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CHAPTER 1
The Collision of Cultures in the 16th
Century
This period in history is significant because of the increasing interactions of European and Native
American cultures across the Atlantic Ocean. Before this period, there ias little recorded history about the
Americas. For this reason, historians depend on scientists and social scientists from other disciplines,
including archaeology, anthropology, biology, geology, and geography. This chapter covers the origins of
Native American civilization in the New World and its diversity, the major developments that led to
European exploration and colonization, the Spanish conquest and resultant impact of the Columbian
Exchange, the Spanish legacy in North America, and the arrival of other European colonizers.
CORE OBJECTIVES
1. Explain why there were so many diverse human societies in the Americas before Europeans
arrived.
2. Summarize the major developments in Europe that enabled the Age of Exploration.
3. Describe how the Spanish were able to conquer and colonize the Americas.
4. Assess the impact of the Columbian Exchange between the “Old” and “New” Worlds.
5. Analyze the legacy of the Spanish form of colonization on North American history.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
1. Early Cultures in the Americas
A. The Mayas, Incas, and Mexica
B. North American Civilizations before 1500
C. Eastern Woodland Peoples and European Contact
2. The Expansion of Europe
A. The Renaissance
B. The Rise of Global Trade
C. The Voyages of Columbus
i. Professional Explorers
D. Religious Conflict in Europe
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E. The Reformation in England
3. The Spanish Empire
A. A Clash of Cultures
B. Cortes’s Conquest
C. Spanish Invaders
D. Spanish America
4. The Columbian Exchange
5. Spanish Exploration in North America
A. The Spanish Southwest
B. Horses and the Great Plains
C. French and Dutch Exploration of America
D. The Defeat of the Armada
E. English Exploration of America
F. New Spain at Its Height
LECTURE IDEAS
1. How do you discover a place that is already inhabited? Use this question as a springboard for your
lecture, along with the idea that several people claimed to have discovered North America. Lecture on
early explorers and their travels to the Americas. Include as many civilizations as you like: the
Polynesians, Irish, Welsh, Chinese, Vikings, and so on. Discuss the number and types of ships, the
routes they took, and both their instruments and techniques for navigation. Include their goals and
motivations for exploring the area. Applicable resources include:
2. Ever wonder why the dominant language in most of Latin America is Spanish, except in Brazil, where
it is Portuguese? Delve deeper for understanding by lecturing on how European countries decided to
divide this new territory of the Americas. Specifically discuss the Treaty of Tordesillas. Pertinent
sources include:
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• “This Day In Geographic History—June 7, 1494”:
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/jun7/treaty-tordesillas/
The lecture could further be expanded and broadened to include the significant impact that European
countries had on Latin America. Begin by discussing the name of the region—because there were not
any people of Latin decent in the region before 1500, does this seem a bit peculiar? Follow with
descriptions of the religions and traditions. For example, one can look at Catholicism, the predominant
religion of the region today, which Europeans also brought to the Americas.
3. A lecture on pre-Columbian America is very appropriate. Give a general overview of the Western
Hemisphere, including the Inca, Maya, and Aztec cultures. Then focus in on the rest of North America,
especially the area that would later become the United States of America. Describe the wide variety of
cultures that existed, as well as the various philosophies concerning shared land, governance, and so
forth. Good sources would be:
4. Convey to your students the difficulty and danger of planting New World colonies by giving a lecture
on two of the more important failures: Vinland and Roanoke. David Beers Quinn’s North America
from Earliest Discovery to First Settlements: The Norse Voyages to1612 (1977) is excellent for both
efforts, as is Tony Horwitz’s more subjective A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings,
5. Write a lecture on the biological exchange, beginning with the European arrival in the New World, that
focuses on plants, animals, and diseases. For the groundbreaking studies of this subject, see Alfred
Crosby’s The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 (1972) and
Crosby’s Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900–1900 (2004). William
6. The beginnings of Spanish North America can be discussed by relating the amazing story of Cabeza de
Vaca, who, after his shipwreck on the coast of Texas, spent eight years in the wilderness. The primary
source for this is his own account, which is available in numerous editions and is invaluable for its
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IN-CLASS ACTIVITIES / FLIPPED CLASSROOM SUGGESTIONS
1. Discuss the Anasazi culture and their civilization. Elaborate on Chaco Canyon, an advanced city with
an intricate transportation network connecting the city to outlying villages and a sophisticated network
of agricultural irrigation canals supporting a population of around 15,000 people. The Anasazi people
abandoned this advanced city, and today, the Ruins of Chaco Canyon are on the San Juan River in
New Mexico. Divide your class into small groups and have them research the Anasazi culture and
Chaco Canyon. Have each group focus on one potential cause for the Anasazi exodus from Chaco
Canyon. Relevant sources include:
2. Why were European countries searching for a sea route to Asia when there was already an established
land route? Discuss Islam’s impact on trade routes from Europe to the East, and include the
significance of the Silk Road. Divide your class into small groups and have them research the diffusion
of Islam, the Crusades, and the impacts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia coming
under Muslim control. Have each group focus on one specific impact of Islam on European countries
for their project. Relevant sources include:
3. Divide students into groups and assign each group a European country that established colonies in the
Western Hemisphere (Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Russia, and so forth). Have
them research each country’s motivation, destination, and successes or failures. Each group can also
assess the long-term impact each country had on America. Use the following titles:
4. A discussion about Native American and European relations would be recommended after your lecture
on the European arrival in the Americas. This will allow you to establish a comparison of Native
American and European cultures and beliefs. Take your students on a journey. Have some of them
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the technological advances that facilitated trans-Atlantic travel. What were some of the
advances in navigation and ship design?
2. Many Europeans left parts of Europe because of a lack of various freedoms. Once in the Americas,
they soon began to import slaves from Africa. Was this choice hypocritical? Discuss the ethical and
moral results of this decision.
PRACTICING CITIZENSHIP
This chapter emphasizes the great success of Native Americans as farmers and the contribution their
crops made to the world once they were introduced to Europeans. Americans are becoming more and
more conscious today of the economic, environmental, and nutritional benefits of growing our own food.
To make a contribution in this area, see if your college has a learning garden. If so, volunteer to do some