APUSH Period 1 Vocab: 1491-1607

Portuguese Slave Trade

Beginning of the Atlantic Slave Trade; one of Portuguese goals for expansion was to gain access to the profitable West African trade, slaves were brutally exploited as portuguese created a center of sugar production based on slave labor

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer best known for being first European to reach India by sea through linking Europe & Asia via ocean route. Rounded Africa’s Cape of Good Hope

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator who was sought to find a quicker path to Indies, but landed in the “New World” His 1492 voyage brought permanent connection between Europe and Native Americans

Hispaniola

Small short lived colony in the Caribbean where Spanish colonists went in search of gold, known for their harsh treatment of natives (population decimated due to mistreatment & disease)

Old World Diseases - Smallpox, measles, yellow fever

Smallpox: overall deadliest known disease in history, in 20th century killed 500M, brought by Europeans through Columbian Exchange

Diseases from Old World: smallpox, measles, cholera, malaria, yellow fever

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese explorer known for leading 1st expedition to successfully circumnavigate the globe (1519-1522), his voyages provided valuable info about the world’s geography and contributed to European exploration, opening new trade routes

Juan Ponce de Leon

Spanish explorer and conquistador known for his quest to find the Fountain of Youth & the first European to set foot in Florida. Became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish crown

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs in Mexico for Spain, impacting labor systems & social hierarchies in Spanish colonial system

John Cabot

Italian navigator and explorer who sailed for King Henry VII, his voyage to Newfoundland laid the groundwork for future British claims to Canada

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who explored the Mississippi River from Canada to Gulf of Mexico & claimed the entire river basin for France, naming it Louisiana after King Louis XIV

Father Junipero Serra

Franciscan missionary who settled in California and established the 21 missions, he also founded the mission chain in California, and a great promoter of the spread of Christianity

Nation-States

The form of political society that is unified by a common culture, language, or descent, it occupies a sovereign territory

Caravel

Small fast Spanish or Portuguese sailing ship from 15th-17th centuries, mainly used for oceanic exploration

Plantation System

Agricultural system based on large-scale farming operations where cash crops such a tobacco, sugar, & cotton are cultivated through labor of enslaved people

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, cultures, human pops, technology, & ideas between the Americas & the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia) following Columbus’s voyages in late 15th century

Conquistadores

Spanish explorers and conquerors who led military expeditions in Americas: wanted to wealth (gold), fame, spread of Christianity, and to conquer natives

Capitalism

A system of economic production based on the private ownership of production & property, where people and businesses operate for profit in a competitive market

Mestizos

People of mixed European & Indigenous ancestry, emerging as a distinct social group in colonial societies of Latin America, created a elaborate racial hierarchy

Pope’s Rebellion/The Pueblo Revolt

AKA Pueblo Revolt took place in 1680 in Spanish Colony of New Mexico led by Pueblo leader Pope, indigenous Pueblo communities protested Spanish colonization, coerced labor, and religious oppression

Queen Elizabeth I

Queen of England who made Protestantism dominant in England which in result, intensified the Rivalry England had with Catholic Spain

Spanish Armada

Naval fleet that was sent to invade England and overthrow Queen Elizabeth I (rooted in religious, political, & economic rivalries during Age of Exploration). Sent by King Philip II of Spain, and was ultimately defeated by England.

Edict of Nantes

French Royal decree by King Henry IV that granted limited religious toleration to the French Protestants. Ended religious wars in France and led to a period of French superiority. The repeal prompted migration of Protestant Huguenots to North America

Roanoke Island

First English colony in NA, established on Roanoke Island in 1587. It was financed by Sir Walter Raleigh, & its leader in the New World was John White. AKA Lost Colony due to the mysterious disappearance of its inhaabitants

Colonial Charter

Formal, legal document from monarch or government granting a group permission to establish & govern a colony, outlining specific rights, land, & terms for governance, often to joint-stock companies for funding purposes

James I

First monarch to rule both England & Scotland, known for granting the charter to the Virginia Company in 1606, leading to the founding of Jamestown, he also promoted English colonization through encouragement of joint-stock companies.