Topic 1.4 - Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest

Christopher Columbus

He mistakenly discovered the Americas in 1492 while searching for a faster route to India.

What area / place did Christopher Columbus first reach during his 1492 expedition to India?

San Salvador (in the Bahamas)

Hispanola

Island of modern day Haiti and Dominican Republic and site of Columbus' second discovery in the new world during his second expedition.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following the discovery and exploration of the Americas.

smallpox, chickenpox, measles, influenza

Name 4 major diseases, which were part of the Columbian Exchange, that decimated Native American populations.

Spanish Franciscan missionaries

They attempted to spread Catholicism throughout Mexico, South America, and the southwest U.S through forced conversion and they stopped the practice of traditional rituals and customs of Native Americans.

joint stock company

A company made up of a group of shareholders, that funded exploration expeditions in the new world. Each shareholder contributed some money to the company and received some share of the company's profits.

Britain

What country used joint stock companies to promote exploration?