pre-contact so 1491 and

prior very important to understand this

time period maize or corn was a

significant food source in present-day

Mexico in southwestern United States

entire civilizations were built around

corn now in the northwestern portion of

the United States President northern

California Oregon and Washington natives

hunted fished and for it so they were

hunter-gatherers and let's take a look

at this one was in the center of this

map we have the Great Plains and the

Great Basin and the Great Plains were

predominantly hunting because there was

a lack of natural resources that

specifically mentioned the new

curriculum make sure you know that in

the northeastern United States you see

over here this area it was a mix of

Agriculture and hunting they had some

maize up there and there was hunting as

well so really that the theme of this

slide is a Native Americans adapted to

their environments

all right European exploration goals

what were some technological

improvements that help promote contact

and trade while we have this extant and

here is a sextant it helped determine

longitude and latitude it pretty much

was a a GPS for its time the SI joint

stock companies which people would pool

their money together and this allowed

them to raise lots of money to pay for

our exploration so what were some

reasons for it well think of the three

geez gold glory and God so we have

wealth many countries sought to seek

wealth and gold many of them also sought

to to achieve power and status and

countries like Spain really focused on

spreading Christianity so three G's

again gold glory

God or gospel your choice of the last G

alright jump it over to European contact

me at the coaming extreme specifically

mentioned know this bad boy at all costs

it is exchange of goods ideas people and

diseases between Europe Africa and the

America so what is the impact on Europe

and definitely know the impacts on

specific countries well we have an

increase in food going to Europe

specifically corn or maize and potatoes

and every time I look at this picture

just makes me want to have a big potato

it is so good this will be influential

in countries like Ireland and there's

also a shift from feudalism to

capitalism during this time so what's

the impact on natives well diseases

killed many and here is an early drawing

of a gentleman with measles who had

measles and smallpox that natives were

not immune to and sadly for them as many

as 90% of natives died upon contact

horses and guns transformed a way of

life for Native Americans hunting became

easier and warfare became more

destructive and let's jump on over to

impacts on Africans we have an increase

in the slave trade that's a direct

result of the Portuguese and the Spanish

in West Africa alright so looking at

this map this is the Spanish Empire in

the America so what are the impacts of

Spanish contact well there's a new caste

system that emerges and racially diverse

populations you have mestizos which were

people that were mixed Spanish and

native ancestry and you also mulatos

which were mixed Spanish and African

ancestry and one thing to notice that

the Spanish intermarried more with

natives than did the English the in

comiendo system was established and very

powerful throughout the 16th century or

the 1500s these were royal grants of

land from the Spanish crown to Spaniards

and the Spanish settlers promised to

Christianize natives so they were

essentially given land turned the

natives into slaves and promised to

Christianize them and the Spanish gained

tribute or some form of payment from

Native Americans so how are the natives

impacted many were treated harshly as I

mentioned this is essentially slavery

and many of them were forced to do heavy

manual labour building roads and

infrastructure in the Spanish colonies

eventually the system this is a theme in

the Americas Native American labor will

be replaced with African slave labor

alright let's talk about debates over

three million natives we have this dude

bark

do las casas I probably butchered that

he was in favor of better treatment of

natives he was kind of in the minority

of Europeans who advocated better

treatment of natives

so how was treatment of Africans in

native is justified how is this harsh

treatment in this the slave conditions

justified well many different reasons

including white superiority religion in

the view that those groups were quote

unquote

on civilized so let's talk about some

conflict with natives the Europeans

ought to change natives way of life and

their worldview and natives sought to

preserve autonomy it's very important to

understand this word autonomy that means

independence or self-rule so natives are

trying to preserve their own

independence while living in this world

with Europeans and Africans are going to

do the exact same thing

so what we're waste Africans adapted to

the Western Hemisphere again they sought

to preserve independence or self-rule or

autonomy and they combined Christianity

with African religions and they also

formed maroon communities which were

communities made up of runaway slaves

and they would have their own

communities that they would live in now

let's do a quick recap know the native

cultures prior to contact maize corn

it's huge know the impacts of it on

Europe reasons for European exploration

be able to give me a couple be able to

give AP a couple those what were the

goals of Europeans Columbian Exchange

holy cow absolutely know that if there's

anything for period one you're going to

see it's probably going to be the

Columbian Exchange and what was the

impact on the three continents how did

your Europe justify the treatment of

natives and Africans what was the in

comiendo system and how we're natives

how did natives in Africans seek to

preserve some level of autonomy before

we go if you want to do a quick short

answer practice I came up with this

short answer question really quickly for

you to practice you're going to answer

all three parts European interaction

with the Western Hemisphere drastically

changed life for all those involved I

briefly explained one reason for

European exploration be briefly explain

one impact of European exploration on

the Americas and see briefly explain one

impact of European exploration on Europe

that is basically the Columbian Exchange

here in ladies and gentlemen alright

thank you very much for watching I do

appreciate I look forward to seeing you

right back here for period two in ten

minutes if you have any questions or

comments feel free to leave them in the

comments

in below and please subscribe and share

this video with others if you found it

helpful and best of luck on all of your

tests especially the one in May you're

going to rock it you are brilliant and I

will see you at the next video have a

good day