Mrs. Henson ~ 8th Grade

Unit 1: Roots of American History
This is a review of the main topics from Unit 1: Roots of American History. You should use it to help you study all of the material we have covered throughout these first 4 chapters of your textbook. The information in this review has been transferred from a PowerPoint presentation and will likely have some “glitches”. Please keep this in mind as you try to follow along.
Geography, History, & the Social Sciences
Five themes of Geography ~
1. location (exact & relative)
2. place
3. interaction (b/t people & environment)
4. movement
5. regions
Population Trends (pg. 7)
For example: By 2000, more than half of the largest cities were located in the Southwest.
Rivers and lakes (pg. 14-15)
For example: They contribute to the economy of the Central Plains by providing a means of transport for barge freight.
10 major climates of the United States (pgs. 16-17)
1. Marine 6. Humid Continental
2. Mediterranean 7. Humid Subtropical
3. Highland 8. Tropical
4. Desert 9. Tundra
5. Steppe 10. Subarctic
9 physical regions of the United States (pgs. 12-14)
1. Pacific Coast 6. Coastal Plains
2. Intermountain 7. Ozark Highlands
3. Rocky Mountains 8. Canadian Shield
4. Interior Plains 9. Hawaii
5. Appalachian
Mountains
Using Historical Evidence
~ Primary & Secondary Sources
~ Evaluating Evidence
➢ Authenticity and Bias
~ Interpreting Evidence
➢ New sources and ideas may change the interpretation of events.
 Three Economic Questions
1. What goods and services should we produce?
2. How should we produce them?
3. For whom should we produce them?
 Free Enterprise System
1. government has limited involvement
2. consumers make economic choices
Before the First Global Age
Most historians believe that people first reached the Americas by crossing a land bridge from Asia.
Early American Civilizations
Olmec ~ developed calendar and could predict the change of seasons
Mayas ~ developed a system of numbers which included the concept of zero
Aztecs ~ worshiped the “sun god”
Incas ~ built a complex system of roads and rope bridges that united its empire
Native American Cultures
~ Deep Respect for Nature: The Native American People felt a close bond to plants, animals, and the forces of nature.
~ Some differences between various Native American cultures, but were most similar in basic religious beliefs.
Jewish and Christian Traditions
~ Roots of Christianity are in the Jewish traditions.
~ Ten Commandments were derived from the Jewish traditions.
Exploration and Colonization
Study the exploration voyages on page 67
“European Voyages of Exploration”
Dias
Da Gama
Columbus
Magellan
Christopher Columbus
~ voyages led to trade between Eastern & Western Hemispheres (Columbian Exchange)
~ although he did not go around the world his voyages marked a turning point in world history
Ferdinand Magellan
~ voyages established a route to Asia that Columbus attempted to find
~ his voyage around the tip of South America provided a lot of new information for more accurate maps
New Spain
Spanish borderlands:
~ located from present-day Florida to present-day California
Spanish conquistadors:
~ conquered the Aztecs more easily because many Aztecs died from European diseases
~ conquered the Incas more easily because the Incas were weak from fighting among themselves
New Spain Order of Society:
Peninsulares
Creoles
Mestizos
Indians
Jamestown
~ settlers arrived in the spring of 1607 and by the summer of 1608 the colony was near failure
~ reasons for near failure:
➢ starvation (planned mostly for searching for gold)
➢ Disease (spread by mosquitoes)
➢ conflicts with Native Americans
Population in Jamestown changed drastically in 1619 as a result of women and Africans arriving in greater numbers.
The Virginia House of Burgesses had historical significance because it began a tradition of representative government in the English colonies.
Pilgrims
~ came to Americas for freedom from religious persecution
~ signers of the Mayflower Compact agreed to make and obey laws for the good of the colony
~ were able to survive early hardships largely because of the help they received from the Native Americans.
The Thirteen English Colonies
The New England Colonies
~ Why were Massachusetts, Connecticut, & Rhode Island settled and by whom?
~ The purpose of New England town meetings was to discuss important community issues.
~ Conflict with Native Americans led to fighting with Wampanoags, led by Metacom.
The Middle Colonies
~ The Duke of York decided that New York was too large to govern, so he gave some of the land to his friends which became New Jersey.
~ William Penn was a Quaker who founded Pennsylvania as a model of religious freedom and peace.
The Southern Colonies
~ Catholics (Calvert family/Lord Baltimore) settled the colony of Maryland to escape persecution in England.
~ North Carolina was largely made up of poor tobacco farmers.
~ South Carolina was set up by 8 English nobles.
The Southern Colonies
(cont.)
As a direct result of the Southern Colonies’ reliance on slave labor in the 1700s,
the number of enslaved Africans
dramatically increased.
The Great Awakening
A religious movement that helped spread democratic feelings in the colonies
The Enlightenment
A movement that emphasized the use of reason. Many colonists began to read about and discuss new ideas as a result of this movement.

