Chapter 2: Early European Exploration and Contact

What were the 'Three G's' that motivated European exploration in the 1400s?

Gold, Glory, and God.

What was the primary goal associated with 'Gold' in European exploration?

To acquire wealth from gold, silver, and new trade routes.

Which invention aided navigation during the Renaissance?

The compass and astrolabe.

What economic theory influenced European nations' desire for colonies in the Americas?

Mercantilism.

Which empire did European nations seek to bypass after the takeover of Constantinople in 1453?

The Ottoman Empire.

Who was Prince Henry the Navigator?

He funded exploration schools and voyages along Africa's coast.

What achievement is Bartolomeu Dias known for in 1488?

He was the first European to reach the southern tip of Africa.

Who was the first European to reach India by sea?

Vasco da Gama.

What was the significance of Columbus's voyage in 1492?

It opened the Americas to European colonization.

What did Ferdinand Magellan accomplish during his expedition?

He led the first voyage to circumnavigate the globe.

Which empire did Hernán Cortés conquer in 1519?

The Aztec Empire.

What happened to Francisco Pizarro in 1532?

He conquered the Inca Empire in Peru.

What did John Cabot claim for England in 1497?

Newfoundland.

What river did Jacques Cartier explore in 1534?

The St. Lawrence River.

What regions did Henry Hudson explore in the early 1600s?

The Hudson River and Hudson Bay.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

A massive exchange of goods, crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Old World and the New World.

What were some new foods introduced to Europe from the Americas?

Potatoes and corn.

What was a major negative effect of the Columbian Exchange on Indigenous peoples?

Diseases wiped out millions of Indigenous people.

What was the Transatlantic Slave Trade?

The forced transportation of millions of Africans to the Americas for labor.

Why did Europeans begin to enslave Africans?

Due to a decline in Indigenous labor and the demand for cash crops.

What did the Triangular Trade involve?

Trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas with goods and enslaved people.

What was the Middle Passage?

The brutal journey of enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas.

What were the effects of the Transatlantic Slave Trade on Africa?

Devastated populations, increased warfare, and loss of millions.

What agreement did the Treaty of Tordesillas establish?

It divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.

What was the Encomienda System?

A system that granted Spanish colonizers land and Indigenous labor in exchange for protection.

Which missionaries were responsible for spreading Catholicism in the Americas?

Franciscans and Jesuits.

What did the Casta System enforce in Spanish colonies?

A rigid social hierarchy based on race.

What was French colonization primarily focused on?

Trade, especially in fur.

Which geographic area did the Dutch colonize?

New Netherland, present-day New York.

What was the main economic focus of early English colonies?

Tobacco plantations.

What types of conflicts arose between Indigenous peoples and European settlers?

Warfare and violent conflicts.

What was the outcome of King Philip's War?

Colonists won, leading to the near-destruction of many Indigenous groups.

How did the Columbian Exchange affect world demographics?

Introduced new foods, boosted populations, and led to diseases severely impacting Indigenous peoples.

What was the primary cause of conflict between European nations in North America?

Competition for land, trade routes, and influence.

What was one of the bloodiest conflicts in U.S. history during the colonial period?

King Philip's War.

What global impact did European colonization have on the Americas and Africa?

Violent conflicts, forced labor, and the expansion of the Atlantic trade system.