The Collision of Cultures

Vocabulary flashcards covering early American migrations, pre-Columbian civilizations, European exploration, Spanish conquest, the Columbian Exchange, and early English colonization.

Bering Strait

A land bridge and waterway between Alaska and Russia through which many early migrants traveled to enter the Americas.

Incas

The largest empire in the Americas, located in Peru.

Mayans

A civilization located in Central America that developed a written system, a calendar, and agricultural advancements.

Aztecs

A civilization in Mexico centered at Tenochtitlan, which was the largest city built up to that point in history.

Sextant

A technological innovation in navigation that facilitated European maritime exploration.

Conquistadores

Spanish explorers and conquerors driven by God, Gold, and Glory who devastated native populations and claimed New World lands for Spain.

Ordinances of Discovery

Spanish laws enacted in the 1570s that banned harsh military conquests in the New World.

St. Augustine, FL

The first permanent European settlement established in North America.

Encomienda System

A system where Spanish settlers were granted land and could demand tribute and labor from Native Americans, functioning essentially as slavery.

Pueblo Revolt

A 1680 Native American rebellion in New Mexico against Spanish suppression of native religious practices and forced labor.

Popé

The Native religious leader who led the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, killing hundreds of Spaniards and forcing them to flee New Mexico until Spain regained control in 1696.

Columbian Exchange

The global transfer of crops, animals, diseases, and human populations between the Americas, Europe, and Africa following Columbus's voyages.

Mestizos

A social class in the Spanish colonial hierarchy made up of individuals of mixed European and Native American ancestry.

Matrilineal

A family structure where lineage and property inheritance pass through the mother's family, common in many West African and Native American societies.

Joint-Stock Companies

Business entities where multiple investors pool capital and share proportional profits and losses, such as the East India Company.

Mercantilism

An economic concept aimed at increasing national wealth through a favorable balance of trade, prioritizing the financial gain of the mother country.

Puritans

English religious dissenters who sought to purify the Anglican Church of Catholic rituals and immigrated to North America for refuge.

Predestination

A theological doctrine introduced by John Calvin holding that God has already chosen who will be saved, making human destiny unalterable.

Separatists

Radical English Protestants, including the Pilgrims, who chose to break away entirely from the Anglican Church.

Coureurs de bois

French fur traders who ventured into North America and forged strong economic and military alliances with Native American groups like the Algonquians.

Spanish Armada

A massive fleet sent by Spain that was defeated by England, establishing English naval dominance.

Roanoke

An early attempted English settlement known as the lost colony, discovered deserted in 1590 with only the word Croatoan carved into a tree.

Jamestown

The first permanent English colony in North America, chartered in 1607 by King James I.

John Smith

The leader who saved Jamestown from total destruction by enforcing the policy: He who shall not work shall not eat.

Starving Time

A period of severe famine at Jamestown where high mortality forced surviving colonists to resort to cannibalism.