UNIT 1: Encounters
QUESTION 3: Why didn’t millions of Native Americans stop a few thousands European conquerors?


ONLINE READING & VOCABULARY:
http://www.inquiryhistory.com/unit01/01-3


GOALS:
- Learn about the conquest of the Americas by the Spanish
- Understand the factors that made European conquest successful
- Explore key people and events such as:
- Cortez’s Conquest of the Aztec
- Pizarro’s Conquest of the Inca
- Spanish Explorers in North America
- The Founding of New France
- Consider the consequences of the conquest of the America on people on both sides of the Atlantic


BIG IDEA:
Spain developed its American empire through military conquest and because Native Americans died in large numbers from Old World diseases. They focused on extracting precious metals. Alternatively, the French engaged in the beaver trade which led them to develop scattered settlements and cultivate good relationships with Native Americans.


TOPICS:
0:00 - Introduction
2:30 - Los Conquistadors
3:00 - The Fall of the Aztec
8:26 - The Fall of the Inca
12:48 - The Spanish in North America
14:28 - Those Who Lost the Conquest
21:49 - Galleons, Trade and Pirates
23:53- The Spanish Golden Age
26:02 - New France
30:16 - The West Indies
31:48 - Conclusion