European Colonization of the Americas (Video) - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering major terms and concepts from the lecture notes on European colonization, Native American pre-contact, and early colonial society.

Old World

Europe, Asia, and Africa—the regions known to Europeans before contact with the Americas.

New World

The Americas—the lands encountered by Europeans after 1492.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and culture between the Old World and New World after Columbus's voyages (e.g., Old World crops like bananas, grapes, sugar cane; New World crops like corn, tobacco; diseases like smallpox).

Colombian Exchange – Examples (Old World to New World)

Crops and animals such as bananas, grapes, sugar cane, wheat moved to the Americas.

Colombian Exchange – Examples (New World to Old World)

Crops and goods such as corn, tobacco, beans, and avocados moved to Europe, Africa, and Asia; also diseases like smallpox.

Encomienda System

Spanish colonial labor system granting settlers the right to compel Indigenous labor in exchange for protection and Christianization.

Bartolomé de las Casas

Catholic missionary who argued for humane treatment of Native peoples and advocated better treatment.

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda

Spanish scholar who argued Native peoples were inferior and could be governed or enslaved; supported colonization on that basis.

Pope’s Rebellion / Pueblo Revolt (1680)

Uprising of Pueblo peoples against Spanish rule and Catholic missions; caused drought and religious suppression; short-term expulsion of Europeans; long-term tensions eased rather than eradicated.

Caste System (Spanish colonies)

Layered social hierarchy in the Americas based on race and birth status (e.g., Spaniards, creoles, mestizos, Indians, Africans).

Catholic Missions

Religious outposts established by Spain to convert Indigenous peoples to Catholicism.

Cortes (Hernán Cortés)

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec Empire through better weaponry, alliances with some Indigenous groups, and strategic diplomacy.

Aztec Empire

Mesoamerican empire conquered by Cortés in the early 16th century.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in South America.

Inca Empire

South American empire conquered by Pizarro.

Plains Tribes (Sioux, Comanche, Wichita)

Native groups in the Plains region; often bison hunters who adopted horses after contact with Europeans.

Horses introduced by Europeans

Horses brought by Europeans that transformed Native American mobility and hunting, especially on the Plains.

Three Sisters

Agricultural practice of interplanting corn, beans, and squash, prevalent among many Native cultures in the Northeast and Southeast.

Mississippian Culture (Cahokia)

A mound-building Native American culture in the Mississippi River Valley before European contact.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America (Chesapeake, Virginia) founded for profit; later relied on indentured servants for labor.

Virginia Company

The investor group that funded Jamestown and the early English colonization efforts in Virginia.

Indentured Servant

A person who agrees to a fixed period of labor (commonly 4–7 years) in exchange for passage to the colonies and room/board; many died before completing terms.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against the colonial government; exposed tensions between eastern elites and western settlers; resulted in the decline of indentured servitude and the rise of slavery.

New England Colonies

Puritan settlements in the northeast, including Massachusetts Bay, founded for religious reasons and governed by town-centered structures.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England; emphasized community and religious conformity in New England.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan colony founded to practice religion freely and create a model Christian community; known for town meetings and strong church-state ties.

Town Meeting

Local form of government in New England where eligible men gathered to rule and make community decisions.

Roger Williams

Minister banished from Massachusetts Bay for challenging church practices; founded Rhode Island and promoted religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter banished for challenging church authority and gender roles; argued for religious interpretation beyond male clergy; helped catalyze broader religious debates.

Rhode Island

Colony founded by Roger Williams as a refuge for religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Dutch New York

New Amsterdam (New York) originally settled by the Dutch for fur trade on the East Coast.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; a Quaker who advocated policy of religious tolerance and fair treatment of Indigenous peoples.

Quakers

Religious group (Pacifists) emphasizing equality, nonviolence, and simplicity; early settlers in Pennsylvania.

Middle Colonies

Colonies like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware known for fertile land and grain production.