Lectures 1-11 - Notes Flashcards
1
Q
What do “Paleolithic” and “Neolithic” translate to?
A
- Paleo = ‘old.’
- Neo = ‘new.’
- Lithic = ‘stone.’
2
Q
Describe Paleolithic humans.
A
- Nomadic.
- Short life expectancy.
- Hunter-gatherer.
- existed 2 million - 10,000 years ago.
- Followed the herd.
3
Q
Describe Neolithic humans.
A
- Sedentary.
- Domesticated plants/animals.
- Agricultural.
- Produced the ‘Birth of Civilization.’
4
Q
List the characteristics of a civilization.
A
- Infrastructure.
- Trade.
- Language.
- Stable food supply.
- Government.
- Technology.
- Population.
- Social hierarchy.
- Religion.
- Artistic tradition.
5
Q
Explain gender roles in Paleolithic vs. Neolithic humans.
A
- 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.’
6
Q
Explain gender in Native American societies.
A
• Genderfluidity was common in so-called ‘two spirited’ people.
7
Q
Explain the Aztecs (before contact).
A
- 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.
8
Q
Tenochtitlán
A
- Aztecs’ largest city.
* At its height, it was probably the largest city in the world.
9
Q
Anasazi Culture (before contact)
A
- In the Chaco Canyon.
- Included the Pueblo.
- Probably around 20,000 pop.
10
Q
Mississippi Culture (before contact)
A
- 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.
11
Q
Iroquois Confederacy (before contact)
A
- 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.
12
Q
New England Indians (before contact)
A
- Northern Indians included those in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
- They were mostly hunter-gatherer.
- Maybe 20,000 pop.
13
Q
Southern New England Indians (before contact)
A
- Includes Indians in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
- Farmed and hunted.
- Maybe 80,000 pop.
14
Q
Pacific Northwest culture (before contact)
A
- 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.
15
Q
The Songhai Empire
A
- 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.
16
Q
Explain pre-colonial West African societies.
A
- Gender roles: men hunted, and women farmed and traded.
* Inland societies faced difficulties with agriculture due to drought; they also had larger animals.
17
Q
What is “veneration of ancestors”?
A
- Religious practice whereby ancestors were considered as guides for their descendants after death.
- Divine intervention from ancestors was emphasized.
18
Q
What were the 3 primary motivations for the Europeans’ exploration?
A
- 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.
19
Q
What were the main technological innovations preceding European overseas exploration?
A
- Magnetic compass—appropriated from China.
- The light, fast caravel ship.
- Astrolabe—used the stars to determine latitude—was appropriated from the muslims.
20
Q
Explain Portuguese exploration.
A
- 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.
21
Q
Explain Christopher Columbus.
A
- 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.
22
Q
Anglicizing
A
• Renaming foreign words to make them easier for whitey English people to say.
23
Q
Isabella and Ferdinand
A
- Queen and king of Spain.
* Ruled Spain jointly.
24
Q
What other people discovered America before Columbus’s trip?
A
- Indians (obviously).
- Vikings.
- The Chinese.
- Possibly the Egyptians.
25
Papal Bull
• Catholic Church statement claiming some stance based on their supposed authority on and connection to God.
26
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.
27
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.
28
Why did Hernán Cortés care about the Aztecs?
* He sought gold.
| * Thought Tenochtitlán was the 'El Dorado' city of gold.
29
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.
30
How did Hernán Cortés defeat the Aztecs?
* He allied the vassals of the Aztecs.
| * Brought mass disease from Europe (killing ~40% of the Aztecs).
31
What was the initial capital of New Spain?
• Mexico City.
32
When was St. Augustine founded?
• 1565.
33
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.
34
Jacques Cartier
Was commissioned by France to explore the New World.
35
Samuel De Champlain
* French person.
| * Founded Quebec.
36
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.
37
Why were American Indians not a sufficient supply of forced labor?
• They were dying off from disease and being worked to death.
38
White washing
• Process where Americans/whites pretend to not have committed atrocities such as slavery.
39
Flower wars
• Wars that only occurred to capture slaves.
40
Columbian Exchange
• Everything was exchanged between the New World and Old World, specifically through triangular trade.
41
John Cabot
• English explorer.
42
Sir Walter Raleigh
* Privateer.
* Appointed by Queen Elizabeth.
* May have had a romantic relation with Elizabeth.
