AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Divergent Worldviews (Day 14/309)

Welcome to day 14 of APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Today I will be providing examples of divergent worldviews in the Americas.

Montezuma and Cortés Bill of Rights Institute

With the development of permanent Spanish colonies, American Indians and the Spanish interactions were often complicated by cultural misunderstandings.

With land use, American Indians were often willing to allow temporary use by Europeans but did not consider that permanent ownership. Europeans viewed land as individually owned and were frustrated with American Indians continuing to use the land after it was purchased. For trade, American Indians valued traditional ceremonial gift-giving, while Europeans viewed it as a business transaction.

For family and gender roles, American Indians had greater gender parity and believed European men to be without skills. Europeans viewed American Indians as uncivilized due to their “flipped” roles. For religion, American Indians were more accepting of Christianity within their pantheon of gods while Europeans demanded religious exclusivity.

These misunderstandings defined the early years of interactions and at times, led to the adoption of useful aspects of each other's culture.

However, more often it led to conflict which I will talk about tomorrow in the next APUSH in 1 minute daily.