The Meeting of Cultures
Chapter 1 HW Assignment
APUSH - Spiconardi
Text: American History: A Survey, Twelfth Ed., Alan Brinkley, Chapter 1 (pg. 2 – 31)
Introduction: Before European explorers arrived in the Americas, Native
Americans had developed their own forms of social organizations that differed
from one another in their levels of achievement. Europeans, concerned first
with exploiting the New World and its peoples, regarded the natives as
savages and set out to destroy their societies and replace them with a
variation of European culture. The biological disaster brought on by smallpox
and other diseases made it easier for the Europeans to conquer the tribes and
civilizations, and to impose on the Native Americans a number of different
colonial systems. To help make up for the Native Americans’ labor lost through
wars and epidemics, Europeans brought in African slaves, who added to the
cultural diversity of America. Conflicts in the Old World spilled over into the
new as different nations got into the race for colonies, and the many
connections between events in the Americas and the rest of the world became
apparent. By the end of the sixteenth century, the age of discovery was all but
over, and the great era of colonization, especially English colonization, was
about to begin.
Directions: Read the assigned chapter. Engage the text and take notes. You may outline the chapter, use
Cornell style notes, or SQ3R. You are responsible for all of the content in the chapter. The objectives listed
below are guidelines to assist in your note-taking. You must also answer the questions below. These
questions are to be submitted on the due date. Preferably type your responses in a standard 12 point font with
the appropriate heading.
Objectives: Students should be able to explain
1. The history of the Native Americans before the arrival of Columbus.
2. What the New World was like at the time of Christopher Columbus.
3. The ways in which the peoples of the New and Old Worlds affected each other when their societies
came in contact in the late fifteenth century.
4. The changes taking place in Western Europe that resulted in widespread interest in colonization and
the connections between what was happening in the Americas and what was happening in the rest of
the world.
5. The colonial policies of each nation involved and the effect each had on the future of the Americas.
6. The reasons for the rivalry between Spain and England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,
and the impact of that rivalry on international affairs.
7. The African culture from which slaves were taken and the early development of slavery.
8. The role of religion in European efforts to colonize the New World.
Questions:
1. How did the geographic distribution and subsistence patterns of Native Americans influence their
cultural development?
2. Why did Europeans begin to look westward just prior to the 16th century? What conditions existed in
Europe that helped to promote the exploration and settlement of America?
3. Why did intermarriage between the Spaniards and Native Americans become increasingly frequent? If
you were a native woman, would you have married a Spaniard given the choice?
4. What role did sugar play in the increased use of slave labor?
5. Mercantilists believe that a person or nation can only grow at the expense of another person or nation.
To what extent do you agree with that statement? Provide evidence to support your stance.
Due Date: Friday, September 12, 2014
The Meeting of Cultures
Chapter 1 HW Assignment
APUSH - Spiconardi
6. How did the social, economic, and political issues in England lead to its colonization of North America?
Due Date: Friday, September 12, 2014