Ch.1: Many Cultures Meet

Mr. Dzicek

U.S. History (10)

Review PowerPoint

Terms/People to Know

• Ice Age- time lasting thousands of years when Earth was covered by ice/glaciers.

• Migrate- to move, travel.

• Mayas- Native peoples along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean coast.

Terms/People to Know

• Aztecs- Native peoples of central Mexico (became most powerful)

• Adobe- type of sun-dried brick used to make houses (typically in the Southwest)(Hohokams)

• Iroquois League- Made up of Iroquois peoples (five groups… Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas). Designed to promote peaceful cooperation among member nations.

Terms/People to Know

• Middle Ages- began with fall of Rome. No effective central government, constant threat of famine, disease, war.

• Renaissance- 1400s Europe. Renewed interest in learning, arts/sciences.

• Reconquista- Wars waged by Europeans (Portugal, Aragon,Castile) to force out Muslim Moors in SW Europe.

Terms/People to Know

• Prince Henry the Navigator- Started Portuguese efforts to sail into Atlantic, spread Christianity, get rid of Muslim domination of trade.

• Ghana- Earliest kingdom in W. Africa. Thrived in trade, had major Muslim influence. Supplied much of gold to Med. Region.

Terms/People to Know

• Mali- Kingdom that rose once Ghana fell.• Mansa Musa- Most famous ruler of Mali

kingdom. Increased role of Islam, promoted scholarship (university in Timbuktu)

• Songhai- Ruled by Askia Muhammad. Focused on Islamic education. Conquered Mali.

Terms/People to Know

• Bartolomeu Dias- Portuguese mariner. Got around southern Africa.

• Vasco da Gama- Portuguese mariner who reached India, opening trade. Portuguese dominance of south and east Africa.

Terms/People to Know

• Christopher Columbus- Italian. Sailed on behalf of Spain. Seeking route to China. Wanted to revive Christianity, sailed west. Ended up in the Americas.

• John Cabot- Italian. Sailed on behalf of England. Arrived in New Foundland.

• Pedro Alvarez Cabral- Portuguese explorer who sailed to Brazil (1500)

Terms/People to Know

• Amerigo Vespucci- Italian. Explored South American coast and declared it a new continent. Mapmakers called both continents the “Americas.”

• Ferdinand Magellan- succeeded in encircling the entire globe.

Terms/People to Know

• Conquistadors- Spanish explorers who explored Central Mexico and conquered the Indian civilizations living there.

• Hernan Cortes- Spanish explorer. Captured Tenochtitlan; defeated the Aztecs.

• Moctezuma- Aztec ruler. Fought against Cortes. Originally invited Cortes into Tenochtitlan in an effort to intimidate.

Questions to Consider

• How did the spread of civilization begin in the Americas?

• How did the ice age lead to the migration of people to the Americas?

• What building style did the Mississippian culture take from Mexican culture?

Questions to Consider

• What were three common cultural characteristics shared by most Native Americans?

• How did Europeans begin to explore more of the world?

• What was the structure of European society during the 1400s?

Questions to Consider

• How did the Crusades help to expand Europe’s horizons?

• Why were the Portuguese venturing into the Atlantic Ocean?

• What was life like in West Africa before the age of European exploration?

Questions to Consider

• Why did West Africa become an important trade center?

• What role did landownership hold in West African culture?

• How did the Portuguese come into contact with West Africans?

• How did European exploration affect the Americas?

Questions to Consider

• Why was Spain eager to find a new route across the Atlantic?

• What was Columbus’s purpose in sailing west across the Atlantic?

• What role did disease play in the defeat of the native populations of the Americas?

• What was the Columbian Exchange?

The BIG Question

• How did the interaction of many cultures after 1492 affect the Americas?