1. The Americas, West Africa and Europe

2.  Students will be comparing and contrasting diverse Native American tribes.  Students will be describing West African societies.  Students will be discussing the forces that led European societies to undertake exploration.

3.  First Americans arrived about 22,000 years ago  Crossed over on the Bering Strait from Asia  Hunter and Gatherers  Warmer conditions caused a switch to smaller game, fish, berries, and nuts

4.  Tribes began to settle throughout the Americas  The rise of agriculture allowed some groups of people to settle down and create surpluses of food  Other groups of people continued to be nomadic (moving from place to place)

5.  Olmec people settled in Southern Mexico as early as 1200 B.C.  Maya built a dynamic culture near the Yucatan peninsula (A.D. 250-900)  Aztec settled in the valley of Mexico in the 1200s  Inca were the most prominent people in South America

6.  Diverse people  Chumash  Cheyenne  Seminole  Delaware  Choctaw  Cherokee  And many more

8.  Patterns of trade ◦ Created intricate trails to trade with each other  Attitudes toward land ownership ◦ Looked at land as the source of life and could not be owned  Religious beliefs ◦ Believed in spirits of the natural world  Social values ◦ Family traditions guided all aspects of life

9.  How were Native American tribes similar? How were they different?

10.  Many of those enslaved and eventually brought to America came from West Africa  African traditions and beliefs played a major role in forming American history and culture  Three powerful kingdoms ◦ Songhai ◦ Benin ◦ Kongo

11.  Gained wealth by controlling the trans Sahara trade  Rulers grew rich by taxing goods that passed through the realms  Large armies conquered new territories  Cities were built, laws administered, support for the arts and education

12.  Benin stretched along the southern coast of Africa  Kongo was in West Central Africa and consisted of small kingdoms led by a single ruler (Manikongo)

13.  Most lived in small villages where life revolved around the family, the community, and tradition  Political leaders claimed authority on the basis of religion  People supported themselves by farming, herding, hunting, fishing, mining, and trading  Most believed in collective ownership of land

14.  Describe two characteristics of West African society

15.  Many people lived in small villages, bound to the land and change occurred slowly  Social Hierarchy (organized by rank) ◦ At the top were monarchs, aristocracy, land owners (held wealth and power) ◦ Artisans and merchants (created and traded goods). ◦ Peasants (lived in squalor)

16.  Christianity – A religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus  Dominate religion of western Europe  Religious elite held political and spiritual authority  Crusades fought with the Muslims (Islam) led to Asian trade routes and the idea of exploration

17.  Reformation – Criticized church practices and challenged the authority of the pope  This led to a religious schism (split) throughout Europe  Protestants- Opposed the Catholic Church  Many protestants and Catholics left Europe to America for religious freedom

18.  Renaissance- “rebirth”, culture awakening of Europe  Art was portrayed more realistically in comparison to medieval art work  Ideas are easily spread through Gutenberg’s printing press  Renaissance encouraged people to think for themselves and seek glory through adventure, discovery, and conquest

19.  New sailing techniques and navigating tools used during the 1400s

20.  Why do you think we learned about Native Americans, West Africans, and Europeans today in our American History class? What is the connection?