Study Guide for The Americas

Transcription

1 Government Type Democratic Principals Rights and Responsibilities compared to US citizens Study Guide for The Americas How to study for your Assessments: START EARLY NOT THE NIGHT BEFORE THE TEST! Read through your Study Guide multiple times, then cover up part of it and see if you can say it back without looking. Read through the Study Guide some more and highlight the material that you can't say back. Read through the Study Guide some more, only looking at the highlighted parts. Use a different color highlighter to re-highlight the material you still don t know. Read through the Study Guide some more, only looking at the newly highlighted material. If there is material that you still don t know, use a 3 rd highlighter color to mark that stuff. When you read the Guide again, only look at that 3 rd color highlighted material. Keep going like this until you feel pretty confident that you know the material. Record yourself reading the material that you don t know well and listen to the playback while you do chores or are in the car. Draw little pictures of important ideas, or make up rhymes to help you remember. Have a family member quiz you over the material. Get with a friend and take turns asking each other test questions over the material. GOVERNMENT TARGETS I can compare the source of power in this government to other governments. The Maya set up city states. Within each city state, kings supplied the leadership and military force for great building projects. Leadership passed from one king to the next, and the city states often fought with each other. The rulers of Mayan city-states said they were descended from the sun. They claimed the right to rule as god-kings and expected every person to serve them. Service included building huge monuments to honor them. The Aztec were ruled by strong kings who claimed descent from the gods. The capital was Tenochtitlan. A council of warriors, priests, and nobles picked each king from the royal family. Council members usually chose the last king's son, but not always. They looked for a king who would bring glory to the Aztec. They expected a king to prove himself by leading troops into battle. Although Montezuma II became known as the leader who let the Spanish capture the Aztec Empire, most of his years as a ruler had been very successful. He led his armies in battle and won over 40 battles against kingdoms south of the Aztec Empire. His one major mistake was in his dealings with the Spanish conquistadors. The Inca Pachacuti and his son, Topa Inca, built the largest ancient empire in the Americas. Pachacuti set up a strong central government but let local rulers stay in power. To ensure their loyalty, he took their sons to the capital, Cuzco, for training. Pachacuti united the empire by requiring that people learn Quechua, the language spoken by the Inca. He also designed a system of roads that united the empire. North American Peoples did not form empires. Their local groups were generally ruled by chiefs and councils. I can describe how this government used democratic principles (justice, equality, responsibility, freedom). The Iroquois League: The Iroquois formed the league to end the fighting among themselves. The Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois League, was governed by the Iroquois Great Council. Each Iroquois nation sent leaders to the Great Council, where they agreed on political decisions through discussion and voting. Although these politicians were called "chiefs," they were actually elected officials, chosen by the clan mothers (or matriarchs) of each tribe. Each individual nation also had its own tribal council to make local decisions. This is similar to how American states each have their own government, but all are subject to the greater US government. In fact, the Iroquois League was one of the examples of representative democracy used as a model by America's founding fathers. They incorporated many of the democratic principles of the League into the Constitution itself. The six tribes had a common council and each tribe had one vote. They always tried to work out their differences and make decisions in complete agreement. These communities were fond of having meetings where issues were discussed and people voted. The Iroquois Nation was known for its democratic principles and its fair treatment of women at a time when women had few rights in the Western world. I can compare the rights and responsibilities of individuals in this culture to the rights and responsibilities of US citizens today. Maya: Women played a large role in the Mayan city states. In one Mayan carving, a woman wears a war headdress and rides atop a platform carried by soldiers. In the city state of Calakmul, at least two women served as all powerful queens. One of them may have helped to found the city. Iroquois Society: women assumed a position in Iroquois society roughly equal in power to that of the men. Women could hold property, divorce, and had a say in political decisions. The clans were matrilineal, that is, clan ties were traced through the mother's line. In the USA, the rights and responsibilities of citizens are similar for either gender. One exception is that male citizens aged are required to register for the military draft while female citizens are not. Aztec: The people of the Aztec empire had compulsory education for everyone, regardless of gender or class. In the end, people in the Aztec society were generally well educated, though boys received a wider education than girls. In the USA, education is also compulsory for all children, but gender is not a factor in the amount of education a child receives.

