Native American Societies BEFORE 1492 [APUSH Unit 1 Topic 2] 1.2

Summary

In this video from Heimler's History, the focus is on Native American societies before the arrival of Europeans in 1492, covering the diverse cultures that existed across the American continents. The Aztecs, Maya, and Inca civilizations in Central and South America are highlighted for their complex societies and achievements. The video then moves to North America, exploring the diversity among Native peoples, including the Pueblo, Ute, Chinook, Chumash, Hopewell, Cahokia, and Iroquois. Each group is recognized for their unique adaptations to their environment and contributions to pre-colonial history.

Highlights

• The Aztecs built a grand city, Tenochtitlan, home to 300,000 people. 🏙️
• Human sacrifice was part of Aztec rituals to ensure fertility. 📜
• The Mayans on the Yucatan Peninsula created stone temples and believed rulers descended from gods. 🏛️
• The Incas in the Andes had a vast empire of 16 million people fed by elaborate irrigation. ⛰️
• Maize spread north and influenced the development of southwestern societies. 🌽
• Pueblo people built adobe homes while the Chinook relied on fishing and cedar trees. 🏡
• The Mississippi Valley hosted complex societies like Hopewell and Cahokia with major trade networks. 🌊
• The Iroquois lived in large longhouses with extended families. 👪

Key Takeaways

• Native American societies were diverse and complex before European contact. 🌎
• The Aztecs, Maya, and Inca had advanced civilizations with large urban centers. 🌆
• Maize cultivation was crucial for economic and social development across regions. 🌽
• In North America, cultures ranged from nomadic hunters to settled farming communities. 🌾
• Each society adapted uniquely to their environments, showcasing innovation and resilience. 💪

Overview

Before Europeans arrived, the Americas were populated by diverse and advanced Native American societies. From the bustling city of Tenochtitlan of the Aztecs to the vast mountainous realm of the Incas, these civilizations boasted impressive achievements in urbanization, religious practices, and agriculture. The Aztecs were known for their complex social structures and rituals involving human sacrifice, while the Mayans built grand temples in the Yucatan Peninsula, believing their leaders were godlike.

Moving north, varying landscapes hosted equally diverse cultures. The Pueblo people in the Southwest constructed enduring adobe homes, while nomadic tribes like the Ute roamed the arid Great Plains. In the Pacific Northwest, the Chinook people exploited rich marine resources and vast cedar forests. Each group displayed resilience and ingenuity, perfectly tuned to their respective environments' challenges and advantages.

