Early Exploration and Colonization of the Americas

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering early exploration of the Americas by Norse, Spanish, Portuguese, and French explorers based on PACE history workbook materials.

Bering Strait

The narrow body of water crossed by the ancestors of Native Americans from Asia into the New World less than 1,000 years after the Flood.

L'Anse aux Meadows

A Norse settlement uncovered by archaeologists in the early 1960s on the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada.

Eric the Red

Colony leader and unbelieving father of Leif Ericsson who was displeased by his son's departure from the ancient Norse religion.

Leif Ericsson

Norse explorer who converted to Christianity in ancestral Norway in A.D. 999 and was commissioned by the king of Norway to introduce Christianity to 'the lands to the west.'

Thorvald Ericsson

The brother of Leif Ericsson and chief of the expedition to 'Vinland the Good.'

Wonderstrands

The name given by Norse explorers to the long sandy beach on 'Vinland the Good.'

Thorfinn Karlsefni

An Icelander who set sail from Greenland for North America in 1010.

Snorri Thorfinnsson

Individual born in about 1011 whose birth is the first recorded birth of a white child in North America.

Christopher Columbus

Explorer who discovered America on October 12, 1492, with the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María, believing he had reached the East Indies.

Line of Demarcation

A boundary line established by the Roman Catholic pope in 1493 giving newly discovered lands east of the line to Portugal and west of the line to Spain.

Martin Waldseemüller

Mapmaker who labeled the New World 'Amerigo's Land' on his maps, which was later shortened to 'America.'

Amerigo Vespucci

The first European known to explore part of South America and refer to it as the 'New World.'

João Vaz Corte-Real

Explorer who gave Portugal a claim to the Americas before the Line of Demarcation was established.

Pedro Alvares Cabral

Portuguese explorer who was blown far off course, landed on the shores of Brazil, and claimed it for Portugal.

Juan Ponce de León

Explorer who discovered the flower-covered peninsula of Florida while searching for the 'fountain of youth.'

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Spanish explorer who called the Pacific Ocean the 'South Sea.'

Montezuma II

Emperor of the Aztec Empire whose capital city of Tenochtitlan was defended by a system of causeways.

Hernando Cortez

Captain-General who broke down Aztec resistance and accomplished the conquest of Mexico.

La Noche Triste

Meaning 'The Night of Sorrow,' the name given by Captain-General Cortez to the night he retreated from the Aztecs.

Francisco Pizarro

Captain-General who led an army of 180 men into the Andes Mountains and conquered the Inca Empire through greed and deceit.

Atahualpa

Inca ruler taken hostage in 1531 who attempted to purchase his freedom by offering to fill a palace room to the height of a man with gold and silver.

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

One of only four men who successfully reached Mexico after setting out to explore North America with Señor Narváez.

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese explorer commissioned by Spain whose 1519–1522 expedition found the passage around South America and proved Earth could be circumnavigated by sea; he was murdered in the Philippine Islands.

Strait of Magellan

A water passage discovered by Ferdinand Magellan around the southern tip of South America.

Pacific Ocean

The calm body of water named by Ferdinand Magellan after navigating the Strait of Magellan, from the word meaning 'peaceful.'

The Victoria

The lone vessel of Ferdinand Magellan's original five ships that returned to Spain laden with spices, becoming the first ship to sail completely around the world.

Founders of Brazil

The seven men appointed by King John III of Portugal to administrate the colony of Brazil after it was divided into 15 land grants in 1534.

Giovanni da Verrazano

Explorer who searched the North American coast for a northwest passage to Asia and established French claims in the New World.

Fur Trading

The primary economic pursuit and main reason for French colonization in the New World.

Jacques Cartier

French captain who explored the Canadian coast in 1534 and sailed up the St. Lawrence River on his second voyage until stopped by rapids.

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer who laid the foundation for Quebec in 1608 and discovered a large lake between present-day New York and Vermont.

Lake Champlain

A huge lake situated between present-day New York and Vermont discovered and named by Samuel de Champlain.

Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet

French explorers who believed that the Mississippi River might be the long-sought northwest passage.

Sieur de La Salle

French explorer who claimed the entire Mississippi River valley for France, named it Louisiana, and attempted to establish a French colony there.

Louisiana

The vast Mississippi River region claimed for France by Sieur de La Salle and named in honor of King Louis XIV.

Fort St. Louis

The first French colonial settlement in Texas, established by Sieur de La Salle after missing the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer who journeyed through Florida and the southeastern United States in 1539 and discovered the Mississippi River.

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado

Spanish captain-general whose expedition searched for seven legendary cities filled with gold across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

Grand Canyon

A natural feature in northern Arizona discovered and explored by a party from Francisco Vásquez de Coronado's expedition.

St. Augustine and Santa Fe

The two oldest continuous European settlements still existing in the United States, located in Florida and New Mexico respectively.

Philippians 4:11

'Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.'