Period 1 1491-1607

You’ll learn about Native American societies as well as how and why Europeans first explored, and then began to colonize, the Americas.

Topics may include:

Native American societies before European contact
European exploration in the New World
The Columbian Exchange
Labor, slavery, and caste in the Spanish colonial system
Cultural interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

On The Exam

4%–6% of score

Vocabulary for Period 1 and Period 2

On a North American continent controlled by American Indians, contact among the peoples of Europe, the Americas, and West Africa created a new world.

Key Concept 1.1: As native populations migrated and settled across the vast expanse of North America over time, they developed distinct and increasingly complex societies by adapting to and transforming their diverse environments.

Key Concept 1.2: Contact among Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans resulted in the Columbian Exchange and significant social, cultural, and political changes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Key Concept 1.3: European overseas expansion resulted in the Columbian Exchange, a series of interactions and adaptations among societies across the Atlantic.