Review Flashcards on Feudalism, Exploration, and Colonial America

Flashcards to review key concepts from lectures on the fall of feudalism, the Age of Exploration, the Columbian Exchange, and the early American colonies, including the American Revolution.

What were the key factors that led to the decline of feudalism?

The Black Death, rise of centralized monarchies, urbanization, and emergence of new economic systems.

Which countries dominated early exploration during the Age of Exploration?

Portugal and Spain.

Name some key explorers during the Age of Exploration.

Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, and Captain James Cook.

What were some of the items sought after during the Age of Exploration?

Spices, silver, and other goods from the New World.

What is a Kamal and what was it used for?

A rectangular piece of wood attached to a string that you matched with Polaris, used to measure latitude.

Who was Henry the Navigator and what was his significance?

He helped set the stage for the modern world by finding new trade routes, connecting various peoples, and beginning the process of European colonization and the transatlantic slave trade.

What is the Columbian Exchange?

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, humans, and ideas between the Old World and the New World following Christopher Columbus's voyages.

Name five items that were introduced from the New World to the Old World during the Columbian Exchange.

Maize (corn), potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, pumpkin.

Name five items that were introduced from the Old World to the New World during the Columbian Exchange.

Horses, cattle, wheat, rice, smallpox.

What were some of the impacts of European exploration on Native American groups?

Population declines, cultural disruptions, and shifts in power dynamics.

Describe the Triangular Trade system.

A system of trade that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving the exchange of goods and enslaved people.

What was mercantilism?

The economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances, which a government should encourage by means of protectionism.

Who was Amerigo Vespucci?

An Italian explorer, cartographer, and merchant who was the first to recognize the Americas as a separate continent.

What did Magellan's voyage prove?

That the world was round and could be circumnavigated by sea.

Who were the Conquistadors?

Spanish and Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with, and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania, and Asia during the Age of Discovery.

What is tight-packing?

The idea that more slaves, despite higher casualties, would yield a greater profit at the trading block.

What is loose-packing?

The idea that fewer slaves per ship in the hopes that a greater percentage of the cargo would arrive alive.

What is Outward Passage?

The first leg of a slaving voyage, where ships carrying goods from Europe to Africa would sail.

What is Middle Passage?

The stage of the Atlantic slave trade in which millions of Africans sold for enslavement were forcibly transported to the Americas as part of the triangular slave trade.

What is the Homeward Passage?

The voyage where ships returned to Europe, carrying goods from the Americas (like sugar, tobacco, and cotton) that were produced by enslaved people.

What is Forced Participation?

The coerced involvement of people in the transatlantic trade and colonization, particularly through the enslavement of Africans and the subjugation of indigenous populations in the Americas.

What happened to Roanoke?

The settlers disappeared, but the reason was never found, although several theories have been created.

What was the significance of Jamestown?

It was the first permanent English settlement in North America, established in 1607 in Virginia.

What was the result of Bacon's Rebellion regarding labor?

Landowners started replacing indentured servants with slaves, which are less likely to revolt and easier to handle, which is essentially a better investment

What is the difference between Puritans and Pilgrims?

Pilgrims were Separatists, meaning they believed the Church of England was beyond reform and should be abandoned entirely. Puritans sought to purify the Church from within

What event led to the unjust deaths of 20 individuals due to mass hysteria?

Salem Witch Trials

What were 3 colonial regions of the United States?

New England, Middle, and Southern.

What were some of the key principles of the Enlightenment?

Reason, individual liberty, and empirical evidence.

Who was Benjamin Franklin?

One of the most influential figures of the 18th century who played a vital role in shaping the American colonies' move toward independence.

What is an example of scientific reasoning?

Observation, experimentation, logic, and evidence to understand the natural world.

Name 3 reasons why the Revolutionary War started.

1. Taxation Without Representation 2. British Control Over Colonial Affairs 3. Boston Massacre (March 5, 1770)

What was significant about 1776?

The colonies formally broke from Britain on July 4, 1776, stating their right to self-rule.

Which battle led to French alliance during the Revolutionary war?

Saratoga (1777)

Which battle led to the Surrender of the British during the Revolutionary war?

Yorktown (1781)

What treaty ended the Revolutionary War?

Treaty of Paris (1783)