2 Elements of Culture Social Institutions influence on behavior Impact of Cultural Differences CULTURE TARGETS I can explain how cultural elements in this society helped define this group and give them unique perspectives. Beliefs Mayans - As god kings, Mayan rulers taught their subjects how to please the gods. One way was human sacrifice. The Maya believed that the gods gave their life giving fluid, rain, to keep humans strong. So humans kept the gods strong by giving their own life giving fluid, blood. Both queens and kings turned to Mayan priests for advice. The priests thought gods revealed their plans through movements of the sun, moon, and stars, so they studied the heavens closely. Aztecs the Aztecs also believed that human sacrifice and bloodletting were pleasing to the gods. They often went to war in order to gain captives to sacrifice. Customs/traditions Mayans - Scholars think that a Mayan ball game was more than a sport or contest. It had a religious and symbolic meaning as well as deadly results. The losing team was sacrificed to the gods in a ceremony after the game. Language Native Americans spoke hundreds of languages. A system of hand signals was developed to facilitate trade and communicate between different tribal groups and later between Native Americas and trappers and traders. The Mayan and Aztec languages were written in hieroglyphics. Symbols represented sounds, words, or ideas. Maya - The Maya also invented a written language to record numbers and dates. Inca had no written language. Quechua was the language spoken by the Inca. Skills Inca - To please their gods, the Inca built large works of stone. They had no system of writing, no wheels, and no iron tools. Yet they built places like Machu Picchu, a retreat for Incan kings. The Inca were skilled engineers. Workers fit stones so tightly together that a knife could not slip between them. Because the Inca used no mortar, the stone blocks could slide up and down without collapsing whenever an earthquake rocked the earth. Building large structures required the Inca to develop a way to do mathematical calculations. The Inca used a quipu, a rope with knotted cords of different lengths and colors. Each knot represented a number or item, which was also a way of keeping records. Arts The Maya, Aztec, and Inca cultures had artisans skilled in stone carving, pottery making, jewelry making, and feather work. The Native American cultures developed various art forms including basketry, weaving, pottery, beadwork, and wood carving. I can investigate how social institutions in this society responded to human needs, structured society, and influenced behavior. Social Classes Aztec - The king, or emperor, was at the top of Aztec society. The rest of the population fell into four classes: nobles, commoners, unskilled laborers, and enslaved people. Commoners formed the largest group, working as farmers, artisans, or traders. They could join the noble class by performing one act of bravery in war. They, or their children if the soldier died, received land and the rank of noble. Inca The king was at the top of society, followed by the head priest and commander of the armies, followed by regional army leaders. Below them were temple priests, army commanders, and skilled workers musicians, artisans, and accountants. The bottom level consisted of farmers, herders, and ordinary soldiers. The Inca further divided society into 12 job categories. Within these, every man, woman, and child over age five had work to do. Young girls, for example, were babysitters, while young boys chased birds from gardens. Religion The various cultures native to the Americas were polytheistic, worshipping many gods. Maya- The Maya believed that the gods controlled everything that happened on Earth. As a result, religion was at the core of Mayan life. A huge pyramid with a temple at the top towered over every city. Aztec The Aztec also honored the gods with huge pyramids. In the center of Tenochtitlán, the Great Temple rose 135 feet high and had more than 100 steps. Thousands of victims were sacrificed to the gods there. Inca - The Inca rarely honored their gods with human sacrifice. They turned to sacrifice only in times of trouble, such as during earthquakes, or on special occasions. Priests most often sacrificed children, whom they thought were more pure than adults. The Inca worshiped the sacrificed children as gods. I can explain how interactions between this society and others led to conflict, compromise, and cooperation. Conflict Spanish conquistadors (soldier-explorers) conquered many areas in the Americas in the name of Spain. The conquistadors fought for Gold (for the king and themselves), Glory (fame), and God (to force the natives to be Catholic). They were able to conquer using superior technology (guns, cannons, stronger metals) and the help of invisible allies germs that carried diseases, such as measles and smallpox. These diseases would eventually kill more natives than the Spanish swords. Aztec - In June 1521, the Spanish, led by Hernán Cortés and helped by native allies who resented the Aztecs, destroyed the Aztec capital and empire. Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of Spain. Cortés was part of the generation of Spanish colonizers that began the first phase of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Inca - Francisco Pizarro was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incas in Pizarro's conquest of Peru opened most of South America to Spanish rule. Spain controlled a vast territory covering 375,000 square miles with almost 7 million inhabitants. It was on its way to building the world's first global empire. Compromise/cooperation Maya - Royal Mayan women often married into royal families in distant Mayan city-states. This practice strengthened trade. It also helped form alliances political agreements between people or states to work together. Native Americans - In a few cases, Native Americans in the Woodlands set up confederations, or governments that link several groups. The most famous was the league formed by the Iroquois.

