APUSH Period 1 Study Compendium

1491–1607

This work starts off with the kind of high-quality notes that an exemplary APUSH student might produce in preparation for the Period 1 exam, with these notes representing a comprehensive amalgamation of the knowledge gained in class.

These notes, produced in collaboration with ChatGPT, align 100% with the CED’s Period 1 topic sequencing and related key concepts, and they close out with the following:

• Several SAQs, answers included.
• The P1 key concepts and need-to-know proper nouns
• The P1 key concepts and need-to-know common nouns and need-to-know compound nouns.

After providing my students with a link to this compendium, I also plan to provide them with a link to my Period 1 Slideshow, which also aligns 100% with the CED.

Then, I will project the slideshow onto a screen at the front of the room and teach each topic as I normally would, though after each topic, I will direct the students to read over the corresponding notes.

Then I will ask the following questions:

• Did the slideshow mention anything about the topic that wasn’t mentioned in the notes?
• Did the notes mention anything about the topic that wasn’t in the slideshow?
• Did you notice anything in the slideshow that you think isn’t true or correct?
• Did you notice anything in the notes that you think isn’t true or correct?

Then, prior to giving my students the Unit I Progress Checks, I plan to have the students work in groups to review each of the APUSH-style SAQs found towards the end of this post.

For each SAQ, the students will be called upon to decide whether the answer is correct and whether they think it should earn the “APUSH Exam SAQ Point.

My overriding goal here, with this P1 Study Compendium and with my P2-P9 Study Compendiums, is not just to prepare my students thoroughly for the May exam but to do so in a manner that enables me to reserve one full hour of class time at the end of every week for what I call ‘PBL Friday.’ I firmly believe that PBL is in the best interest of my APUSH students.”

TOPIC 1.2: Native American Societies Before European Contact

The spread of maize cultivation from present-day Mexico northward into the present-day American Southwest and beyond supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies.

Societies responded to the aridity of the Great Basin and the grasslands of the western Great Plains by developing largely mobile lifestyles.

In the Northeast, the Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard, some societies developed mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the development of permanent villages.

Societies in the Northwest and present-day California supported themselves by hunting and gathering, and in some areas developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the ocean.

Important River and Regions

Native American Tribes Prior to the Arrival of the Europeans

I. Introduction

• Prior to European contact, North America was home to a diverse array of Native American societies, each with their own cultures, economies, and ways of life.
• These societies were shaped by the natural resources and environments in which they lived and had complex social and economic systems that allowed them to thrive.

II. Maize Cultivation in the American Southwest and Beyond

• The spread of maize cultivation supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies in the American Southwest and beyond.
• For example, the Pueblo people of the American Southwest, such as the Hopi and Zuni, relied heavily on maize cultivation to support their societies. They established complex social and economic systems, including elaborate irrigation systems and multi-story buildings, such as the famous cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.
• The Chumash people of present-day California also relied on maize cultivation, along with fishing and hunting.

III. Mobile Lifestyles in the Great Basin and Western Great Plains

• The aridity of the Great Basin and the grasslands of the western Great Plains made it difficult for societies to rely on agriculture, so many developed largely mobile lifestyles, relying on hunting, gathering, and fishing to support themselves.
• The Sioux people of the Great Plains were one such society, following the herds of buffalo for sustenance. Sioux societies were organized into bands and had complex social structures, such as the warrior societies, which were responsible for protecting the community.
• Similarly, the Great Basin tribes, such as the Shoshone and Paiute, were mobile and relied on hunting, gathering, and fishing.

IV. Mixed Agricultural and Hunter-Gatherer Economies in the Northeast, Mississippi River Valley, and Atlantic Seaboard

• In contrast to the Great Basin and western Great Plains, some societies in the Northeast, Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard developed mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the development of permanent villages.
• For example, the Wampanoag people of present-day Massachusetts had a mixed economy of agriculture, hunting, and fishing, and established permanent villages. They were organized into sachemships, or chiefdoms, and had a complex social structure that included the use of wampum as a form of currency and trade.
• Similarly, the Cherokee people of the southeastern United States had a mixed economy of agriculture, hunting, and gathering. They were organized into towns, each with its own government and council, and had a rich cultural heritage, including a written language. The Iroquois Confederacy, a powerful alliance of Native American tribes in the Northeast, developed the Three Sisters planting technique, which involved growing maize, beans, and squash together.

