The Shaping of North America



AP

U.S. History I

The Shaping of North America

225 million years ago-Pangaea “supercontinent”

10 million years ago- Rocky Mountains exist

Appalachians exist

Continents are separated

2 million years ago- an Ice Age envelopes the planet and the water level lowers

35 000 years ago- the Bering Land Bridge appears

animals cross, followed by nomadic Asian hunters

10 000 years ago- the Ice Age ends

nomadic people create civilization

10 000 years ago-1492 AD, the population grows to 72 million

*only 7-10 million live in North America (South America has better conditions for farming)

Powerful Civilizations

• Aztecs

• Incas

• Mayans

• Iroquois

o Over 2000 languages created

o Religion

o Culture

o Farming techniques

People who came to America before 1492:

-Scandinavians

led by Leif Erickson (Newfoundland)

-Nomadic Asian hunters

-Irish

-Africans

-Chinese

[1492] Columbus “discovered” the New World (arrived at Hispañola/ Haiti)

brought 20 people back-only two survive the ship ride

was sent to get more for slavery in mines (creates slavery)

Europeans bring smallpox into the Americas

[1492] Haiti’s population totals 3 million

[1512] Haiti’s population totals 12 000

Columbus’s “discovery” affects the futures of three groups:

Europeans – migrate to the Americas

Native Americans – dealt with harshly

Africans – source of labor leads to mass enslaving

Explorers

Amerigo Vespucci [sails for Spain in 1499] [sails for Portugal in 1501]

Writes vivid accounts of the East coast of North and South America

Mapmakers base their maps on his accounts – hence “America”

Vasco Nunez de Balboa [sails for Spain in 1513]

First European to set eyes on the Pacific Ocean

Says “All land that touches the Pacific is Spain’s”

Basis for Spanish claims in America

Ferdinand Magellan [sails for Spain from 1519-1522]

First to circumnavigate the globe

Hernando Cortez [sails for Spain in 1519]

Crushes the Aztecs (attack and smallpox)

Claims Mexico for Spain

Ponce de Léon [sails for Spain in 1513]

Explores Florida – lays claim of Florida for Spain

Looking for gold

Francisco Coronado [sails for Spain in 1540]

Searches for the fabled “cities of gold”

First European to see the Grand Canyon

First European to see herds of buffalo

John Cabot [sails for England in 1497]

Italian – explores the East coast of New England

Basis for English claims in the Americas

Giovanni de Verrazano [sails for France in 1524]

Hudson River and areas of NYC

Henry Hudson [sails for the Dutch in 1608?]

Hudson Bay and Hudson River

Claims Manhattan for the Dutch

Jacques Cartier [sails for France in 1534]

Explores parts of Canada and claims area for France

Hernando de Soto [sails for Spain from 1539-1542]

First European to see the Mississippi River

Settling the New World

Spain

Reasons for exploration:

Gold

Glory

God

Goods

Lay claim to:

New Mexico

West coast of South America

Florida

All of Central America

Texas

Arizona

California

[1565] settled the first permanently occupied settlement in the Americas

-St. Augustine, FL

[1588] Spanish Armada is defeated – marks the decline of the Spanish Empire

encomienda system and hacienda system – places Native Americans in state of slavery

France

Lay claim to:

Canada

Areas around the Mississippi

[1608] First French settlement – Quebec “New France”

[1750] ................
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