Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492

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Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Pre-Columbian “American” Societies – – 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, earliest “Americans” crossed from Old to New World • Bering Strait Theory – Paleo Indians • Moved South and East over next 10,000 Years – East to present day East Coast – South to tip of South America – Agriculture – Key to “civilization” • Horticulture vs. Agriculture

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Societies Flourished – Great civilizations were created – – Mayan Civilization, circa 600-900 B.C.E. – Inca Civilization, circa 1,400 C.E. – Aztec Civilization, circa 1,400 C.E. • North America – – “Mound Builders” of Ohio region – Anasazi of New Mexico region

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Structure of these societies – – Labor was gender/sex-based – Many traced families matrilineally (through female line of descent) – Cultures at war with one another • Hunting and planting grounds • Food stores and essential items – Early Europeans would play on these rivalries

1 Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Religion – vastly different from European Christianity – – Polytheistic – belief in many gods – Similar to Native African religions • Eve of Columbian contact – approx. 5 million peoples lived in present day U.S. – Rest of “New World” = 50-112 million, historians estimate.

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • African Societies – –15th Century Africa housed a variety of cultures adappgted to different regions: • Islam influenced Northern African and Eastern Africa – (trade routes through Middle East) • West Africa – “Guinea” as called by Europeans – Slaves, ivory, gold exchanged for salt, dates, silk and cotton cloth – Would be come base for slave trade to new world

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Slavery in West Africa – – 900 years before first Euro slave traders, Muslim Africans had traded slaves • Criminals, debtors, wartime captives and their families. • Slavery stigma usually stayed with one designated “slave” – Area known as Gold Coast would become primary station for Atlantic Slave Trade.

2 Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Division of labor in African Societies – – Like Pre-Columbian America, gender/sex based – Men hunted, fished and “gathered” – Women – child rearing, agriculture, clothing preparation, food preparation. • Women were local traders amongst many cultures • Many cultures traced families matrilineally. • Religions shared similarities

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • European Society – Eve of Columbus – Politically – many small city-states, Iberia still under Moorish influence – Religion – Christianity – Technological Innovations – • Printing Press – 1440 Germany • Improved ships and navigation tools – Marco Polo’s travels published in 1477 » Tales of the Orient and goods found there

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Spain – – 1469 Marriage of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile – unites county • “Los Reyes Catolicos” (The “united” kingdom) – 1492 • Battle of Granada: Moors are defeated and expelled from Iberian Peninsula • Columbus sets out for new world in search of safer route to Asia.

3 Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Columbus arrives in “New World” October 12, 1492. (Voyage of approx. 70 days) – Believes he ’s found India • Inhabitants called “Indians” • 4 visits to New World in total – Maintains he’s found Asia, not a new world • “America” named after Amerigo Vespucci – First to publish idea that a new world was discovered – He was given credit – “America” not “Columbia”

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Spain/Portugal rivalry for New World – Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494 • South America “halved” for Portuguese and Spanish • Portugal given primacy with African colonies – Gold and other riches brought back to Spain in next 50 years would make that nation most powerful in Europe. • Cortes – conquest of Aztecs, 1521 • Pizzaro – conquest of Inca, 1533

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • The “Columbian” Exchange – – Diseases, plants and animals between the two worlds, greatly affected both • Diseases – the big “killer” of the New World inhabitants, up to 90% by 100 years after Columbus first voyage. • Plants – Corn, beans, squash, cassava and potatoes – taken back to Europe – Europe brought wheat, millet and rye – Both “worlds” benefited from this type of exchange

4 Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Animals – – Horses and Cattle • Known in connected continents of Europp,e, Africa and Asia, but not to new world • Raised and prospered in new world

Three Old Worlds Create a New 1492 - 1600 • Summary – – European discovery of New World with addition of African mixture would create basis for new societies that would emerge . – Disease – greatest killer – smallpox was most devastating, but new world returns favor to Europe – syphilis. – European technology and success would lead to ethnocentric belief that it’s society was “the best” and deserved to dominate.