Analysis: The First Civilizations Of North America
The First Civilizations of North America/Old Worlds, New Worlds
15,000 years ago, during the Ice Age the first humans’ inhabitants walked across the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia to Alaska of what will become America creating a new civilization. The Siberian descendants slowly spread out to the east and south of the continent, and build complex societies. Anthropologists have found a variety of language and culture; depending on the environmental conditions many of the tribes that lived in close proximity shared similar languages and lifestyle. The regions with the population that share similar cultures were divided into the Southwest, Great Plains and the Eastern Woodlands. The Western hemisphere was unknown to Europeans until the
arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. When the Nomads came, they found a land rich in food resources that included big-game animals like the Mammoths and mastodons, because food was abundant the population spread throughout quickly. When the ice Age came to an end, they began to adapt to the change in their environment. The biggest change was for the native people in Mesoamerica, because they began to farm the land and settle in one place in the region. The Olmecs were the first group to build cities, but the Mayans and the Aztecs develop complex societies, that included architecture, government, trade and religious worshiping.
In the Southwest the Indians cultivated maize, beans and pumpkins, and also invented an elaborate irrigation system to water the fields. The people in the Great Plains were hunters, relying on animals to provide them with food, clothing and shelter and were constantly moving. The Eastern Woodlands they depended in a combination of hunting, fishing and gathering, but were also known for their building skills of elaborate burial mounds and trading networks. Long before the arrival of Europeans the Native American cultures already lived in a diverse and sophisticated society.
Before Europeans decided to set sail and discover new worlds, political, economic and technological changes began to take place. Led by Portugal, explorers began to look for spices, ivory and gold further away from Africa. By the early 1400 the Portuguese had established sugar plantations in the Atlantic islands, and used African slaves to work the sugar plantations. While Portugal had control over the trading goods in Africa and Asia, Spain led the exploration of the Americas by Christopher Columbus and with the support from the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Europeans began to travel to America in hopes to find richness, gold, and other treasures. The conquistadors brought with them domesticated animals and tools made from metal and firearms. And in exchanged they wore introduced to many crops that included beans, and Maize this crop has become a very important staple around the world because it is grown in almost any type of soil. The conquistador also but brought disease to the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans. The natives became victims of epidemics they were never exposed before; they did not have the natural immunity or built up resistance to survive, and this made it easier for the conquistadors to take over their land and people.
While Spain build up an empire in the New World, in Europe protestants Martin Luther and John Calvin believe that the Roman Catholic Church was being corrupted because the Papasy had become very powerful, influential and was getting involved in politics neglecting their religious duties and not taking into account popular concerns. Protestant religious believed that men and women were saved by divine grace and not by making good deeds; the church tried to silence Martin Luther and he was excommunicated. The protestant opposition of the Catholic Church triggered various religious wars.
This chapter was very interesting to me because there were many things I did not know in regards to how the different cultures in Mesoamerica wore treated by the Europeans and how their exposure to their diseases made a significant impact to their livelihood
15,000 years ago, during the Ice Age the first humans’ inhabitants walked across the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia to Alaska of what will become America creating a new civilization. The Siberian descendants slowly spread out to the east and south of the continent, and build complex societies. Anthropologists have found a variety of language and culture; depending on the environmental conditions many of the tribes that lived in close proximity shared similar languages and lifestyle. The regions with the population that share similar cultures were divided into the Southwest, Great Plains and the Eastern Woodlands. The Western hemisphere was unknown to Europeans until the
arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. When the Nomads came, they found a land rich in food resources that included big-game animals like the Mammoths and mastodons, because food was abundant the population spread throughout quickly. When the ice Age came to an end, they began to adapt to the change in their environment. The biggest change was for the native people in Mesoamerica, because they began to farm the land and settle in one place in the region. The Olmecs were the first group to build cities, but the Mayans and the Aztecs develop complex societies, that included architecture, government, trade and religious worshiping.
In the Southwest the Indians cultivated maize, beans and pumpkins, and also invented an elaborate irrigation system to water the fields. The people in the Great Plains were hunters, relying on animals to provide them with food, clothing and shelter and were constantly moving. The Eastern Woodlands they depended in a combination of hunting, fishing and gathering, but were also known for their building skills of elaborate burial mounds and trading networks. Long before the arrival of Europeans the Native American cultures already lived in a diverse and sophisticated society.
Before Europeans decided to set sail and discover new worlds, political, economic and technological changes began to take place. Led by Portugal, explorers began to look for spices, ivory and gold further away from Africa. By the early 1400 the Portuguese had established sugar plantations in the Atlantic islands, and used African slaves to work the sugar plantations. While Portugal had control over the trading goods in Africa and Asia, Spain led the exploration of the Americas by Christopher Columbus and with the support from the King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Europeans began to travel to America in hopes to find richness, gold, and other treasures. The conquistadors brought with them domesticated animals and tools made from metal and firearms. And in exchanged they wore introduced to many crops that included beans, and Maize this crop has become a very important staple around the world because it is grown in almost any type of soil. The conquistador also but brought disease to the Aztecs, Incas and Mayans. The natives became victims of epidemics they were never exposed before; they did not have the natural immunity or built up resistance to survive, and this made it easier for the conquistadors to take over their land and people.
While Spain build up an empire in the New World, in Europe protestants Martin Luther and John Calvin believe that the Roman Catholic Church was being corrupted because the Papasy had become very powerful, influential and was getting involved in politics neglecting their religious duties and not taking into account popular concerns. Protestant religious believed that men and women were saved by divine grace and not by making good deeds; the church tried to silence Martin Luther and he was excommunicated. The protestant opposition of the Catholic Church triggered various religious wars.
This chapter was very interesting to me because there were many things I did not know in regards to how the different cultures in Mesoamerica wore treated by the Europeans and how their exposure to their diseases made a significant impact to their livelihood