Unit 2 Study Guide

Native Americans

the first people to live in North America

Bartolome de las Casas

First bishop of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. He devoted most of his life to protecting Amerindian peoples from exploitation. His major achievement was the New Laws of 1542, which limited the ability of Spanish settlers to compel Amerindians to labor.

Spaniards

people from Spain

Dutch Colonization

created the colony of New Amsterdam, Dutch wanted it for gold, furs and other resources, English eventually drove them out and was named New York after the Duke of York who was related to the King of England

French Colonization

focused on trading fur, exploring, and converting Native Americans

European Colonization

European nations especially England, Spain and Portugal had colonies all over the world. The European treated the native people they conquered very poorly.

Spanish Explorers

Included Columbus, Magellan, Pizarro, and Cortes, conquistadors

Columbus

Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506)

Ponce de Leon

Explored Florida looking for the Fountain of Youth

Verrazano

navigator who explored the eastern coast of North America (circa 1485-1528)

Henry Hudson

An English explorer who explored for the Dutch. He claimed the Hudson River around present day New York and called it New Netherland. He also had the Hudson Bay named for him

Columbus' Voyage

1492. Landed in SAN SALVADOR. Marked beginning of SPANISH EMPIRE in Americas

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

Crusades

A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

Spanish Settlement

Spanish conquistadors were first to arrive to the New World; they brought over domesticated horses, animals, crops and diseases (smallpox)

French Settlement

located along the Mississippi River and present day Canada for fur trapping and trading; maintained favorable relationships with the Native Americans

Dutch Settlement

Settled in the Hudson valley, had no standing military, traded with Natives for furs, and wanted to tap directly into the wealth flowing out of North America. English took it over and made it New York

Hispaniola

First island in Caribbean settled by Spaniards; settlement founded by Columbus on second voyage to New World; Spanish base of operations for further discoveries in New World.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. This later became "New York City"

Colony

A group of people in one place who are ruled by a parent country elsewhere.

Conquistador

A Spanish conqueror of the Americas

Encomienda

A grant of land made by Spain to a settler in the Americas, including the right to use Native Americans as laborers on it

Indigenous

native to a certain area

Native

born in a particular place

Cash Crops

crops, such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton, raised in large quantities in order to be sold for profit

Convert

to change from one form to another

Missionaries

people who work to spread their religious beliefs

Encomienda System

It gave settlers the right to tax local Native Americans or to make them work. In exchange, these settlers were supposed to protect the Native American people and convert them to Christianity

Motivations for European Exploration

God, Glory, Gold

Slavery

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

Small Pox

Disease spread by Europeans in the Americas. Led to the deaths of millions of Native Americans in North and South America