V. Hunting and Gathering in the Northwest and Present-Day California

• In the Northwest and present-day California, societies supported themselves by hunting and gathering, and in some areas, they developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the ocean.
• For example, the Chinook people of the Pacific Northwest relied on the vast resources of the ocean, including salmon and shellfish. They were organized into complex chiefdoms and had a highly stratified social structure.
• Similarly, the Chumash people of present-day California relied on fishing, hunting, and gathering and had a sophisticated maritime culture, including the use of tomols (canoes) for transportation and trade.

VI. Conclusion

• Native American societies before European contact were diverse and adapted to their environments in unique ways. They developed complex social and economic systems that allowed them to thrive, shaping the cultural landscape of North America. The specific tribes mentioned, such as the Wampanoag, Cherokee, Sioux, Chumash, and Chin

TOPIC 1.3: European Exploration in the Americas

European nations’ efforts to explore and conquer the New World stemmed from a search for new sources of wealth, economic and military competition, and a desire to spread Christianity

I. Introduction

• In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, European nations began to explore and conquer the New World, which is now known as the Americas.
• These efforts were driven by a number of factors, including a search for new sources of wealth, economic and military competition, and a desire to spread Christianity.

II. Search for Wealth

• European nations were motivated to explore the New World in order to find new sources of wealth.
• They hoped to find gold, silver, and other valuable resources that could be used to enrich their own economies and strengthen their political power.
• For example, Spanish conquistadors were motivated by a desire to find gold in the Americas, which led them to conquer the Aztec and Inca empires.

III. Economic and Military Competition

• European nations were also motivated by economic and military competition with each other.
• They sought to establish colonies in the New World in order to gain access to new markets for their goods and to control important trade routes.
• They also hoped to establish military bases in the New World that could be used to project their power and influence.
• For example, the English established colonies in North America in order to gain access to the valuable fur trade and to challenge the power of the Spanish in the region.

IV. Desire to Spread Christianity

• Many European nations were motivated by a desire to spread Christianity to the New World.
• They saw the Americas as a new frontier for the expansion of the Christian faith, and they hoped to convert the Native American populations to Christianity.
• This religious motivation played a significant role in the Spanish conquest of the Americas, as the Spanish sought to convert the Native American populations they conquered.

V. Conclusion

• European exploration and conquest of the New World was driven by a complex set of motivations, including a search for wealth, economic and military competition, and a desire to spread Christianity.
• These motivations led European nations to establish colonies and conquer Native American societies in the Americas, fundamentally altering the course of history in the region.

TOPIC 1.4: Columbian Exchange and Spanish Exploration/Conquest

The Columbian Exchange brought new crops to Europe from the Americas, stimulating European population growth, and new sources of mineral wealth, which facilitated the European shift from feudalism to capitalism.

Improvements in maritime technology and more organized methods for conducting international trade, such as joint-stock companies, helped drive changes to economies in Europe and the Americas.

Spanish exploration and conquest of the Americas were accompanied and furthered by widespread deadly epidemics that devastated native populations and by the introduction of crops and animals not found in the Americas.

The Columbian Exchange

I. Introduction

• The Columbian Exchange refers to the transfer of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between Europe and the Americas that occurred following Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the New World in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.
• This exchange had profound and far-reaching effects on both Europe and the Americas, shaping the course of history in both regions.

II. New Crops and Mineral Wealth

• One of the most significant effects of the Columbian Exchange was the introduction of new crops from the Americas to Europe, such as maize, potatoes, and tomatoes.
• These new crops had a profound impact on European population growth, as they provided a more reliable source of food and nutrition than traditional European crops.
• The Columbian Exchange also brought new sources of mineral wealth to Europe, such as gold and silver from the mines of the New World. This facilitated the European shift from feudalism to capitalism, as the influx of wealth fueled economic growth and stimulated the development of new industries.

III. Improvements in Maritime Technology and International Trade

• The Columbian Exchange was made possible by improvements in maritime technology, such as the development of the caravel ship and the invention of the magnetic compass.

• These advances allowed European explorers to travel longer distances and more accurately navigate the oceans, opening up new opportunities for trade and exploration.
• Additionally, more organized methods for conducting international trade, such as joint-stock companies, helped drive changes to economies in Europe and the Americas, as they facilitated the pooling of resources and the sharing of risks and profits.

