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APUSH Unit 1 REVIEW (Period 1: 1491-1607)—Everything You NEED to Know
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APUSH Unit 1 REVIEW (Period 1: 1491-1607)—Everything You NEED to Know

Understanding Unit 1 of AP US History

Overview of the Video

  • This video is part of the AP US History Ultimate Review Pack, designed to help students excel in their class and exams. It includes note guides, practice exams, and multiple-choice questions for comprehensive preparation.

Native Societies Before European Arrival

  • The native societies in the Americas were diverse and shaped by their environments, contrary to the common perception of a monolithic group.
  • Different cultures existed: coastal natives built fishing villages, while others lived nomadic lifestyles or established large cities and empires.

Specific Native Groups

Pueblo People

  • Located in present-day Utah and Colorado, they were farmers who cultivated crops like beans, squash, and maize using advanced irrigation systems. They also constructed urban centers from clay bricks.

Great Basin & Plains Peoples

  • Nomadic hunter-gatherers inhabited these regions, organizing into small kinship bands (e.g., Ute people) without building permanent towns. They primarily hunted buffalo for sustenance.

Coastal Natives: Chumash & Chinook

  • The Chumash in California created sustainable villages with trade networks due to abundant resources; the Chinook built plank houses for extended families along the Pacific Northwest coast.

Iroquois Confederacy

  • In the Northeast, Iroquois were farmers living communally in longhouses made from timber available in their region; they developed complex societies similar to other groups mentioned earlier.

Cahokia Civilization

  • Located in the Mississippi River Valley, Cahokia was a significant civilization with a centralized government led by chieftains and a population ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 people engaged in trade due to fertile soil.

Impact of Environment on Native Societies

  • The diversity among native cultures was influenced by environmental factors leading them to develop distinct societies that utilized extensive trading networks across North America and into South America.

European Arrival Motivations

Maritime Innovations and the Age of Exploration

The Rise of Portuguese Maritime Power

  • The Portuguese established a trading post empire, significantly impacting the Indian Ocean trade network through new maritime technologies.
  • They utilized updated astronomical charts and the astrolabe for navigation, alongside experimenting with smaller, faster ship designs dedicated to trade.
  • Borrowed technologies like the Latin sail and stern post rudder enhanced their navigational accuracy.

Spain's Entry into Maritime Exploration

  • Following Portugal's success, Spain sought to expand its influence after completing the Reconquista against North African Muslim Moors.
  • Christopher Columbus approached Ferdinand and Isabella seeking sponsorship to find wealth in Asian markets by sailing westward.
  • Columbus set sail in 1492, ultimately landing in the Caribbean, which led to widespread tales of newfound wealth.

The Colombian Exchange: A Turning Point

  • Columbus's landing marked a significant historical turning point that initiated massive ecological changes known as the Colombian Exchange.
  • This exchange involved transferring people, animals, plants, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

Key Transfers During the Colombian Exchange

  • From the Americas to Europe: Potatoes, tomatoes, maize; Europeans were particularly impressed by maize.
  • From Europe to the Americas: Wheat, rice, soybeans; introduction of cattle, pigs, and horses occurred as well.

Impact on Populations

  • The transfer also included enslaved Africans brought to America; disease exchange was critical as smallpox devastated Native American populations due to lack of immunity.
  • While Europeans contracted syphilis from natives during their travels.

Economic Shifts in Europe Post-Colonization

  • Wealth influx from America shifted European economies from feudalism towards capitalism characterized by private ownership and free exchange.

Emergence of Joint Stock Companies

  • Joint stock companies emerged as a funding model for exploration where multiple investors shared risks and profits.

Spanish Colonization Strategies

  • Upon establishing themselves in America, Spaniards recognized agriculture as key for wealth rather than solely extracting precious metals.

The Impact of Spanish Colonization on Native Societies

Challenges Faced by the Spaniards

  • The Spaniards initially benefited from their system of subjugation but faced challenges in maintaining control over native populations, who found ways to escape enslavement.
  • A significant issue was the high mortality rate among natives due to smallpox, prompting the importation of African slaves as a solution since they were less likely to escape and had better immunity.

Social Hierarchy: The Casta System

  • As Spain expanded its influence in Central and South America, it established a social hierarchy known as the casta system, categorizing individuals based on racial ancestry.
  • At the top were peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain), followed by criollos (Spaniards born in the Americas), with mestizos (mixed Spanish and Native American heritage) and mulattos (mixed Spanish and African heritage) below them.

European-Native Relations

  • Europeans generally viewed Native Americans as inferior, exploiting them for labor and military alliances while also attempting to convert them to Christianity.
  • Despite conflicts, both groups adopted cultural practices from each other; for instance, natives taught English colonists agricultural techniques while adopting European tools.

Justifications for Exploitation

  • Europeans developed belief systems that rationalized their harsh treatment of natives. Many believed that Native Americans were inherently less than human, which justified their brutal treatment.
  • Figures like Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda argued against native humanity, while Bartolomé de las Casas advocated for their rights after experiencing life among them.

Religious Justifications for Slavery

  • The exploitation of African laborers was also justified through biblical interpretations. Europeans misread Genesis regarding Noah's son Ham to claim that black skin marked Africans as destined for slavery.
Playlists: APUSH Unit 1
Video description

Resources from Heimler's History: AP HEIMLER REVIEW GUIDE (formerly known as the Ultimate Review Packet): +APUSH Heimler Review Guide: https://bit.ly/44p4pRL +AP Essay CRAM Course (DBQ, LEQ, SAQ Help): https://bit.ly/3XuwaWN +Bundle Heimler Review Guide and Essay CRAM Course: https://bit.ly/46tjbZo HEIMLER’S HISTORY MERCH! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_bOoi0e3L3SJ1xx5TZWHPw/store Instagram: @heimlers_history For more videos on APUSH Unit 1, check out the playlist: https://bit.ly/31hw8EZ In this video Heimler walks you through all that you need to know to review for AP U.S. History (APUSH) Unit 1. This period covers the time period 1491-1607 and focuses on native America and initial contact with Europeans. Before the Europeans arrived, Native Americans had developed complex and diverse societies ranging from the coastal farming villages built by the Chinook, to the Mississippian farmers like the Cahokia, to the family-based kinship networks of the Iroquois, to the great city-based civilizations of the Maya and Incas. Each of these peoples traded with each other and borrowed, to some degree or another, technology, beliefs, and food (perhaps the most significant of which being maize). The first Europeans to arrive in the Americas were sponsored by the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, and led by Christopher Columbus. When they arrived, the Columbian Exchange kicked into high gear both benefitting and harming both the western and eastern hemispheres. The Spanish quickly established the encomienda system of forced labor and established a new social hierarchy enshrined in the Casta System, which organized colonists, natives, and enslaved Africans into a caste-like hierarchy for the purposes of taxation. If you have any questions, leave them below and Heimler shall answer forthwithly!