American History Chapter 1 Notes

First People In North America Came across the Bering Land Bridge. –Connected Asia and Alaska Land Bridges –-occurs when sea levels drop and land appears during the Ice Age.

First People were Paleo-Indians Migrated –Moved from one region to another. They followed the food source Hunters and gathers-hunted animals and gathered food.

Different Cultures Occurred due to exposure to different environments. Culture – Common values and traditions of a group –Language –Government –Family Relationships

Civilizations Occurred when people were able to settle down and farm and domesticate animals.

Meso American Site of the first cultures in America Mexico-North Central America.

Olmec Grew Maize (corn) Made stone sculptures of large heads Built pyramids Ended in 400 B.C.

Maya Grew Maize Lived in small villages Traded goods with other villages Plazas- made large areas for public gatherings Built canals Ended in 900’s

Aztec Warriors- had great military skills Built an empire Tenochtitlan- Capital By the 1500’s it was the most powerful state in Meso America

Inca Andes Mountains Cuzco –Capital Strong Central Government Quipu- knotted string on which they kept records Known for art and building Built highways

Early Settlers of North America Hunters and gathers Became Farmers

Anasazi 1500 B.C. Lived in Southwest America Grew corn Used irrigation for crops Weaved and made pottery Cliff dwellers Kivas –underground ceremonial chambers

Mound Builders Hopewell and Mississippians Farmers and traders Cahokia – Capital of the Mississippians Built mounds for religious ceremonies

Native American Culture Areas Artic- Aleuts,Inuits, Alaska, Canada- igloos –Fished and hunted Subartic –Made shelters of animal skin and log houses Pacific Northwest –Totem poles-poles carved with the faces of ancestors or animals Potlaches –Chief would give away his belongings

Totem Pole

California Region- From the Pacific to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. –Had an abundance of food sources so did not farm (fished and Hunted)

Great Basin –East of Sierra Nevada Mountains –Gathered seeds dug roots –Trapped small animals Southwest –Hopi, Zuni –Made fine pottery –Apache- Navajo-were nomadic (moved from place to place –Hunted and raided villages

Great Plains Mississippi Valley and the Rocky Mountains Blackfoot, Arapaho, Pawnee Hunted buffalo, elk and deer Nomadic hunters Matrilineal- traced their ancestry through their mother’s side

West Africa’s Three Kingdoms Developed due to trade Empires started when farmers banned together for protection.

Ghana The first Empire in West Africa –Rich in Gold –A source of Salt – a valuable item – use to flavor and preserve food –Gained control of West African Trade Routes –Taxed traders –Attacked by Muslim group who cut off its trade routes and it eventually fell

Mali Located in upper Niger River Controlled trade on the river Mana Musa was their most famous ruler Added trade cities of Timbuktu and Gao Built mosque

Sanghai Captured by Masa Musa As the Mali empire declined it gained in power Established its own empire Askia the Great- was their greatest ruler he established a professional Army.

West African Slave Trade African tribes enslaved each other Later Arab Muslims and Europeans became slave traders.

Greek and Roman Influence Greeks valued human reason Philosophers- thinkers Socrates- “Know Thyself” Plato- The Republic-Ideal society Aristotle – “Learn by doing” People should live their lives by reason Greeks gave us the idea of a Democracy a form of government in which people rule themselves.

Democracy Greeks gave us this idea Democracy – a form of government in which people rule themselves

Roman Law and Government Romans had a government that included elected representatives – (Republic) Laws were put on public display so people knew their rights. Had the idea of equality before the law.

Influences from the Middle Ages 500’s A.D. Nobles gained power Kings lost power Nobles needed soldiers to protect their land Gave warriors (Knights) land in exchange for military service

Nobles were called lords and the knights were called vassals Peasants lived on the lords land (Manor) and farmed in exchange for food and services. People were mostly interested in religion only.

The Crusades Christian war against the Moslems to gain back the Holy land. Soldiers brought back spices and other goods that created a demand for them in Europe. Mongol rulers created trade routes such as the Silk Trail that brought goods to the Mediterranean.

Cities in Europe Grew. Some became Trade Centers. The growth of trade led to the decline of feudalism.

Renaissance Means “rebirth”-refers to the revival of intrest in the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome as well as in the arts. Rulers gained power-nobles lost power.

Michelangelo – painted the Sistine Chapel. Leonardo Di Vinci – painted the Mona Lisa Johannes Guttenberg – invented the moveable type printing press. (books use to be copied by hand.

The Mona Lisa

Families became rich Banks developed Merchants formed Joint stock companies. Joint stock company – is one in which the investors share in the profits or losses. Joint stock company – is one in which the investors share in the profits or losses. Mercantilism- an economic system that unifies and increases the wealth and power of a nation