APUSH Lecture 2: Columbian Exchange and The Spanish Empire

Nation-states

A sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogenous in factors such as language or common descent.

Prince Henry the Navigator

A Portuguese prince noted for his patronage of voyages of discovery among the Madeira Islands and along the western coast of Africa.

Line of Demarcation

A marked or perceived distinction between one area, category, etc, and another.

Charter Companies

Privately owned trading companies that a monarch or government grants a charter. They were given exclusive rights to trade in specific regions or with specific countries.

Enclosure Movement

A series of laws and practices in England during the 18th and 19th centuries that resulted in the consolidation of small, open fields into larger, enclosed farms.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) following Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492.

Mercantilism

An economic theory and practice dominant in Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It emphasized the accumulation of wealth through trade, colonization, and protectionist policies.

Encomienda System

A labor system implemented by the Spanish during the colonization of the Americas.

Ordinances of Discovery

A set of laws issued by the Spanish Crown in the 16th century to regulate the exploration and colonization of new territories.

Viceroy

A colonial official appointed by the Spanish monarchy to govern and administer their overseas territories. They held significant power and authority in the colonies.

Pueblo Revolt

A successful uprising by Native American Pueblo people against Spanish colonizers in present-day New Mexico in 1680.

Racial Hierarchy (Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattos, Slaves)

The social ranking of different racial or ethnic groups based on perceived superiority or inferiority. This was a product of colonialism and has been widely criticized as a form of discrimination and oppression.

Coureurs de bois

French-Canadian fur traders who operated in the wilderness of North America during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Iroquois

A confederacy of Native American tribes located in the northeastern part of North America. They consisted of six nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora.

New Amsterdam

A Dutch settlement established in 1626 on the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which is now part of New York City.