CHAPTER 1 The Peopling and Unpeopling of America CHAPTER SYNOPSIS Chapter One surveys the initial peopling of the Americas and the development of indigenous cultures. The chapter then discusses various influences on European exploration and expansion, followed by a discussion on both the establishment of New Spain and the early English, French, and Dutch efforts to gain a foothold in North America. The chapter conveys the following key points: • Millions of people lived in the Americas before European contact, and over the centuries, these people developed sophisticated tribes and nations. • European exploration brought the New World and the Old World into contact and produced the Colombian Exchange. • The Colombian Exchange brought killer diseases to the Americas and drew its inhabitants into disruptive trade networks. • The Spanish built the first major European empire in the Americas. The English and French eventually established successful colonies in present-day Virginia and Quebec, respectively. I. SQUANTO SAVES THE PILGRIMS The life of Squanto (Tisquantum), a Patuxet Indian who helped the Pilgrims, serves as a metaphor for Native American-Euro-American relations. II. THE FIRST DISCOVERY OF AMERICA The Wisconsin glaciation of North America created Beringia, a land bridge that connected Asia and America. Paleo-Indians following big game crossed this bridge to Alaska, eventually migrating throughout North and South America. Global warming and possibly overkilling l