The fertile Mississippi River Valley supported complex social structures and large populations, evident in societies like the Hopewell and Cahokia who engaged in extensive trade. Meanwhile, the Iroquois in the Northeast developed robust agricultural practices and lived in communal longhouses that fostered large family networks. These varied societies underline the rich tapestry of cultures that thrived long before European colonization, showcasing significant achievements in adaptation and innovation.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Explanation of Unit Structure The chapter is an introduction to the AP U.S. History curriculum, specifically focusing on the Americas before European contact. It explains the unit structure, emphasizing that in every unit, the first and last topics are reviews of the entire unit. The chapter aims to set up the context for Unit 1 Topic 2, preparing students to delve into the content with an understanding of how the curriculum is organized.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Diversity of Native American Societies This chapter introduces the study of United States history before the existence of the nation, focusing on Native America. It emphasizes the diversity of Native American societies before European arrival, organized into various cultures based on geographic location. The chapter challenges the common stereotype of Native Americans as horse-riding buffalo hunters living in teepees by highlighting the cultural diversity among Native American groups.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Central and South American Civilizations: Aztecs Many native Americans lived diverse lifestyles before the European arrival, ranging from fishing, nomadic hunting and gathering, farming to living in giant city-based empires.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Central and South American Civilizations: Maya In this chapter, the focus is on the Mesoamerican civilization, particularly the Mexica, also referred to as the Aztecs. The Mexica established a thriving and sophisticated capital city named Tenochtitlan, which at its peak, supported a population of 300,000 people. This civilization developed a written language and implemented complex irrigation systems to sustain agriculture. The priesthood played a central role in maintaining fertility, both for the land and its people, which was symbolically and literally represented by practices such as human sacrifice to ensure bountiful harvests and population growth.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Central and South American Civilizations: Inca The chapter discusses the major civilizations of Central and South America with a focus on the Inca people. It begins with a light-hearted mention of 'Kevin', a recurring character often 'sacrificed' by the Aztecs, serving as a humorous anecdote. The narrative transitions to the Maya civilization, highlighting their settlement on the Yucatan Peninsula, the development of large cities, intricate irrigation and water storage systems, and their construction of grand stone temples and palaces for rulers believed to be divine descendants. Finally, the account moves into South America to discuss the Inca.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Significance of Maize Cultivation The chapter "Significance of Maize Cultivation" discusses the success of the Inca Empire, which thrived in the Andes Mountains and along the Pacific coast in present-day Peru. At its peak, the empire managed a vast and populous region, home to 16 million people and spanning 350,000 square miles. A key factor in the Incas' prosperity was their advanced agricultural practices, particularly in the cultivation of fertile mountain valleys where they grew essential crops like potatoes, supported by sophisticated irrigation systems. Moreover, maize was a significant crop not only for the Incas but also for other civilizations, highlighting its importance in the region.
• 03:30 - 04:30: North American Societies: Pueblo People The chapter discusses the significance of maize cultivation among North American societies, particularly focusing on the Pueblo people. It underscores maize's role as a nutritious crop that fostered economic development, advanced agricultural practices such as irrigation, and led to increased social diversification. The spread of maize into the American Southwest was a critical component in the settlement and growth of these societies.
• 04:30 - 05:00: North American Societies: Great Plains and Great Basin The chapter discusses the diversity of native peoples on the North American continent, focusing specifically on those in the Great Plains and Great Basin regions. It begins with the Pueblo people of the Southwest, who lived in present-day New Mexico and Arizona. The Pueblo were sedentary, meaning they stayed in one place, primarily engaged in farming maize and other crops. They constructed adobe and masonry homes both in open areas and into cliffs. Their society was highly organized, featuring administrative offices, religious centers, and craft shops. The narrative promises to explore further north into the Great Plains and Great Basin.
• 05:00 - 06:00: North American Societies: Pacific Northwest In the chapter 'North American Societies: Pacific Northwest,' the distinction between the nomadic peoples of the plains and great basin regions and the settled communities of the Pacific Northwest is explored. While the nomadic groups, such as the Ute people, practiced a hunter-gatherer lifestyle requiring extensive land due to the region's aridity, the Pacific Northwest peoples established fishing villages by the sea, indicating a more settled way of life.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Mississippi River Valley Societies: Hopewell and Cahokia The Chinook people relied on the abundant elk in their forests and used great cedar trees to build large plank houses, accommodating up to 70 kinship members. The Chumash lived further south in present-day California as hunters and gatherers in permanent settlements, choosing areas rich in game and vegetation for sustenance. Moving to the Mississippi River Valley, the chapter explores larger and more complex societies.
• 07:30 - 08:30: Northeastern Societies: Iroquois The chapter discusses the northeastern societies, focusing on the Iroquois people and highlighting the impact of fertile soil along rivers, which allowed these societies to establish permanent settlements, farm, and develop. It introduces the Hopewell people, who lived in towns with populations between four thousand to six thousand and had extensive trading connections as far away as Florida and the Rocky Mountains. Additionally, the chapter mentions the Cahokia people, who had the region's largest settlement with populations ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 at its peak. They were governed by powerful chieftains who centralized administrative duties and established wide-reaching trade networks, spanning from the Great Lakes to the Gulf.
• 08:30 - 09:30: Conclusion and Call to Action The chapter provides a brief overview of the Iroquois people living in the northeast of America. The Iroquois lived in large villages with populations of several hundred. They cultivated crops such as maize, squash, and beans. Like the inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest, the Iroquois also lived in longhouses that housed 30 to 50 family members.

