Period 1 - 1491-1607

APUSH

Maize

An early form of corn grown by Native Americans

Encomienda system

the right tow demand labor or tribute from Native Americans in a particular area

Asiento system

Process in which Spain brought slaves from West Africa to America for labor

Slavery

A system of enforced servitude in which some people are owned by other people

Land Bridge

A strip of land that connects two larger landmasses; Beringia is the name of the land bridge that connected America and Asia. This is how some hypothesize that people came to the Americas.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors of the Native American lands, most notably the Aztec and Inca empires

Cortes

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)

Pizarro

A Spanish conquistador who conquered the Incan empire

Roanoke Island

Island colony founded by Sir Walter Raleigh that mysteriously disappeared in the 1580s. Sir Walter Raleigh’s failed colonial settlement off the coast of North Carolina

Printing Press

Invented by Guttenberg; led to more literacy and spread of ideas; specifically helped contribute to the Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment

Ferdinand and Isabella

They joint ruled Spain together and were famous for funding Columbus to the Americas. Completed the Reconquista in 1492 where they pushed the Muslims out of Spain

Protestant Reformation

A split in the church caused by corruption in the church, specifically the sale of indulgences. Causes many sects of Christianity to spring up. These different sects were often persecuted in Europe if they were not in the majority. This persecution led some to come to the America colonies seeking religious freedom

Prince Henry the Navigator

Set up the first navigation school. Sailed around the tip of Africa, specifically the Cape of Good Hope

Columbus

Explorer who discovered the Americas in 1492. Funded by Spanish royalty. Landed on the island of Hispaniola

Treaty of Tordesillas

Treaty between Spain and Portugal dividing newly discovered lands between them. 1494 drew a north-to-south line through South America (Figure); Spain gained territory west of the line, while Portugal retained other lands east of the line, including the east coast of Brazil

Slave Trade

The trading of Africans to the Americas

Nation-state

Country with its own independent government

Cabot

An Italian navigator who claimed Newfoundland for England. For the next century, English fisherman routinely crossed the Atlantic to fish the rich waters off the North American coast. However, English colonization efforts in 1500s were closer to home, as England devoted its energy to the colonization of Ireland

Cartier

Claimed northern North America for France, naming the area New France. From 1534 to 1541, he made three voyages of discovery on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River. Like other explorers, Cartier made exaggerated claims of mineral wealth in America, but he was unable to send great riches back to France. Due to resistance from the Native peoples as well as his own lack of planning, he could not establish a permanent settlement in North America

De Champlain

He established a settlement in New France called Quebec as a French fur trading outpost. Efforts fostered especially good relationships with native peoples, paving the way for French exploration further into the continent: around the Great Lakes, around Hudson Bay, and eventually to the Mississippi. Champlain made an alliance with the Huron confederacy and the Algonquins and agreed to fight with them against their enemy, the Iroquois

Hudson

Explored Hudson River and Hudson Bay. Employed by Dutch East India Company. Seeking NW passage to Asia. Ended up discovering much of what is present day NY including the Hudson River Valley

De Las Casas

Known as “the Great Defender of the Indians”. Was vocal about the Spanish brutality towards Native Americans in his book “A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies.” Advocated for the human treatment of native peoples.

Vallodolid Debate

Debate over the role of Native Americans in colonies. One side argued for humane treatment of Natives like De Las Casas. The other side, led by Juan Supulveda, argued that Indians were less than human.

Juan Gines de Supulveda

A Spanish priest who argued that Native Americans were less than human