AP World-- Colonialism, trade, etc

Who conquered the Aztec Empire and when?

Hernan Cortes, 1519–1521; used guns, horses, alliances, and smallpox

Who conquered the Inca Empire and when?

Francisco Pizaro 1532; captured Atahualpa, used similar methods as Cortés

Who was the Portuguese prince who sponsored early maritime exploration along Africa?

Prince Henry the Navigator; exploration, trading posts, navigation schools

Who led the Great Puritan Migration to Massachusetts Bay?

John Winthrop; 1630; “City upon a Hill” (example city) vision

Who resisted Portuguese colonization in Angola?

Queen Nzinga; fought 17th century; preserved independence of Ndongo and Matamba

Who was the Jesuit missionary in Ming China?

Matteo Ricci; blended Christianity with Confucianism, spread European knowledge

When did Columbus reach the Caribbean?

1492; funded by Spain, thought he reached Asia

What was the treaty dividing the world between Spain and Portugal?

Treaty of Tordesillas; 1494; Pope Alexander VI, line of demarcation

When did Puritans begin emigrating to America?

1620–1630; religious freedom, escape persecution

When did Spanish galleons start connecting Mexico to the Philippines?

1565; carried silver to Asia and luxury goods back

When did Europe experience inflation due to New World silver?

16th century (1500s); caused social/economic strain

What were the main motives for European exploration?

God (religion), Glory (prestige), Gold (wealth)

What type of empire controlled ports but not large inland territories?

Trading-post empire; Portugal and Dutch; taxed ships, controlled trade routes

Who dominated Indian Ocean trade before Europeans?

Asian merchants: Gujaratis, Arabs, Swahili, Javanese; Europeans only controlled ports

What business model allowed investors to fund voyages while sharing risk?

Joint-stock company; VOC (Dutch), British East India Company

What economic policy aimed to maximize exports and use colonies for resources?

Mercantilism; export > import; colonies provide raw materials and exclusive markets

What system forced Indigenous labor in Spanish colonies?

Encomienda; landowners could demand tribute/labor from Native Americans

Which labor system was adapted from the Inca?

Mita / Repartimiento; mine labor; especially Potosí silver mines

What were large Spanish estates in the Americas?

Hacienda; produced crops for local consumption or trade

What was the caste system in Spanish America?

Social hierarchy; Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattoes, Zambos

Why was silver important globally?

Silver trade; Potosí & Mexico; flowed to China and Europe; became global currency

Why did China require silver?

China’s silver demand; Single Whip Tax; taxed in silver only; connected global economy

What goods went between Old and New World?

Columbian Exchange; Europe → Americas: horses, pigs, wheat, smallpox; Americas → Europe/Asia: potatoes, corn, chocolate, tobacco

What were key plantation products?

Cash crops; sugar, tobacco, cotton, indigo, coffee

Describe the triangular trade network.

Atlantic System / Triangular Trade; Europe → Africa: goods; Africa → Americas: enslaved people; Americas → Europe: raw materials

What is cultural blending from trade and colonization?

Syncretism; African + European + Indigenous religions; Jesuit blending in China

What caused Indigenous population decline in the Americas?

Population collapse; diseases like smallpox, measles; warfare

What crops from the Americas increased populations elsewhere?

Population growth; potatoes, corn, cassava → Europe and China

Who resisted European colonization?

Resistance movements; Queen Nzinga, Pueblo Revolt (1680), Maroon communities

Why did Europe begin exploring in 1450–1500?

Global context; overland trade routes blocked by Ottomans; Renaissance curiosity; monarchs seeking wealth and power

How did Spain conquer the Americas?

Sequence of conquest; exploration → conquest (Aztec/Inca) → colonial labor systems → silver extraction → global trade

How did silver connect continents?

Silver & global economy; mined in Americas → traded in Manila → bought Chinese goods → shipped to Europe; fueled global trade

Why were Manila Galleons important?

Manila Galleons significance; linked Spanish America to Asia; transported silver → luxury goods; early globalization

Why did inflation occur in Europe?

Price Revolution cause & effect; influx of American silver + population growth → higher prices; hurt peasants, helped merchants