Impact of European settlement in the Americas
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe some of the consequences of colonialisation on Native Americans.
Key learning points
- Europeans settled in the New World by taking land from the native peoples.
- Europeans believed they had a moral duty to convert Native Americans to Christianity and thus can take land.
- European conquests of land were often violent and pushed Native Americans out of their home lands.
- Europeans accidentally introduced new diseases into the land, killing around 80% of Native Americans.
- Indigenous beliefs and practices continued despite European attempts to remove them.
Keywords
Dispossess - to dispossess someone is to take their land away
Indigenous - indigenous people are the original inhabitants of a specific area
Conquest - conquest involves taking an area of land by force; 'La Conquista' is the name for the Spanish conquest of the Americas
Immunity - if you have immunity to a disease you will not catch it
Convert - to convert someone is to change their beliefs
Common misconception
Pupils assume that European settlement completely destroyed indigenous communities.
Native Americans were devastated overall by European colonisation but indigenous communities persisted and were never completely overwhelmed.
Teacher tip
For the task on slide 17, pupils normally assume conflict or deliberate murder killed most Native Americans. You may reveal that the population fall of 80% = 40 million Native American deaths. Ask pupils if war at the time was likely to kill so many.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who did Spain sponsor to sail across the Atlantic?
Q2.Write the missing word: The Americas were also referred to as Europeans as the __________ World.
Q3.Match the definitions with their correct defintions.
creating new communities in an area
group of countries ruled by one ruler or one single group
taking land by force
Q4.Which empire's growth motivated Europeans to search for direct sea routes to Asia?
Q5.Why can the Taino nation be described as indigenous to Hispaniola?
Q6.Identify an example that shows Spanish settlement in Hispaniola was interested in gaining wealth.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What caused the most deaths of Native Americans as a result of Europeans arriving in the Americas?
Q2.Write the missing word: Millions of Native Americans died from European diseases because they lacked __________.
Q3.Why did Europeans argue that it was justified to dispossess Native Americans?
Q4.How did Spain become wealthy from Potosi?
Q5.Sort the events into chronological order.
Q6.Identify the two examples of indigenous resistance to complete Spanish control.
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Impact of European settlement in the Americas, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Impact of European settlement in the Americas, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the European conquest of the Americas: why was its impact so devastating? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.