IV. Spanish Exploration and Conquest

• Spanish exploration and conquest of the Americas were accompanied and furthered by widespread deadly epidemics (smallpox) that devastated native populations.
• The introduction of crops and animals not found in the Americas also had a profound impact on Native American societies, fundamentally altering their ways of life.
• Spanish conquest was driven by a complex set of motivations, including a desire for wealth, religious conversion, and political power, and it had a profound and lasting impact on both Spanish and Native American societies.

V. Conclusion

• The Columbian Exchange and Spanish exploration/conquest were pivotal events in the history of both Europe and the Americas, shaping the course of global history and laying the foundations for the modern world.
• The exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between the two regions had profound and far-reaching effects that continue to be felt today.

TOPIC 1.5: Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

In the encomienda system, Spanish colonial economies marshaled Native American labor to support plantation-based agriculture and extract precious metals and other resources.

European traders partnered with some West African groups who practiced slavery to forcibly extract slave labor for the Americas.

The Spanish developed a caste system that incorporated, and carefully defined the status of, the diverse population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire.

The Spamish Caste System

I. Introduction

• The Spanish colonial system in the Americas was built on the exploitation of labor and resources, and this system was supported by a complex set of social and economic structures.
• The encomienda system, slavery, and the caste system were all important components of the Spanish colonial system, shaping the course of history in the Americas.

II. Encomienda System

• The encomienda system was a system of land grants and forced labor used by the Spanish colonial economy to extract resources from the Americas.
• Under this system, Native American labor was marshaled to support plantation-based agriculture and extract precious metals and other resources.
• The encomienda system was highly exploitative and led to widespread abuse and mistreatment of Native American laborers.

III. Transatlantic Slave Trade

• European traders partnered with some West African groups who practiced slavery to forcibly extract slave labor for the Americas.
• The transatlantic slave trade had a profound and lasting impact on the demographics and economies of the Americas, leading to the forced migration of millions of Africans to the New World.

IV. Caste System

• The Spanish developed a caste system that incorporated and carefully defined the status of the diverse population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire.
• This caste system was highly stratified and hierarchical, with Europeans at the top, followed by creoles (people of European descent born in the Americas), mestizos (people of mixed European and Native American descent), mulattos (people of mixed European and African descent), and Native Americans and Africans at the bottom.
• This caste system was designed to maintain social order and control, and it had a lasting impact on the social and economic structures of the Americas.

V. Conclusion

• The encomienda system, slavery, and the caste system were all important components of the Spanish colonial system in the Americas.
• These systems were characterized by exploitation and abuse of labor and resources, and they had profound and far-reaching effects on the demographics, economies, and social structures of the Americas.

TOPIC 1.6: Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

In their interactions, Europeans and Native Americans asserted divergent worldviews regarding issues such as religion, gender roles, family, land use, and power

Mutual misunderstandings between Europeans and Native Americans often defined the early years of interaction and trade as each group sought to make sense of the other. Over time, Europeans and Native Americans adopted some useful aspects of each other’s culture.

As European encroachments on Native Americans’ lands and demands on their labor increased, native peoples sought to defend and maintain their political sovereignty, economic prosperity, religious beliefs, and concepts of gender relations through diplomatic negotiations and military resistance

Extended contact with Native Americans and Africans fostered a debate among European religious and political leaders about how non-Europeans should be treated, as well as evolving religious, cultural, and racial justifications for the subjugation of Africans and Native Americans.

Introduction

• The encounter between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans in the Americas was characterized by a complex set of cultural interactions that shaped the course of history in the region.
• These interactions were defined by divergent worldviews and mutual misunderstandings, as well as evolving religious, cultural, and racial justifications for the subjugation of Africans and Native Americans.

II. Divergent Worldviews

• In their interactions, Europeans and Native Americans asserted divergent worldviews regarding issues such as religion, gender roles, family, land use, and power.
• Europeans often saw Native Americans as savage and uncivilized, while Native Americans viewed Europeans as greedy and disrespectful of the natural world.
• These differences in worldview often led to misunderstandings and conflict between the two groups.

III. Adoption of Useful Aspects of Culture

• Despite these differences, over time, Europeans and Native Americans adopted some useful aspects of each other’s culture.
• For example, Europeans learned from Native Americans about the use of certain crops, such as maize and tobacco, and Native Americans adopted certain European technologies, such as firearms and metal tools.
• Similarly, Africans brought with them their own cultural traditions and practices that influenced the development of African American culture in the Americas.