I. The New England Colonies
1. Explain why the Puritans left England.
2. Where did they settle and what were their plans about what to base their society on?
3. Who was Thomas Hooker and what did he do?
4. Who was Roger Williams and what did he do?
5. Who was Ann Hutchinson and what did she do?
6. Explain the feuding between the Puritans and the Native Americans.
7. Who was Metacom?
8. Describe the life in New England Towns and Villages including the following:
Religion & Family
Government
Economy

II. The Middle Colonies
1. Why did New Netherlands become New York?
2. Why did New Jersey separate from New York?
3. Describe the founding of Pennsylvania, including:
Who was William Penn?
How did William Penn get the land for Pennsylvania?
4. Describe the Quakers lifestyle and beliefs and how they affected the Pennsylvania colony.
5. How did the geography in the middle colonies influence the economy in that area?
6. Why did counties become the centers of local government?
7. Describe the backcountry of the middle colonies.

III. The Southern Colonies
1. What religion was Lord Baltimore?
2. Describe the settlement of the Maryland colony.
3. What was the Act of Toleration and why was it passed?
4. What was Bacon’s Rebellion?
5. Who was North Carolina mostly populated with?
6. Who set up the South Carolina colony?
7. What was the first obstacle to growing crops, particularly rice, in the Carolinas and what was the solution?
8. Who was the group of people for which Georgia was established?
9. Describe the Tidewater Plantations.
10. Describe the Backcountry South.
11.Why was there a drastic increase in slavery in the early 1700’s?
12. Describe the slavery in Africa, The Middle Passage and the rights of slaves in the colonies.

IV. Roots of Self-Government
1. Why were the Navigation Acts passed?
2. Which two groups of people had the least freedom in the English colonies?
3. Describe the limits on the liberties of women in the English colonies.
4. Who had the right to vote in the English colonies.

V. Life in the Colonies
1. What was the difference between indentured servants and slaves?
2. Describe the education system in New England.
3. How did Enlightenment affect the English colonies in the 1700’s?
4. Why is Benjamin Franklin a good example of the Enlightenment spirit?

ALL Key Terms - Plus:
drought
Artifact
Archaeology
Igloo
Hieroglyphics
Hogan
Kiva
Tepee
aqueducts

~ A land bridge once joined Siberia, in Asia, to Alaska, in North America.
~ The Hopewells and the Mississippians were Mound Builder groups.
~ The Mississippians built a large city at Cahokia in present day Illinois.
~ The Hohokams and the Anasazis lived in the Southwest.
~ The Anasazi built dwellings on cliff walls to protect themselves from attack.
~ Anasazis were forced to abandon their villages because of a drought.
~ Vikings were seafaring people from Scandinavia.
~ Present-day Newfoundland is where Vinland was located.
~ Tainos were the first Native Americans that Columbus encountered.
~ Europeans introduced domestic animals such as chickens and horses to the Americas.

People ~ Location ~ Way of Life

1. Inuits ~ Arctic ~ Hunting. Fishing

2. Kwakiutl ~ Northwest Coast ~ Fishing

3. Ute, Shoshone ~ Great Basin ~ Hunting, gathering roots

4. Pueblo ~ Southwest ~ Farming

5. Apaches, Navajos ~ Southwest ~ Hunting

6. Blackfeet ~ Great Plains ~ Hunting, Farming

7. Natchez ~ Southeast ~ Hunting, Fishing, Farming

8. Iroquois ~ Eastern Woodlands ~ Hunting, Farming

Mayas:
1. Built cities in southern Mexico & Central America
2. Accurate 365-day calendar and number system
3. Abandoned their cities around the year 850

Incas:
1. Used runners to carry messages from place to place
2. Ruled more than 10 million people in coastal deserts, lowland jungles & high mountains
3. Developed many medicines & performed brain surgery successfully
4. Created more than 19,000 miles of roads

Aztecs:
1. Used human sacrifices to please their gods
2. Built their capital on an island in Lake Texcoco

There will be at least two BONUS questions that will come directly from pages 62 & 63.