key term

Black Legend

Spain’s negative reputation as bloodthirsty conquistadors during the Age of Exploration.

Calvinism

A branch of Protestantism started by John Calvin, highlighting human powerlessness before an omniscient God and emphasizing predestination.

Columbian Exchange

The movement of plants, animals, and diseases across the Atlantic as a result of European exploration of the Americas.

commodification

The transformation of something, such as an item of ritual significance, into a commodity with monetary value.

encomienda

Legal rights granted by the Spanish crown to use native labor.

Hispaniola

The Caribbean island, present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where Columbus established a Spanish colony on his first voyage.

indulgences

Documents for purchase that absolved sinners of their errant behavior.

joint stock company

A business entity where investors provide capital and assume risks to reap significant returns.

mercantilism

The economic principle advocating that nations should control trade with colonies for a favorable balance of trade.

mourning wars

Raids or wars waged by tribes in eastern North America to replace members lost to smallpox and other diseases.

Pilgrims

Separatists, led by William Bradford, who founded the first English settlement in New England.

privateers

Sea captains authorized by the British government to raid Spanish ships.

probanza de mérito

A letter written by a Spanish explorer to the crown to gain royal patronage, serving as proof of merit.

Protestant Reformation

The schism in Catholicism that began with Martin Luther and John Calvin in the early sixteenth century.

Puritans

Religious reformers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries aiming to 'purify' the Church of England from Catholic practices.

Roanoke

The first English colony in Virginia that mysteriously disappeared between 1587 and 1590.

Separatists

A faction of Puritans advocating complete separation from the Church of England.

smallpox

A disease brought to the New World by Europeans, killing millions of Native Americans who lacked immunity.

sugarcane

One of the primary crops of the Americas, requiring significant labor to cultivate.