apush unit 1 ch 1 ( second half)

What type of family structure dominated early European societies?

Patriarchal, with power, property, and social identity passing through the male line.

What is primogeniture?

The practice where a father passes all property and family inheritance to his eldest son.

What effect did primogeniture have on younger sons in Europe?

Younger sons often became part of the roaming poor with limited options, increasing migration motivation.

What was the typical lifestyle of European peasants in this period?

Harsh and focused on survival, with constant labor and high child mortality rates (about half died before age 21).

What major event intensified European Christian identity and motivated exploration?

The Crusades, which also increased desire to spread Christianity and find new trade routes.

How did the Crusades affect European trade?

Introduced Europeans to new goods like sugar, silk, and spices, sparking interest in profitable trade routes.

What was the Reformation and its impact on European exploration?

It was a religious movement breaking away from the Catholic Church, creating a rift between Protestant and Catholic nations, affecting their goals in the Americas.

How did Catholic and Protestant countries differ in their goals for the New World?

Catholic countries aimed to win souls for the Church; Protestant countries wanted to create new Christian communities.

What was the Caravelle and why was it important?

A new type of ship that sailed closer to the wind and was faster, enabling longer ocean voyages.

Who was Vasco de Gama and what did he accomplish?

Portuguese explorer who sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to India, bringing back valuable goods like cinnamon and pepper.

What role did Portugal play in the African slave trade?

They set up trading posts along the African coast, buying slaves and gold, starting the plantation system with slave labor in the Americas.

What were the “Three Gs” motivating European exploration?

God (spread Christianity), Glory (national prestige), and Gold (wealth and resources).

Why did Spain look westward for exploration?

Portugal controlled the route around Africa, so Spain sought a western route to Asia.

Who was Christopher Columbus and what did he do?

An Italian navigator sponsored by Spain who sailed west in 1492, landing in the Bahamas and Hispaniola, mistakenly believing he reached Asia.

What was the impact of Columbus’s voyages?

Established Spanish claims in the Caribbean, began colonization, introduced horses and sugar to Native Americans, and initiated devastating disease spread.

What was the demographic impact of European diseases on Native Americans?

About 90% of native populations died from diseases like smallpox, yellow fever, and malaria due to lack of immunity.

How did Columbus’s men treat the native populations?

Forcibly made natives search for gold, with brutal punishments when gold was not found.

What was the significance of the horse in Native American societies?

It changed warfare by increasing mobility and intensity.

What was the early plantation system and where did it develop?

Large-scale agriculture using enslaved African labor, starting in the Caribbean and later in the southern colonies.

What was the significance of sugar in European trade and colonies?

A highly profitable crop introduced from the Crusades, grown in the Caribbean and fueling the plantation economy.

What was the “perfect storm” of factors that led to European exploration?

Religious motivations, new trade desires, technological advances like the caravelle, and economic pressure on peasants.

What is the “geographical misnomer” related to Columbus’s naming of Native Americans?

He called the natives “Indians” believing he reached India, though they were in the Americas.

Why is Columbus sometimes called “one of the most successful failures in history”?

Because he didn’t find the gold or Asia he sought but still opened the Americas for European colonization.

What long-term impact did the Reformation have on the formation of American colonies?

It created religious divisions that influenced the settlement patterns and identities of colonies (Protestant vs. Catholic).