Lectures 1-11 - Notes Flashcards
What do “Paleolithic” and “Neolithic” translate to?
- Paleo = ‘old.’
- Neo = ‘new.’
- Lithic = ‘stone.’
Describe Paleolithic humans.
- Nomadic.
- Short life expectancy.
- Hunter-gatherer.
- existed 2 million - 10,000 years ago.
- Followed the herd.
Describe Neolithic humans.
- Sedentary.
- Domesticated plants/animals.
- Agricultural.
- Produced the ‘Birth of Civilization.’
List the characteristics of a civilization.
- Infrastructure.
- Trade.
- Language.
- Stable food supply.
- Government.
- Technology.
- Population.
- Social hierarchy.
- Religion.
- Artistic tradition.
Explain gender roles in Paleolithic vs. Neolithic humans.
- For most Paleolithic humans, women gathered because they carried babies, and men hunted.
- For the Neolithic era, women were used for labor while men were the ‘public face.’
Explain gender in Native American societies.
• Genderfluidity was common in so-called ‘two spirited’ people.
Explain the Aztecs (before contact).
- Mesoamerican civ; were around present day Mexico.
- They were originally nomadic.
- Probably ~300,000 in population.
- Were into human sacrifice.
- They had to get a beating heart for sacrifices.
- Probably got their victims from other Indian tribes.
- Built pyramids—an influence from the Mayans.
Tenochtitlán
- Aztecs’ largest city.
* At its height, it was probably the largest city in the world.
Anasazi Culture (before contact)
- In the Chaco Canyon.
- Included the Pueblo.
- Probably around 20,000 pop.
Mississippi Culture (before contact)
- Cahokia ‘mound’ was big.
- They lived in Mississippi River Valley and Ohio.
- Built lots of mounds for some unknown reason.
- Mounds came in myriad shapes and sizes.
Iroquois Confederacy (before contact)
- Hiawatha founded it.
- Consisted of the Mohawks, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca.
- Matrilineal: descendants passed through the women.
- Women could divorce.
- Upon marriage, the husband would move in with the wife.
- They used longhouses; extended family tended to bundle up.
New England Indians (before contact)
- Northern Indians included those in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
- They were mostly hunter-gatherer.
- Maybe 20,000 pop.
Southern New England Indians (before contact)
- Includes Indians in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
- Farmed and hunted.
- Maybe 80,000 pop.
Pacific Northwest culture (before contact)
- Southern Alaska to Northern California.
- The land was really rich, so hunter-gatherer societies survived with the absence of impetus towards agriculture or sedentary life.
- Had giant redwood trees at their disposal.
- Used timber for tools and made clothes from bark.
The Songhai Empire
- Dominated West Africa.
- Muslim.
- Their coastal lands were rich in resources, allowing them to develop agriculture.
- Timbuktu was a large city of theirs with ~7000 pop.
Explain pre-colonial West African societies.
- Gender roles: men hunted, and women farmed and traded.
* Inland societies faced difficulties with agriculture due to drought; they also had larger animals.
What is “veneration of ancestors”?
- Religious practice whereby ancestors were considered as guides for their descendants after death.
- Divine intervention from ancestors was emphasized.
What were the 3 primary motivations for the Europeans’ exploration?
- Gold: spices and tons of high demand commodities traveled across the silk road from Asia, but they were extremely expensive.
- The conquering of Constantinople by the Ottomans led to European fear that the muslims would block them from Indo-Asian trade.
- God: Christians (especially from the reconquista) were emboldened with the notion of converting the whole world.
- Glory: people were curious and sought fame during this period.
What were the main technological innovations preceding European overseas exploration?
- Magnetic compass—appropriated from China.
- The light, fast caravel ship.
- Astrolabe—used the stars to determine latitude—was appropriated from the muslims.
Explain Portuguese exploration.
- They explored the coast of Africa and found a way to Asia, giving them control of Asian trade routes.
- They also set up trades with Africa.
- Elmina Castle was a Portuguese trade outpost in Africa.
Explain Christopher Columbus.
- Was from Genoa.
- Actual name was Christaffe Corombo.
- Convinced Isabella and Ferdinand to let him sail West to go East.
- Only thought that was a good idea because he incorrectly measured the circumference of the earth.
- Probably went to the Caribbean and some other places.
- Got upset because he didn’t find riches.
- Made Indians pan for gold.
- Instead convinced Spain to enslave the natives to get rich.
- Died thinking he had found Asia.
Anglicizing
• Renaming foreign words to make them easier for whitey English people to say.
Isabella and Ferdinand
- Queen and king of Spain.
* Ruled Spain jointly.
What other people discovered America before Columbus’s trip?
- Indians (obviously).
- Vikings.
- The Chinese.
- Possibly the Egyptians.
Papal Bull
• Catholic Church statement claiming some stance based on their supposed authority on and connection to God.
What was the Catholic vindication for slavery?
- Pope Nichola V’s Papal Bull stating that anyone who isn’t Christian is basically less than human and is therefore subject to hereditary slavery.
- They also justified it with the notion that it allows them to convert slaves to Christianity.
- But even after slaves became Christians, they were still slaves.
Treaty of Tordesillas
- Split the earth along 46° 37’ Meridian.
- 1494.
- Claims East of the line were given to Portugal while claims West were given to Spain.
- Split South America.
Why did Hernán Cortés care about the Aztecs?
- He sought gold.
* Thought Tenochtitlán was the ‘El Dorado’ city of gold.
Quetzalcoatl
- A god in the Aztec religion who was destined to conquer the Aztecs.
- In the myth he was their former king and was exiled to the ocean.
- King Moctezuma thought Hernán Cortes was this person because of his beard and white skin—supposed features of the Quetzalcoatl.
How did Hernán Cortés defeat the Aztecs?
- He allied the vassals of the Aztecs.
* Brought mass disease from Europe (killing ~40% of the Aztecs).
What was the initial capital of New Spain?
• Mexico City.
When was St. Augustine founded?
• 1565.
Explain Juan De Oriate and his activity in New Mexico.
- Tried to subjugate the Pueblo.
* Popé revolted and let the Indians to kick the Spanish out of New Mexico.
Jacques Cartier
Was commissioned by France to explore the New World.
Samuel De Champlain
- French person.
* Founded Quebec.
Triangular trade
- Portugal captured slaves from wars they had fought in Africa and sold them to American colonists via the Middle Passage.
- American colonists produced sugar, tobacco, cotton, gold, silver, and rum. These were exported to Europe.
- Europe sold guns and manufactured goods to American and African colonists.
Why were American Indians not a sufficient supply of forced labor?
• They were dying off from disease and being worked to death.
White washing
• Process where Americans/whites pretend to not have committed atrocities such as slavery.
Flower wars
• Wars that only occurred to capture slaves.