* Set up Roanoke colony in the 1580s.
43
Roanoke colony
* English colony.
* Established in a swamp. Strategic reasons—purpose was to raid Spanish trade.
* English-Spanish war cut off supply to the colony.
* When the English reestablished contact with the colony, no one was left and 'Croatoan' was inscribed in a tree.
44
Jamestown
* Established 1607.
* By the Virginia Company.
* Used the headright system.
* Its place was chosen for strategic reasons.
* Formed the House of Burgesses as government.
45
John Smith
* Led Jamestown.
* Was captured by Powhatan Indians for stealing food.
* To be executed but Pocahontas begged for his life.
* Saved Jamestown by forcing the rich idiots to work with a "if you don't work you don't eat" policy.
46
John Rolfe
* Replaced John Smith as the leader of Jamestown in 1622.
| * Introduced a new strain of tobacco that saved the colony because they got rich af.
47
Opechancanough
* Replaced Powhatan as the leader of the Powhatan Indians.
* Powhatan's brother.
* Started the Anglo-Powhatan War out of frustration with Jamestown.
48
Anglo-Powhatan War
* Powhatan strike on Jamestown kills 25% of the settlement.
* The English retaliate by utterly destroying the Powhatan.
* English government takes control of Jamestown.
49
Puritans
* Wanted to 'purify' the Church of England of all Catholicism.
* Were persecuted by the English.
50
'Pilgrims'
* Fled to the Netherlands.
* Some fled to America as 'Pilgrims' alongside Dutch merchants.
* Setup the Plymouth plantation under the Mayflower Compact.
* Led by William Bradford who was reelected as their government 30 times.
* America was colder than they suspected so ended up resorting to cannibalism.
* Got help from the lone Squanto—planted squash and beans.
* Resulted in a feast that was glorified after the Civil War as 'Thanksgiving.'
51
Massachusetts Bay Colony
* Result of a population explosion in England, persecution of Puritans, and the success of the Plymouth plantation.
* Charter was established 1630.
* John Winthrop led them with the idea of Massachusetts becoming a 'city on a hill'—notion that Mass. was a holy experiment.
* ^ Beginning of American exceptionalism.
* Instituted the city on a hill notion via blue laws, legislated morality, and no separation of church and state.
52
Blue laws
• Laws based on religion and meant to legislate morality.
53
Roger Williams
* In Massachusetts; called for separation of church and state.
* Was exiled to Rhode Island.
* In Rhode Island he established a colony for dissenters, and it had a minimal degree of religious freedom.
54
Anne Hutchinson
* In Massachusetts.
* Was very educated.
* Held prayer meetings.
* Puritans put her on trial for being scary.
* Was exiled and went to Rhode Island.
55
Pequot-Puritan conflict
* Puritans were expanding and taking land from the Pequot.
* Pequot attacked Westerfield village; killed 9 Puritans.
* Puritans counterattacked Mystic village and burned it all down.
* 1600-75 the New England Indian population reduced from 125000 to 10000.
56
Puritan-Wampanoag conflict
* Metacom led them; was renamed to King Philip.
* Metacom established an alliance between Indian groups to secure their defense.
* Puritans retaliated by burning their crops and villages.
57
Salem witch trials
* 300 were accused of being witches.
* Justified by the notion that they were just being good Christians and following the religious text, asserting that witches ought to be killed.
58
Henry Hudson
* Dutch.
| * Explored the Hudson River in 1609.
59
Peter Stuyvesant
• Unsuccessfully attempted to rally Dutch colonists against the English.
60
New Netherland
* Founded by the Dutch West India Company.
* Charles II denies Dutch claims in the New World, commanding them to leave.
* Dutch sort of just give up, and New Netherland becomes New York.
* 50% of New York was Dutch, but generally it was highly diverse.
61
Maryland
* Proprietary colony.
* Named after Bloody Mary.
* Cecilius Calvert—"lord Baltimore" founded it.
* Wanted Maryland to be a safe haven for Catholics.
* The Act of Religious Toleration was passed to keep the peace between Protestants and Catholics, but it was ignored.
62
Pennsylvania
* Charles granted William Penn the land as a proprietary colony.
* Penn died before he could colonize, so Penn Jr. took over.
* Penn Jr. wanted money and to make it a Quaker haven.