IV. Defense of Political Sovereignty

• As European encroachments on Native Americans’ lands and demands on their labor increased, native peoples sought to defend and maintain their political sovereignty, economic prosperity, religious beliefs, and concepts of gender relations through diplomatic negotiations and military resistance.
• Native American leaders, such as Powhatan, Tecumseh, and Pontiac, led efforts to resist European encroachment and maintain their cultural autonomy.

V. Debate on Treatment of Non-Europeans

• Extended contact with Native Americans and Africans fostered a debate among European religious and political leaders about how non-Europeans should be treated.
• Some argued for the protection of Native American and African rights, while others argued for their subjugation and exploitation.
• Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish priest and historian, was a vocal advocate for Native American rights, while Bartholomew Diaz, a Portuguese explorer, believed in the superiority of European culture and saw the subjugation of non-Europeans as justified.

VI. Conclusion

• Cultural interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans were complex and shaped by divergent worldviews, misunderstandings, and evolving cultural and religious beliefs.
• These interactions had profound and lasting effects on the course of history in the Americas, shaping the development of cultures, economies, and political systems in the region.

Period 1 SAQs

These SAQs were produced by ChatGPT using a prompt that said, “The questions must flow logically from the key concepts, begin with the phrase “Briefly explain (or describe) ONE. . . “, and then include one of the following words: similarity, difference, perspective, impact, cause, reason, outcome, factor, way, effect, situation, event, etc.

1. Briefly explain ONE specific historical similarity between the encomienda system and the transatlantic slave trade.
2. Briefly explain ONE historical perspective on introducing Christianity to Native American societies.
3. Briefly explain ONE specific historical impact of the encomienda system on Native American laborers.
4. Briefly explain ONE impact of the Columbian Exchange on European population growth.
5. Briefly explain ONE specific historical impact of Spanish exploration and conquest on Native American societies.
6. Briefly explain ONE way in which the Spanish caste system impacted social and economic structures in the Spanish colonial system.
7. Briefly explain ONE specific historical outcome of the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
8. Briefly explain how ONE specific historical factor contributed to the development of the transatlantic slave trade.
9. Briefly explain ONE specific historical effect of the introduction of European diseases to Native American societies.
10. Briefly explain ONE specific historical difference between the agricultural practices of Native American societies in the Southwest and those of Native American societies in the Northeast.

Period 1 SAQs / Question and Answers

1. Briefly describe ONE specific historical similarity between the encomienda system and the transatlantic slave trade.
   ANSWER: Both the encomienda system and the transatlantic slave trade relied on coerced labor to extract resources for European economies. For example, in the encomienda system, Native Americans were forced to work in mines or on plantations to extract gold and silver for the Spanish crown.
2. Briefly explain ONE historical perspective on introducing Christianity to Native American societies.
   ANSWER: Some Native Americans saw the adoption of Christianity as a way to gain access to European resources and technology, while others saw it as a threat to their traditional religious beliefs and practices.
3. Briefly explain how the Columbian Exchange impacted European population growth.
   ANSWER: The introduction of new crops from the Americas, such as maize and potatoes, led to increased food production and improved nutrition, which in turn stimulated European population growth. For example, the adoption of potatoes in Ireland in the 17th century helped sustain a rapidly growing population.
4. Briefly explain ONE specific historical impact of Spanish exploration and conquest on Native American societies.
   ANSWER: The introduction of European animals, such as horses and cattle, fundamentally altered Native American hunting and agricultural practices and contributed to social and cultural changes. For example, the introduction of horses to the Plains Indians in the 18th century allowed them to more easily hunt buffalo and engage in intertribal warfare.
5. Briefly explain how the caste system impacted social and economic structures in the Spanish colonial system.
   ANSWER: The caste system was highly hierarchical and stratified, with Europeans at the top and Native Americans and Africans at the bottom, which limited social and economic opportunities and mobility for those at the lower end of the system. For example, individuals of mixed-race ancestry, known as mestizos, were often denied access to education and other opportunities available to those of European descent.
6. Briefly explain ONE specific historical outcome of the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
   ANSWER: The Spanish conquest led to the widespread adoption of Christianity and the Spanish language in many parts of the Americas.
7. Briefly explain how ONE specific historical factor contributed to the development of the transatlantic slave trade.
   ANSWER: The demand for labor in European colonies in the Americas, particularly in plantation agriculture, drove the demand for African slave labor.
8. Briefly explain ONE specific historical effect of the introduction of European diseases to Native American societies.
   ANSWER: The introduction of European diseases caused widespread population decline and social disruption in Native American societies.
9. Briefly explain ONE specific historical difference between the agricultural practices of Native American societies in the Southwest and those of Native American societies in the Northeast.
   ANSWER: Native American societies in the Southwest developed advanced irrigation systems to support agriculture in arid environments, while those in the Northeast relied on a mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economy. For example, the Hohokam civilization in present-day Arizona developed a sophisticated canal system to irrigate crops in the desert.
10. Briefly explain ONE specific historical impact of the encomienda system on Native American laborers.
    ANSWER: The encomienda system led to widespread abuse and mistreatment of Native American laborers, and contributed to population decline in some areas.
11. Europeans & Native Americans adopted some useful aspects of each other’s culture.

