Chapter 1 - Give Me Liberty

Slave Trade

Europeans in West Africa established a slave trade, with 7.7 million enslaved Africans transported to the Americas from 1492 to 1820.

Native Identity

Native American groups identified through family, clan, town, or nation rather than as a single people.

Bering Strait Migration

Native American ancestors migrated from Asia to the Americas via a land bridge.

Native Agriculture

Maize, squash, and beans were the primary crops cultivated by Native Americans.

Medieval Warm Period

A climate phase that allowed for longer growing seasons and urban development in North America.

Cahokia

The largest city north of Mexico, part of the Mississippian civilization.

Puebloans

Southwest tribes known for their irrigation systems and multi-family dwellings.

Gender Roles

Native American societies were gendered but often more equal than European societies, with women holding significant power.

Slavery in Native Societies

Small-scale slavery existed, but it was not inheritable, and captives could integrate into society.

Trans-Saharan Trade

West African wealth was derived from trade across the Sahara, including the exchange of enslaved people.

Mali Empire

A significant West African empire known for its major cities like Jenne, Gao, and Timbuktu.

Coverture

A legal doctrine in England requiring married women to surrender their legal identity to their husbands.

Columbian Exchange

The transatlantic flow of goods, including crops and livestock, between the Americas and Europe.

Mestizos

Individuals of mixed European and Native American ancestry in Spanish America.

Black Legend

The negative portrayal of Spain as a brutal colonizer, used by rival European powers.

Pueblo Revolt

A successful uprising against Spanish rule in 1680 led by Popé, resulting in the temporary expulsion of Spanish colonizers.

Dutch West India Company

Established a monopoly on trade in America and settled New Amsterdam (New York).

Flushing Remonstrance

A petition advocating for religious tolerance in New Netherland, highlighting the diversity of settlers.

Great League of Peace

In NY and PA the Haudenosaunee (Meaning “the people of the longhouse”) formed with the Mohawks, Oneidas, Cayugas, Senecas, and Onondagas (male representatives chosen by women)

Reconquista

in 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain completed the reconquest of Spain from the Moors (African Muslims) who had occupied part of the Iberian Peninsula for centuries

Caravel

ship capable of long-distance travel, used by the Portuguese to advance sea trade routes

Conquistadores

men sent out to conquer the “new worlds” and were often accompanied by religious missionaries

Tenochtitlán

The capital of the Aztec empire located in modern day Mexico

Aztec

name for the empire ruled by a single emperor in modern Mexico, before the arrival of Spain

Creoles

persons born of European decent in the colonies

Hacienda

large scale farms controlled by Spanish landlords and worked by native Americans

Mestizos

persons of mixed origin

Nintey-five Theses

in 1517 Martin Luther accused the church of wilderness and corruption, Causing the protestant reformation

Bartolomé de Las Casas was

a Dominican priest who wrote about the Spanish atrocities towards the native people of the Caribbean islands

Repartimiento system

Native towns were required to provide a fixed amount of Labor each year to Spanish or farms

Black Legend

the image of Spain, as a uniquely, brutal and exploitative colonizer and was used as justification for other European powers to challenge Spain predominance in the Americas

Borderland

is a meeting place of peoples where geographical and cultural borders are not clearly defined