Rise of the Atlantic World

Introduction

The expansion of Europe began in 1415 with the Portuguese capture of Ceuta, a Moorish stronghold off the northern coast of Africa. The desire to find an overseas trade route to Asia, heightened by the Ottoman capture of Constantinople (1453), further encouraged European monarchs, merchants and sailors to pool their resources. Prince Henry of Portugal established a school of navigation at Sagres. Improvements in ship design, and recent geographical knowledge imported by Jewish and Muslim scholars, allowed Portugal to lead the way in maritime exploration. The discovery of the Atlantic islands was followed by reconnaissance journeys around the African coast. Vasco Da Gama's arrival at India (1498) and Pedro Cabral's sighting of Brazil (1500) crowned Portuguese exploits. Other European leaders entered the scramble for uncharted territory. The Spanish Catholic monarchs financed Columbus's voyages of discovery in 1492, while England's Henry VII supported John Cabot's expedition to North America in 1497 (Cunliffe, 149).

Discovery of America

It is hardly surprising that the 'discovery' of America was once celebrated as the most important event in human history since the incarnation of Christ. However, the impact of the accidental encounter was blunted at the time because Columbus believed he had landed in Asia. Even when it became clear that he had found a continent unknown to Europeans, many were more concerned with trying to find a sea route around it. Spain took the lead in colonizing the West Indies before moving onto the mainland. Close behind were the Portuguese, whose arrival in Brazil followed another accidental 'discovery'. Expeditions sponsored by the English soon made their landfall in North America. These encounters with the New World seemed to fulfill classical and biblical prophesies of vast riches and earthly paradises, but by forcing Europeans to confront unknown cultures, they also added to the Renaissance debate about the essence of human nature.

Native Americans

The term Native Americans refers specifically to the descendants of people living in what is now the contiguous United States prior to the mass arrival of settlers from other continents. The United States Census combines Native Americans and Alaskan Natives for statistical purposes, although each tribal nation is culturally, linguistically, and politically distinct. Native Americans is also used to refer to indigenous peoples from Central and South America. Other terms to refer to Native Americans include American Indian, Indian, Amerindian, Native, and Indigenous. Generally speaking, Native Americans prefer their individual tribal affiliation over the more general term of Native Americans (Curtin, 89).

Traditional Social Systems and Change

Historically, the social, political, and economic systems of Native American culture groups were tremendously diverse, ranging from hierarchical systems based on various social statuses to more egalitarian systems. Many culture groups were and still are matriarchal, matrilineal, and/or matrilocal. The Apache of the southwest, for example, trace their lineage through the mother's line; all children belong to the mother's family. Among the Iroquois nations of the northeast, women performed all of the agricultural labor and controlled the distribution of their produce, thereby exerting both social and political ...