3 Scarcity: decisions about use of natural resources, human resources, & capital goods Supply & Demand How are goods & services exchanged Productivity increases from new knowledge, tools, & ECONOMICS TARGETS I can explain how scarcity required this civilization to make decisions about how to use productive resources. Native Americans had to use whatever natural resources the land had to offer. As a result, they developed many different cultures suited to where they lived. Scarcity of certain resources in their environments caused cultures to migrate, to trade, and to war with others who had the desired resources. Over time, scarcity of resources caused some cultures to die out altogether. Teotihuacán, the first planned city in the Americas, declined due to scarcity of one sort or another. Some experts say overpopulation drained the city of food and resources. Others blame a long drought, or period without rain. Still others say that the poor people rebelled against their rich rulers who were keeping most of the resources for themselves. I can explain how supply and demand functioned in this civilization. The Moche had reliable food supplies. This wealth of food freed the Moche to make and trade other things. Moche traders exchanged goods with people as far away as the rain forests of the Amazon River valley. These goods included pottery, cloth, and jewelry. The Olmec enjoyed rich farming resources, but other raw materials were scarce. They traded salt and beans with inland peoples to get jade for jewelry and obsidian, or volcanic glass, to make sharp-edged knives. They used other trade goods, such as hematite, a shiny volcanic stone, to make polished mirrors and basalt for carving gigantic stone heads. The Toltec - Toltec rulers tightly controlled trade. They held a monopoly, or sole right, to the trade in obsidian. As a result, the Toltec kept other people from making weapons to challenge them. The Aztec copied their ways. Aztec warriors then took control of the region's trade and built a huge empire. The Anasazi culture controlled the trade in turquoise. They used it like money, to buy goods from many different regions including Mesoamerica. I can describe how goods and services were exchanged by this civilization. The Olmec used their region s many rivers as highways for trade. The Maya used their central location in the Yucatán Peninsula to trade throughout Mesoamerica. Mayan traders in sea going canoes paddled along the coast, perhaps reaching as far as the present-day United States. The Aztec - Cortes reported that he found a large market system in place in the Aztec capital city, where 60,000 people came to trade goods. During the Aztec Empire, the distribution of goods was so widespread that many of the materials traded were mass-produced in villages. A long-trade exchange system was in place throughout the Aztec Empire, with professional traders carrying goods such as bird feathers, cacao beans and, most importantly, information. For currency they used gold jewelry, textiles, cacao beans, and beaten copper axes. The Inca had a widespread trade network supported by open markets and a system of roads throughout their empire. Llama caravans carried goods on these roads. I can give examples of ways this civilization was able to increase productivity through inventions and innovations. The Maya needed to know when to plant their crops. By watching the sky, the priests learned about astronomy. They developed a 365-day calendar to keep track of heavenly movements. They used it to predict eclipses and to schedule religious festivals, plantings, and harvests. To chart the passage of time, the Maya developed a system of mathematics. They invented a method of counting based on 20.

