USH Section 1: Exploration

maize

maize

corn from mexico

nearly all native Americans relied on it somehow

allowed for more urbanization

great basin

arid watershed in California, Oregon, nevada, and utah

climate not good for large-scale agriculture

nomadic, like great plains

new spain

spanish colonies in central America, Mexico, and American southwest/florida

wanted Christian missions, unlike french and dutch trade

leif eriksson

scandinavian viking who went to Greenland then newfoundland (l’anse meadows)

columbian exchange

americans and Europeans share knowledge

Europe: new crops, more population, more mineral wealth (feudalism —> capitalism)

America: diseases

maritime technologies

lateen sails, magnetic compasses, and cartography

innovations that led to maritime superiority

joint-stock companies

public-private partnership between government and private companies

gov gives property rights and legal authority for colonies to companies, and companies share capital investment and profits

less risk and more subsidized costs

encomienda system

spanish conquistadors enslave conquered people

more efficient than African slaves

failed because 1) indigenous resistance and 2) horrific conditions shocked public and crown

haciendas

large scale plantations where native slaves worked under Spanish labor systems along with mines

new laws of 1542

ended shocking encomienda but replaced with repartimiento

repartimiento system

indigenous population under Spanish monarchy’s direct authority

regulated work but still horrible

transatlantic slave trade

european merchants get slaves from west africa

transport to americas

europeans sow chaos in African kingdoms for POWs

caste system

spanish way of determining legal status, rights, and obligations based on race:

• peninsulares native born in spain

• criolles Spanish born in americas

• mestizo Spanish + native

• castizos Spanish + mestizo

• mulatto Spanish + african

• moriscos Spanish + mulatto

• negros

• indios

companion planting

native agricultural techniques where crops (like 3 sisters) planted together benefit each other

adopted by europeans

three sisters

maize, winter squash, and climbing beans

grown with companion planting

political sovereignty

ability to self-govern with no interference

natives violated by europeans

hernan de soto

expedition in southeast US, gifts from natives

powhaten

accepted euro boundaries and traded maize at first, but then wiped out Roanoke in revenge for a massacre

araucanians

successfully turned back Pizarro and held off Spanish after fall of inca