Sidenote #1 — More SAQs

Topic 1.2 — Native American Societies Before European Contact: (These SAQs relate to those who had migrated and settled across the vast expanse of North America prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492.)

Topic 1.3 — European Exploration in the Americas: (These SAQs relate to a period of time beginning with Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World.)

Topic 1.4 — The Columbian Exchange: (These SAQs relate to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, the Old World, and West Africa following the voyage to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.)

Topic 1.5 — Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System: (These SAQs relate to the Spanish treatment of and attitude toward those who lived in North America in the years after the arrival of Columbus but who were not born in Spain.)

Topic 1.6 — Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans: (These SAQs relate to the effect that Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans had on each other after the arrival of Columbus.)
________

Questions relating to the all-important topics appearing below have been worked into one or more of the posts appearing above:

• Topic 1.1 — Contextualizing
• Topic 1.7 — Causation

All SAQs found here have been produced by a team of APUSH teachers. They are not official CB-created exam questions. While CB/AP cannot endorse this work, it “appreciates the enthusiasm and effort to create and share resources that students and teachers in the AP community may find helpful.”

TOPIC 1.2: Native American Societies Before European Contact

• The spread of maize cultivation from present day Mexico northward into the present-day American Southwest and beyond supported economic development, settlement, advanced irrigation, and social diversification among societies.
• Societies responded to the aridity of the Great Basin and the grasslands of the western Great Plains by developing largely mobile lifestyles.
• In the Northeast, the Mississippi River Valley, and along the Atlantic seaboard, some societies developed mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies that favored the development of permanent villages.
• Societies in the Northwest and present-day California supported themselves by hunting and gathering, and in some areas developed settled communities supported by the vast resources of the ocean.

TOPIC 1.3 European Exploration in the Americas

• European nations’ efforts to explore and conquer the New World stemmed from a search for new sources of wealth, economic and military competition, and a desire to spread Christianity.

TOPIC 1.4 Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest

• The Columbian Exchange brought new crops to Europe from the Americas, stimulating European population growth, and new sources of mineral wealth, which facilitated the European shift from feudalism to capitalism.
• Improvements in maritime technology and more organized methods for conducting international trade, such as joint-stock companies, helped drive changes to economies in Europe and the Americas.
• Spanish exploration and conquest of the Americas were accompanied and furthered by widespread deadly epidemics that devastated native populations and by the introduction of crops and animals not found in the Americas.

TOPIC 1.5 Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

• In the encomienda system, Spanish colonial economies marshaled Native American labor to support plantation-based agriculture and extract precious metals and other resources.
• European traders partnered with some West African groups who practiced slavery to forcibly extract enslaved laborers for the Americas. The Spanish imported enslaved Africans to labor in plantation agriculture and mining
• The Spanish developed a caste system that incorporated, and carefully defined the status of, the diverse population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire.

TOPIC 1.6 Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

• In their interactions, Europeans and Native Americans asserted divergent worldviews regarding issues such as religion, gender roles, family, land use, and power.
• A Mutual misunderstandings between Europeans and Native Americans often defined the early years of interaction and trade as each group sought to make sense of the other. Over time, Europeans and Native Americans adopted some useful aspects of each other’s culture.
• As European encroachments on Native Americans’ lands and demands on their labor increased, native peoples sought to defend and maintain their political sovereignty, economic prosperity, religious beliefs, and concepts of gender relations through diplomatic negotiations and military resistance. Required Course Content

Expressly Mentioned Proper Nouns

1. Americas
2. American Southwest
3. Atlantic seaboard
4. California
5. Christianity
6. Columbian Exchange
7. European
8. Europe
9. Great Basin
10. Great Plains
11. Mexico
12. Mississippi River Valley
13. Native American
14. New World
15. Northeast
16. Northwest
17. Spanish
18. West African
19. capitalism
20. encomienda system
21. feudalism