4 Relative Location Human Environment Interactions GEOGRAPHY TARGETS I can recognize where on the Earth this civilization was located. A number of civilizations developed in the Americas, including the Olmec, Maya, and Toltec in Central America and Mexico, and the Moche and Inca in South America. All were dependent on farming. In North America, the Anasazi farming civilization arose in the Southwest and the mound-building Adenas, Hopewells, and Mississippians in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. The Inuit settled the Arctic regions of present-day Canada and Alaska. I can describe how this society s human/environment interactions impacted human activities and the environment. Exploration - Western European kingdoms knew that money could be made if they could find a way to trade with the countries of East Asia without having to deal with the Muslim kingdoms in between. One by one, the people of Western Europe took to the sea to find a route to Asia. The voyages of Christopher Columbus, who sailed west to the Americas four times for Spain, inspired many poor nobles to go to America to seek their fortunes. Vasco Núñez de Balboa led a band of soldiers across the jungle covered mountains of present day Panama, looking for an empire filled with gold. Balboa found the sea, known today as the Pacific Ocean. Migration - By testing the age of bones and tools at ancient campsites, scientists estimate that the first people arrived in the Americas between 15,000 to 40,000 years ago during an Ice Age. As the ice froze and the seas fell, an area of dry land was exposed between Asia and Alaska. Scientists call this land bridge Beringia. They think that people in Asia followed the animals they were hunting across this land bridge into the Americas. Over thousands of years, prehistoric people migrated southward through the Americas in search of food. They fished and gathered nuts, fruits, or roots. They also hunted massive prey, such as the woolly mammoth, antelope, caribou, and bison. Settlement - Farming began in Mesoamerica 9,000 to 10,000 years ago. This region includes lands stretching from the Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica in Central America. The first crops grown in the Americas included pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourds, and beans. Corn, also known as maize, became the most important food in the Americas. Activities limited or promoted by environment - The Anasazi began building villages under overhanging cliffs around A.D Many scholars believe they settled in the cliffs for protection from the weather and from other groups. They did not rely only on rivers for irrigation. They collected water that ran off cliffs during heavy rains and channeled it to their fields. The Inuit built igloos, dome shaped homes, from blocks of ice and snow. They used dogsleds to travel on land and sealskin kayaks to travel by sea. Most peoples of the Far North hunted. The Pacific Northwest cultures used huge trees to build wooden houses, carve totem poles, and make huge oceangoing canoes. Fishing was their way of life. The Southwest peoples used irrigation canals to farm the dry land and sun-dried brick called adobe to build their apartment-like homes. The Great Plains people farmed in the fertile land along rivers and hunted the huge herds of buffalo that grazed on the grasslands. The Eastern Woodlands people combined farming with hunting and fishing. Human modifications of environment- The Moche dug canals that carried water from rivers in the Andes mountain ranges to their desert homeland. Because of this irrigation, the desert bloomed with crops. The Hohokam planted gardens on lands between the Salt and Gila Rivers in the Southwest. They dug more than 500 miles of canals to carry river waters to their fields. The Mississippians built earthen mounds. Their mounds were pyramid shaped but with flat tops. The base of the biggest one covered 16 acres, more than the base of the Great Pyramid of Egypt. The finished mound, known today as Monks Mound, rose more than 100 feet high. From the mound's summit, rulers gazed down at dozens of smaller mounds. The flat tops of the mounds held temples, homes for the rich, and burial places. The Inca used terraced farming on the mountainsides and created a transportation system of roads in their empire.

5 Biggest Impacts on the future and today s cultures HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TARGETS I can analyze how this civilization influenced or had lasting impacts on modern societies. Chocolate - The Aztec ruler Montezuma found chocolate more desirable than gold! He offered the bitter tasting drink made from the cacao bean to Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés. The explorer took the bean back to Europe after conquering the Aztec. After Europeans mixed it with milk and sugar, it became very popular among the rich. In the United States, people eat an average of 12 pounds of chocolate each year. Hawaii is the only state that grows cacao beans, but the United States has more than 1,000 companies that produce chocolate and cocoa products. Foods -Edible plants domesticated by Indians have become major staples in the diets of peoples all around the world. Such foods include corn (maize), manioc, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, squashes and pumpkins, tomatoes, papayas, avocados, pineapples, guavas, chili peppers, chocolate (cacao), and many species of beans. Native Americans helped the European settlers survive in the New World by sharing their farming methods with them. Non-edible plants - Other plants of great importance developed by Indians include cotton, rubber, and tobacco. Medicines - Indians discovered the medicinal use for quinine as a treatment for malaria. Also, Canadian Indians knew how to prevent scurvy by eating plants rich in vitamin C, and they passed this information along to the Europeans. Economy - Indian contributions to the modern world's economy have been enormous. In the 1500's, Indian labor produced the gold and other valuable metals that helped bring the Spanish Empire to the height of its power. In the following centuries, Indian labor in the North American fur trade contributed significantly to the wealth of England, France, the Netherlands, and Russia. In addition, for hundreds of years the agricultural economies of the Latin American nations have been based on Indian labor on plantations. Government - Indian governments in eastern North America, particularly the League of the Iroquois, served as models of federated representative democracy to the Europeans and the American colonists. The United States government is based on such a system, whereby power is distributed between a central authority (the federal government) and smaller political units (the states). In 1988, Congress adopted a resolution to acknowledge the contribution of the Iroquois Confederacy of Nations to the development of the United States Constitution. The original framers of the Constitution, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, are known to have greatly admired the concepts of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. The confederation of the original Thirteen Colonies into one republic was influenced by the Iroquois Confederacy as were many of the democratic principals which were incorporated into the Constitution itself.