Native American Societies BEFORE 1492 [APUSH Unit 1 Topic 2] 1.2 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 hey there and welcome to a new year at heimler's  history this year we're going to be working our   way through the ap u.s history curriculum one  topic at a time and i'm glad to have you along   in this video we're going to begin with unit 1  topic 2 which is all about the americas before   the europeans arrive so we've got no time to waste  get them brain cows ready i'm about to milk them   let's get to it all right let me begin by telling  you why we're starting with unit one topic two and   not unit one topic one in every unit of the ap u.s  history curriculum the first and the last topics   basically just review the whole unit and i've  got videos reviewing the whole unit so we're just
• 00:30 - 01:00 gonna skip those good good good so we begin our  study of united states history before there even   was a united states namely in native america now  the big idea that you need to take away from this   video is that before the europeans arrived on the  american shores native american peoples organized   themselves into diverse cultures depending on  where they live and it's the diverse cultures part   that i need to emphasize commonly when we think  of native americans we think of guys on horses   killing buffalo and retiring to their teepees at  night we just sort of paced that idea over the
• 01:00 - 01:30 whole continent but that is patently untrue some  native americans lived in fishing villages others   roamed the land as nomadic hunters and gatherers  some settled down and got their farm on while   others congregated in giant city-based empires  so you have to realize that when we encounter the   americas before the european arrival we're dealing  with a very diverse set of folks so let's just   take a jaunt around the american continents and  see what's going on first let's talk about central   and south america there three major civilizations  emerged all of them boasting large urban centers   complex political systems and well-formed  religions let's start with our friends the aztecs
• 01:30 - 02:00 in central america or mesoamerica now you may  hear these people referred to as the mexica   which is what they call themselves so don't get  confused azdek's mexica semiconductor they had a   magnificent capital city called tenochtitlan which  at its height was home to 300 000 people they had   a written language they employed complex systems  of irrigation priests upheld a cult of fertility   both for the land and for the people and such  fertility was only upheld by human sacrifice all   right people the crops are looking a little peaked  population is down i think you know where this is
• 02:00 - 02:30 headed kevin you about to get sacrificed hey kevin  is back and if you're here for ap world you might   remember kevin he's always getting sacrificed by  the aztecs anyway let's move along to the second   civilization in this region the maya now they  established themselves on the yucatan peninsula   and the maya also developed large cities they  made use of complex irrigation and water storage   systems they built giant stone temples and palaces  for rulers whom they believed were descended from   the gods and then going even further south  into south america we've got the inca people
• 02:30 - 03:00 they established their civilization in the andes  mountains along the pacific coast in what is today   peru and this empire was massive at its height it  ruled 16 million people and covered something like   350 000 square miles that's a lot of land tony now  the key to the success of the inca people was the   cultivation of fertile mountain valleys where they  grew potatoes and other crops which were watered   by elaborate systems of irrigation now one thing  all three of these civilizations had in common was   the cultivation of maize which is a corn like crop  and you know what if you never tasted it trust me
• 03:00 - 03:30 it's amazing you know no matter how many times  i recycle that joke it's always funny but the   cultivation of maize is important because it was  a nutritious crop and as it spread north into the   present day american southwest the establishment  of this crop supported economic development the   settlement of peoples advanced irrigation  and social diversification among societies   so the point is maize is a big deal and i'm  not going to make any more corny jokes about it   sorry anyway as i said maize cultivation  spread north and so we ought to spread our
• 03:30 - 04:00 learning a little bit north too so on the north  american continent we also meet a diversity of   native peoples and just for poops and  giggles let's start with the southwest   let me introduce you to the pueblo people who  lived in present-day new mexico and arizona   they were a sedentary population which means they  kind of stayed in one place and didn't move around   there were farmers of maize and other crops and  they built adobe and masonry homes both in the   open and right into the sides of cliffs they were  a highly organized society with administrative   offices religious centers and craft shops and  then if we move a little bit north to the great
• 04:00 - 04:30 plains and the great basin regions we find not  sedentary folks but nomadic peoples and these   regions were populated with hunter-gatherer-type  people who needed a lot of land to do said hunting   and gathering because of the aridity of the  region a good example of this kind of people   was the ute people who lived out this lifestyle in  small egalitarian kinship based bands and then if   we head over to the pacific northwest we meet a  different kind of people all together the folks   who lived over here lived by the sea and settled  themselves into fishing villages and they also
• 04:30 - 05:00 relied on elk which they found in abundance  in their forests a good example is the chinook   people and they made use of the great cedar trees  around them to construct giant plank houses which   could house up to 70 members of the same kinship  band the chumash people lived on the coast but   further south in present-day california and they  were actually still hunters and gatherers but   they did live in permanent settlements which they  constructed in places where there was enough game   and vegetation to support all their hunting  and gathering all right now let's head over to   the mississippi river valley where we're going  to find much larger and more complex societies
• 05:00 - 05:30 chiefly because the fertile soil surrounding  the rivers meant that societies could stay put   and farm and develop i'll introduce you to two of  them first the hopewell people they lived in towns   of about four thousand to six thousand people  and they traded extensively with other regions   as far away as florida and the rocky mountain  also in that region we have the cahokia people   who boasted the largest settlement in that region  and at its height the settlement counted somewhere   between 10 and 30 000 people the government was  led by powerful chieftains who centralized the   government and engaged in extensive trade networks  from the great lakes all the way down to the gulf
• 05:30 - 06:00 of mexico and finally let me introduce you to some  folks living in the northeast of america namely   the iroquois they lived in villages made up of  several hundred people where they grew crops like   maize and squash and beans also like their pacific  northwest counterparts they built and lived in   longhouses where they lived with anywhere between  30 and 50 of their family members all right that's   what you need to know about unit one topic two of  ap us history if you need any help getting an a in
• 06:00 - 06:30 at heimler's history then go ahead and subscribe  and i'll keep making videos for you heimler out