Midterm Identification Terms-Full set

HIST 152 full set of terms

Columbian Exchange

refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, people and diseased between the Old and New worlds after Christopher Columbus’s voyages in 1492. It involved Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans and led to major demographic and ecological changes across the Atlantic worlds. This took place from the 15th century onward, centered around the Americas, Europe, and Africa. It is important because it transformed global populations, economies, and environments.

Conquistadores

Spanish soldiers and explorers who conquered vast American territories during the 16th century. They invaded areas such as the Aztec and Inca Empires in Mexico and Peru, seeking wealth and spreading Christianity. Their conquests were brutal and sparked the creation of colonial societies in Latin America. They are central to understanding European imperialism and indigenous resistance.

Encomienda & Hacienda

Systems were Spanish colonial labor systems in the Americas starting in the early 1500s, where settlers exploited Indigenous labor and later African slaves for agriculture and mining. These systems developed mostly in Mexico, Central, and South America, particularly on plantations and estates. They reveal how colonial power structures societies for economic gain. Their legacy shows the roots of inequality and racial hierarchies in Latin America.

Mestizo Society

Refers to the mixed-race populations, particularly in Spanish colonies, resulting from unions between Europeans and Indigenous peoples from the 16th century onward. This primarily occurred in Mexico and South America. Mestizos became a large social class in colonial hierarchies. the term is key to understanding cultural blending and social structures in colonial Latin America.

Manila Galleons

Spanish trading ships that sailed from the Philippines to Mexico from 1565 to 1815, linking Asia, the Americas, and Europe through global trade. They carried silver from the Americas to Asia and luxury goods like silk and spices in return. This route connected Spain’s colonies across the Pacific, centered in Manila and Acapulco. It illustrates the early globalization of commerce.

Silver

especially from mines in Potosí (modern Bolivia), became the foundation of global trade in the 16th-17th centuries. Spanish colonizers used forced Indigenous labor to extract silver, which funded European empires and fueled commerce with Asia. It played a critical role in the rise of capitalism and global economic integration. The silver trade helps explain the rise of European power and the exploitation of colonized peoples.

Atlantic Slave Trade

was the forced migration of over 12 million Africans to the Americas from the 16th-19th centuries, driven by European demand for plantation labor. It mainly affected West Africa, the Caribbean, and Brazil. Slaves were captured, sold, and transported through the brutal Middle Passage across the Atlantic. This trade was essential to the development of the Atlantic economy and caused the African diaspora, a global spread of African cultures and peoples.

Plantations

large agricultural estates often growing sugar, cotton, or tobacco, were established across the Caribbean and the Americas from the 16th century onward. These were operated through slave labor, first Indigenous and later African. Plantations generated immense wealth for European powers. Their significance lies in how they shaped global capitalism, race relations, and colonial economies.

Engenhos

were Portuguese sugar mills in colonial Brazil from the 16th century onward, relying heavily on enslaved African labor. These mills were central to Brazil’s economy and the global sugar trade. They were often deadly and harsh environments for laborers. Engenho show how colonial industries operated and contributed to European wealth.

Treaty of Tordesillas

was a 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal, dividing the non-European world between them along a meridian line west of the Cape Verde islands. It was negotiated by the Pope to prevent conflict over overseas claims. This treaty influenced colonization patters, giving Brazil to Portugal and the rest of the Americas to Spain. It’s key to understanding how European empires carved up the world.

Volta do Mar

was a navigational technique developed by Portuguese sailors in the 15th century that used wind and currents to sail from Africa or the Americas back to Europe. This method allowed successful oceanic voyages and shaped maritime exploration. It enabled the rise of European global empires. It’s important for understanding the technological foundations of global trade and empire.

Joint-Stock companies

Business ventures that pooled investors’ money to fund overseas colonization in the 17th-18th centuries. These companies operated across the Indian Ocean, Asia, and the Americas, often with governmental support. They laid the groundwork for modern capitalism and imperialism. Their structure made global trade and colonization profitable and sustainable.

Epidemic Diseases

such as small pox and measles devastated Indigenous populations in the Americas after European contact, beginning in the late 15th century. These diseases spread rapidly due to lack of immunity, killing millions. Epidemics helped Europeans conquer the Americas with less resistance. This is crucial to understanding the demographic collapse and cultural loss in colonized societies

Middle Passage

refers to the horrific sea voyage that enslaved Africans endured from West Africa to the Americas as part of the Atlantic slave trade. This journey, which occurred mainly between the 16th-19th centuries, resulted in the death of millions due to inhumane conditions. It was centered in the Atlantic Ocean and connected African ports with American plantations. It’s essential to understanding the brutality of the slave trade and the foundations of racialized labor systems.

African Diaspora

describes the global spread of African peoples and cultures due to forced migration through the Atlantic slave trade. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, millions of Africans were displaced to the Americas, Europe, and parts of Asia. The diaspora has had a lasting cultural, political, and demographic impact across the Atlantic world. It’s important for understanding the roots of modern racial diversity and cultural fusion.

Absolutist States/Absolute Monarchies

Governments where kings held centralized power. These developed across Europe as monarchs tried to control nobility and religion. They shaped European politics and led. To resistance movements. They contrast sharply with later constitutional states ore constitutional monarchies.

Capitalism

Began developing in early modern Europe, especially the 16-18th centuries, as trade, investments, and profit became central to economic systems. It emerged in places like the Netherlands and Britain. Capitalism changed how wealth was generated and distributed, encouraging global trade and colonization. It remains a dominant economic model today.

Thirty Years’ War

From 1618-1548, it was a devastating religious and political conflict fought mainly in the Holy Roman Empire (Germany). It involved Catholic and Protestant states and weakened European powers like Spain while strengthening France. The war caused massive destruction and population loss. It is important because it led to the Peace of Westphalia, which established the modern system of sovereign states.

Scientific Revolution

Occurred in Europe between the 16th-18th centuries, as people challenged traditional knowledge through observation and reason. It transformed understanding of the universe and laid the groundwork for modern science. It happened mainly in Western Europe, especially in Italy, England, and France. It reshaped intellectual life and helped spark the Enlightenment.