CONTACT: Europeans & Amerindians
I. Overview—big ideas By 1600 Europeans had created the world’s first truly global economy. Meanwhile, the "age of discovery" resulted in the greatest human catastrophe the world has ever known: 90% of Amerindians died by 1600; slavery of tens of millions of Africans. Cultural differences between European and Amerindians were so immense that major conflict occurred in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Summary of relations between the three major colonial powers in America and the Amerindians Spain sought to Christianize and control the Indians (through the encomienda and mission systems) The French sought to establish strong trade relations with the Amerindians; Jesuits sought to convert them. English settlers often sought to either move Indians westward or annihilate them Use space below for notes
II. Native Americans (Amerindians) A. Population: approximately 100 million c. 1500 (high estimate); probably more like 50-70 million B. Arrived more than 40,000 years ago via Bering Strait (called Beringia when it was above land) and eventually spread to tip of South America (by 8,000 BCE) 1. First immigrants hunted animals for meat and furs; probably built small fishing vessels. 2. Beringia became isolated when Bering Strait under water c. 10,000 years ago C. New research in origins of Amerindians. 1. Old Crow site in Yukon may be 50,000 years old. 2. French team in northeastern Brazil working on site that might be 48,000 years old. 3. 1992, new archeological research suggests oldest inhabitants may have come from south Asia or even Europe before northern Asians as previously thought. 4. No evidence exists that humans lived in eastern Siberia (Russia) 30,000 years ago (only 12,000 years ago).
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D. By 8,000 BCE, Amerindians reached tip of South America. 1.
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