6 - AP World Vocab Packet 6 - European Exploration and the Atlantic Slave Trade

Queen Elizabeth I (Exploration, Europe)

Supported English exploration and privateering, helping England challenge Spain's dominance in the 16th century.

Philip II (Exploration, Europe)

From Spain and funded exploration and expansion while defending Catholic power during the age of exploration.

Queen Isabella & Ferdinand (Exploration, Europe)

From Spain and funded Columbus's voyage, initiating European colonization of the Americas.

Prince Henry the Navigator (Exploration, Europe)

From Portugal and sponsored early exploration along Africa's coast, advancing navigation and trade.

Spanish Armada (Exploration, Europe)

Spain's naval fleet defeated by England in 1588, marking the decline of Spanish maritime dominance.

Vasco Da Gama (Exploration, Europe)

Portuguese explorer who reached India by sea, linking Europe and Asia via the Cape of Good Hope.

Ferdinand Magellan (Exploration, Europe)

Led the first circumnavigation of the globe, proving the world's oceans were connected.

Christopher Columbus (Exploration, Europe)

His 1492 voyage opened European contact with the Americas, beginning transatlantic exchange.

Jacques Cartier (Exploration, Europe)

Explored the St. Lawrence River for France, laying the basis for French claims in Canada.

Francis Drake (Exploration, Europe)

An english privateer who circumnavigated the globe and raided Spanish holdings.

Conquistadors (Exploration, Europe)

Conquered empires in the Americas, bringing wealth and devastation through conquest.

Scientific Revolution (Exploration, Europe)

A European intellectual movement that applied reason and observation to study the natural world, laying the foundation for modern science.

Hernan Cortes (Exploration, Europe)

Led the conquest of the Aztec Empire, establishing Spanish dominance in Mexico.

Francisco Pizarro (Exploration, Europe)

Conquered the Inca Empire, bringing Peru under Spanish control.

Henry Hudson (Exploration, Europe)

Explored waterways in North America searching for a northwest passage to Asia.

Northwest Passage (Exploration, Europe)

A hoped-for sea route through North America to Asia, sought by explorers.

Dutch Trading Empire (Exploration, Europe)

A maritime trading empire in the 17th century, dominating Indian Ocean and Atlantic trade routes.

Java (Exploration, Southeast Asia)

Became a key base for Dutch expansion in Southeast Asia and control of the spice trade.

Circumnavigation (Exploration, Europe)

The complete sailing around the globe, first achieved by Magellan's expedition.

Caravel (Technology of Exploration, Europe)

Portuguese-designed ship with lateen sails, ideal for long voyages and ocean exploration.

Astrolabe (Technology of Exploration, Middle East)

Developed in the Islamic world and allowed sailors to calculate latitude using stars.

Compass (Technology of Exploration, East Asia)

Invented in China and enabled more accurate navigation during ocean voyages.

Galleons (Technology of Exploration, Europe)

Large Spanish ships used for transoceanic trade and transporting silver from the Americas.

Stern Mounted Rudder (Technology of Exploration, East Asia)

Invented in China and improved ship steering and maneuverability.

Lateen Sail (Technology of Exploration, Middle East)

Developed in the Mediterranean and allowed ships to sail effectively against the wind.

Carrack (Technology of Exploration, Europe)

A large European sailing ship used for exploration and long-distance trade.

Fluyt (Technology of Exploration, Europe)

A Dutch cargo ship designed for efficiency in ocean trade.

Cartography (Technology of Exploration, Europe)

Advanced during the Renaissance to support exploration and expansion. The science/practice of drawing maps.

Taino (Columbian Exchange, Caribbean)

Indigenous people of the Caribbean who were among the first to encounter Columbus.

Sugarcane (Columbian Exchange, South Asia)

Originated in Southeast Asia and became a major plantation crop in the Americas.

Cacao (Columbian Exchange, Latin America)

Native to Mesoamerica, was used to make chocolate, and spread globally through trade.

Columbian Exchange (Columbian Exchange, Europe)

The transfer of crops, animals, diseases, and peoples between the Old World and New World. (Focuses on environmental impact).

Maize (Columbian Exchange, Latin America)

First domesticated in Mesoamerica and became a staple crop worldwide (was introduced to the Old World).

Measles (Columbian Exchange, Europe)

An Old World disease that devastated indigenous populations in the Americas.

Smallpox (Columbian Exchange, Europe)

Spread from Europe to the Americas, killing millions of indigenous people.

Malaria (Columbian Exchange, Africa)

A disease that originated in Africa and spread into the Americas during the Columbian Exchange (mosquitos transmitted it).

Typhoid (Columbian Exchange, Europe)

A bacterial disease from Europe that spread to the Americas during contact (contaminated food/water or close contact).

Cholera (Columbian Exchange, South Asia)

A disease that originated in South Asia and spread globally, and to the Americas, through new trade routes (usually transmitted by bad/infected water and sometimes food).

Great Dying (Columbian Exchange, Americas)

The massive population decline/death of Native Americans due to Old World diseases.

Atlantic Slave Trade (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

A system that focused on selling slaves and known for forcibly transporting Africans to the Americas to work in plantations.

Middle Passage (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

The brutal ocean voyage that enslaved Africans endured to the Americas.

Plantation agriculture (Atlantic Slave Trade, Americas)

A type of farming that used enslaved African labor to mass-produce cash crops like sugar and tobacco.

Oyo Empire (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

A powerful West African state that participated in the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Triangle Trade (Atlantic Slave Trade, Europe)

Linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas in a system of goods and slaves exchange.

Mercantilist (Atlantic Slave Trade, Europe)

An economic policy where European nations controlled trade to maximize wealth from colonies.

Dahomey (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

Kingdom from West Africa that grew wealthy by trading enslaved people with Europeans, located in modern-day Benin.

Asante (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

Became a major participant in the Atlantic Slave Trade in West Africa, in now modern-day Ghana.

King Alfonso (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

King of Kongo that initially engaged with Portugal but resisted the destructive effects of the slave trade.

Olaudah Equiano (Atlantic Slave Trade, West Africa)

A formerly enslaved African who wrote an influential autobiography condemning slavery.

African Diaspora (Atlantic Slave Trade, Africa)

Refers to the spread of African peoples and culture across the Americas due to the slave trade.