Chapter 1 Study Guide — Exploration & Colonization

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on key exploration terms, English settlements, Spanish/French explorers, and West African kingdoms.

Animism

The belief that all natural objects (animals, plants, rocks, rivers, etc.) have souls or spirits, common among many Native American groups.

Starving Time

The winter of 1609–1610 in Jamestown, when famine, disease, and conflict with the Powhatan reduced the population from roughly 500 to about 60.

House of Burgesses

Established in 1619 in Virginia, this was the first representative (elected) government in America, allowing colonists to elect representatives to make laws.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea voyage across the Atlantic Ocean transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas as the middle leg of the triangular trade route.

Conquistadores

Spanish soldier-explorers (such as Coronado, de Soto, Cortés, and Pizarro) who conquered Native American civilizations in search of land, gold, and glory.

Vikings

Norse seafarers who reached Iceland and Greenland around 1000 AD; Leif Erikson led an expedition to North America (Vinland, likely Newfoundland) roughly 500 years before Columbus.

Sea Dogs

English sailor-privateers (government-approved pirates), such as Sir Francis Drake, who raided Spanish treasure ships returning from the Americas.

Powhatan Indians

A confederacy of Native American tribes located near Jamestown, Virginia, led by Chief Powhatan.

Indentured Servant

A person who agreed to work for a colonist for a set term (usually 4–7 years) in exchange for passage to the colonies, food, and shelter, gaining freedom upon completion.

Estebanico

An enslaved African explorer who arrived with a 1527 Spanish expedition, survived a shipwreck, and explored the Gulf Coast and Southwest in the 1530s searching for Cíbola.

Jamestown

Founded in May 1607 in the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia, it was the first permanent English colony in America.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of the West African empire of Mali famous for immense wealth; his 1324 pilgrimage to Mecca distributed so much gold it caused inflation in the regions he passed through.

Croatan Indians

A Native American tribe living near Roanoke Island; the name 'CROATOAN' was carved into a post at the abandoned Roanoke settlement.

Sir Francis Drake

Famous English sea dog nicknamed 'El Draque' ('the Dragon') by the Spanish, whose raids on treasure ships helped provoke Spain to send the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Sir Walter Raleigh

English nobleman who sponsored the Roanoke colonies and named the surrounding territory 'Virginia' in honor of Queen Elizabeth I.

Caravel

A fast ship design used by Spanish explorers during the Age of Exploration.

Astrolabe

A navigation instrument used at sea to determine position by lining up stars with the horizon.

Christopher Columbus

Genoa-born Italian explorer who sailed for Spain, landed in the Bahamas in 1492, mistakenly called native inhabitants 'Indians', and enslaved native populations.

Amerigo Vespucci

Italian explorer who was the first to argue that the land discovered by Columbus was not Asia but a 'New World'; America was named in his honor.

Francisco Coronado

Spanish explorer who traveled north from Mexico into the American Southwest searching for the Seven Cities of Gold (Cíbola) and encountered Pueblo Indian villages.

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer who explored southeastern North America and became the first European to reach the Mississippi River in 1541.

Pedro Menéndez de Avilés

Spanish explorer who founded St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565, making it the oldest permanent city in the United States.

Juan Ponce de León

First European to explore Florida in 1513, naming it 'La Florida' while searching for riches and glory.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who claimed the St. Lawrence River region for France in 1534.

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who traveled down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the entire river basin for France and naming it Louisiana after King Louis XIV.

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer of the Great Lakes region who founded Quebec City in 1608.

Spanish Armada

A massive invasion fleet sent by King Philip II of Spain in 1588 to conquer England; it was defeated by English tactics and severe storms.

John White

Governor of the 1587 Roanoke colony whose return with supplies was delayed until 1590, only to find the colony had completely disappeared.

John Smith

Leader of Jamestown who enforced a strict 'no work, no food' policy, maintained stability, and established initial ties with the Powhatan.

Lord De La Warr

Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr; new governor who arrived in Jamestown in spring 1610 with fresh supplies and leadership to rebuild the colony.

Pocahontas

Daughter of Chief Powhatan who aided Jamestown colonists, was kidnapped in 1613, converted to Christianity taking the name Rebecca, and married John Rolfe.

Ghana

The earliest major West African empire, which grew wealthy primarily through the gold and salt trade.

Mali

West African empire that rose after Ghana's decline, renowned for its extraordinary wealth under ruler Mansa Musa.

Songhai

West African empire that succeeded Mali and became heavily involved in both trans-Saharan and transatlantic slave trade.