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Session Length
~18 min
Adaptive Checks
16 questions
Transfer Probes
8
Explore the era of first contact between European explorers and the diverse indigenous civilizations of the Americas. This topic covers pre-Columbian societies, the motivations behind European exploration, the biological and cultural transformations of the Columbian Exchange, and the establishment of the first colonial footholds -- spanning from 1491 through the founding of Jamestown in 1607.
Aligned to AP US History Period 1.
One step at a time.
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The massive transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages. It transformed ecosystems, diets, and populations on both sides of the Atlantic.
Example: European diseases like smallpox devastated Native populations who had no immunity, while New World crops like potatoes and maize transformed European agriculture and fueled population growth.
The diverse civilizations that existed in the Americas before European contact, ranging from nomadic hunter-gatherers to complex agricultural empires with cities, writing systems, and trade networks.
Example: The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan had over 200,000 inhabitants and sophisticated engineering, while Pueblo peoples in the Southwest built multi-story adobe complexes and irrigation systems.
A Spanish colonial labor system in which colonists were granted control over indigenous peoples who were forced to provide labor and tribute in exchange for supposed protection and Christian instruction.
Example: Spanish conquistadors in the Caribbean and Mexico used the encomienda system to extract gold and agricultural labor from indigenous populations, contributing to massive population decline.
The dominant European economic theory holding that national wealth was measured by gold and silver reserves, and that colonies existed to enrich the mother country through favorable trade balances.
Example: England, Spain, and France established colonies partly to extract raw materials and precious metals, sending wealth back to Europe while restricting colonial trade with rival nations.
A business structure in which investors pooled capital to fund colonial ventures, sharing both the risks and potential profits. This model enabled expensive colonization without full government funding.
Example: The Virginia Company of London, a joint-stock company, funded the Jamestown settlement in 1607, attracting investors with the promise of gold and trade profits.
The ecological advantages Europeans gained through the Columbian Exchange, including domesticated animals (horses, cattle), crop transfers, and especially the devastating effect of Old World diseases on indigenous populations.
Example: Smallpox, measles, and influenza killed an estimated 90% of the Native American population within a century of contact, fundamentally altering the balance of power between colonizers and indigenous peoples.
A network of religious and colonial outposts established by Spain across the Americas to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity, extract labor, and extend territorial control.
Example: Spanish missions in California, Florida, and the Southwest combined religious conversion with forced agricultural labor, often disrupting indigenous cultural practices and social structures.
A papal agreement dividing the newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal along a meridian in the Atlantic, granting Spain most of the Americas and Portugal control of Brazil and routes to Asia.
Example: The treaty explains why Brazil speaks Portuguese while most of Latin America speaks Spanish, and why Spain dominated early American colonization.
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