* Pennsylvania got very wealthy due to rich farmland and the shipping industry.
63
Carolina
* King Charles gave land to his supporters.
* Caribbean influence was prominent: the sugar plantation model was implemented for rice.
* Labor from American Indians and indentured servants was supplanted by African slaves.
64
Task system
* Established tasks for slaves to do throughout the day and allowed them a comparatively high degree of freedom.
* Used in Carolina as their rice-field mosquitos were brutal and impeded strict labor management systems.
* Allowed African slaves in America to retain some of their culture.
65
Gang system
* Labor management system where slaves were grouped into 'gangs' according to age/ability.
* Slaves were tightly watched and scheduled under this system.
66
How did African slaves in colonial America adjust?
* Africans came from a position of high diversity in language, culture, and religion.
* 'Gullah' was a solution to the language barrier: it commingled African languages with English.
* Slaves were generally encouraged to reproduce and make more slaves.
* Defacto family relation systems developed organically in the nullification of families of blood bonds.
* It was extremely difficult for African slaves to run away or rebel, so such resistance rarely happened.
67
Stono rebellion
* Jemmy and 20 African slaves took over gun storage in Charlestown. Armed, they tried to liberate other plantations.
* Eventually got shut down by militia.
* Slave codes—very harsh laws—were put into place as a result to keep them in line.
68
What was colonial New England society like?
* Large emphasis on education: any town with more than 50 people had to have a teacher.
* 90% of New Englanders could read as opposed to 40% of English.
* High population density.
* Criminals were publicly punished via stocks.
* Patriarchy was enforced; women were expected to be subservient to men and contribute labor.
* 80% of children reached adulthood and 65 was the average life expectancy—both very high for the time.
69
What was life like in the Chesapeake?
* Tobacco plantations were the focal point of life.
* Very low population density.
* Family life was complicated and fluid as people often bundled up.
* Disease, high infant mortality rate, and lowish life expectancy.
* Made use of indentured servants and the headright system.
70
Headright system
* Encouraged importation of indentured servants as they would be given land.
* 40% of these indentured servants died before their term was up.
* Since most of the coastal lands were taken, indentured servants under the headright system mostly got crappy, frontier land.
* Similar to slavery as these indentured servants were bought, sold, and even gambled away.
71
Bacon's rebellion
* 1675.
* Indentured servants were having a ahed time due to garbage land under the headright system, drop in tobacco prices, and Indian attacks.
* Nathanial Bacon appeals to William Berkeley, but he only builds some forts to protect against Indians.
* Bacon+300 supporters attack Jamestown.
* Occupied a significant amount of colonies.
* Were put down.
* Results: less trust/use of indentured servants; more African slaves.
72
Mercantilism
* A country's wealth defines them.
* Emphasis on making exports > imports.
* England's goal during colonial times.
73
Navigation Acts of 1651
* All colonies must use English ships for imports/exports.
* Enumerated products—wool, sugar, tobacco—had to go through England first.
* Led to Boston, Philadelphia, and New York becoming large port towns due to export focus.
* Overall led to an increase in the prices of goods.
74
Explain colonial government structure.
* Three parts: governors, council, and assembly.
* Governors were advised by the council, appointed by the king, and paid via the budget set by the assembly.
* Governors chose the councils, and the councils advised the governors.
* Assembly was determined by eligible voters.
* More could vote in American colonies than in Europe.
75
Explain the Enlightenment.
* Questioning of social structures.
* Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Benjamin Franklin were all Enlightenment figures.
* Christianity pushed back against it via the Great Awakening.
76
Compact theory
* Idea from John Locke.
* Asserts that everyone is born with certain rights: to life, liberty, and property.
* Further, a government's job is to protect such rights, and if it fails to, the people overthrow it.
77
Great Awakening
* Response to the enlightenment and the decrease of church attendance.
* Many preachers and evangelicals made their way around the American colonies.
* Led to the Halfway Covenant.
* Led to Presbyterians and Baptists gaining members while Puritans lost them.
* Led to spread of Christianity to black slaves and Indians.
* Resulted in New Lights (new converts) who clashed with Old Lights.
* Church attendance skyrocketed.
78
Jonathan Edwards
* Evangelical in the Great Awakening.
* Preached the famous "sinners in the hands of an angry God" sermon, where he metaphorically portrayed sinners as spiders and expounded on their potential damnation.
79
George Whitefield
* Preacher.
| * Increased church attendance in Connecticut from 630 to 33000.
80
What factors preceded the mid-18th century conflicts between colonial European powers?
* Mostly control over land.
* A population explosion forced colonists to move inward, creating tension with Indians.
* France was interested in controlling fur trade via the Mississippi River.
81
What was the significance of King William's War and Queen Anne's War?
• They drove up war debts.
82
What was the significance of King George's War?
* England x France|Spain.
* Shifted the balance of power in the colonies.
* Led to the Treaty of Lancaster: Indians gave Virginians trade rights in the Ohio River Valley.
83
The French and Indian War
* Conflict proceeding the Seven Years' War in Europe.
* The Treaty of Lancaster gave Virginians the false impression that they had land rights in Ohio; this was the fundamental basis for the conflict.
* Fort Duquesne was taken by French forces in 1755—a major defeat.
* An English victory at Louisbourg changed the war in the favor by cutting off French supply between America and Europe.
* 1758 the English allied with the Shawnee and Delaware peoples.
* British troops led by John Wolfe win the Battle of Quebec, solidifying it as an English colony.
* Resulted in the Treaty of Paris.
* Led to a sense of patriotism for Americans.
* Lots of war debt for Britain.
84
Treaty of Paris
* 1763.
* Ended the Seven Years' War.
* Gave Louisiana to Spain.
* Kicked the French out of the New World.
85
Proclamation Line of 1763
* Establishes line across the Appalachian mountains.
* Colonists can't settle West of that line.
* Purpose was to prevent conflict with Indians.
* Did piss the colonists off.
86
Quartering Acts
* Colonists must pay for, feed, and house a British standing army in America
* Result of increased tension between colonists and England after the French and Indian War.
87
Sugar Act
* Tax on virtually everything coming into American colonies.
* Intended to pay off England's war debts that they had accumulate during the French and Indian War.
* Coincided with the colonists disdain for lack of actual representation in English government, as they had no say in this legislation.
88
Stamp Act
* Replaced the Sugar Act.
* Tax on any paper, including legal documents.
* Ended up stopping jury trials, which meant accused individuals had to prove their innocence.
* Was the first direct tax from parliament on the American colonists.
* Eventually repealed because colonists threatened to boycott British goods.
* Declaratory Act was passed coinciding with the repeal to state that the British government could tax colonists all they wanted to.
89
Stamp Act Congress
* 9 American colonies sent delegates.
* Response to the Stamp Act.
* Produced the Declaration of Rights and Grievances.
90
Sons of Liberty
* Started by Samual Adams.
| * Violently resisted British authority.
91
Townshend Duty Act
* Replaced the Stamp Act.
* Glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea were all taxed to pay for governors' salaries.
* Reduced the power of the elected assemblies as the British government now controlled governors' salaries.
* Led to boycotts.
92
Boston massacre
* 1774.
* 4000 British soldiers were sent to Boston to restore order.
* Colonists were throwing snowballs at them and one probably opened fire accidentally, leading to them all opening fire.
* 5 killed, 11 wounded.
* A cause of the American Revolution.
93
Committees of Correspondence
• Colonists established these to foster communication outside of British influence.
94
Tea Act
* 1773.
* Taxed tea.
* Gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea importation, allowing them to jack up prices.
95
Boston Tea Party
* Some sons of liberty people dressed as Indians, boarded an English vessel, and dumped 300 crates of tea into the ocean.
* Indian decor was meant to distinguish them as American, not to disguise.
* Preceded by the Tea Act.
96
Intolerable Acts
* Response to the Boston Tea Party.
* Closed the Boston harbor.
* Made Massachusetts less democratic.
* Led to the First Continental Congress.
97
First Continental Congress
* Response to the Intolerable Acts.
* Every colony but Georgia participated.
* They agreed to boycott English goods.
* Sent a letter to king George III demanding for him to rein in parliament.
* Formed the Continental Association—organized the boycotts and cut off all trade with the English until an agreement could be made.
98
Daughters of Liberty
* Supported the 'revolutionary' cause.
* Held 'spinning bees' where they organized their skills to provide clothing, blankets, etc., to colonists in response to the boycott on English goods.
99
When did the American Revolution begin?
* The first shots were fired in 1775.
| * Colonists gave up attempting to reconcile with the English in 1776.
