UNIT 4: TRANSOCEANIC INTERCONNECTIONS (1450–1750)

Maritime Empires

Empires built through naval power and sea trade; shifted global power toward Europe.

Astronomical Charts

Star maps used for navigation; improved long-distance ocean travel.

Fluyt

A Dutch cargo ship designed for efficiency; strengthened Dutch trade dominance.

Cartography

The science of mapmaking; improved navigation and exploration.

Mercantilism

An economic system focused on accumulating wealth; justified state control of economies.

Trading Post Empire

An empire based on controlling trade routes; used by Portugal.

Prince Henry the Navigator

A Portuguese royal sponsoring exploration; advanced navigation.

Galleons

Large European ships for trade and warfare; enabled transoceanic trade.

Christopher Columbus

Explorer sailing for Spain; initiated European contact with the Americas.

Northwest Passage

A sought-after sea route through North America; motivated exploration.

Henry Hudson

An explorer searching for the Northwest Passage; expanded European knowledge.

New Amsterdam

A Dutch trading colony (New York); major commercial hub.

Smallpox

A deadly disease brought to the Americas; devastated Indigenous populations.

Conquistadors

Spanish conquerors of the Americas; used weapons, disease, and alliances.

Cash Crops

Crops grown for profit; increased demand for enslaved labor.

African Diaspora

The forced movement of Africans; spread African culture globally.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of goods, people, and diseases; transformed global societies.

Maize

A staple American crop; increased global population.

Slave Trade

The forced transport of Africans; reshaped demographics and economies.

Francisco Pizarro

Conqueror of the Inca Empire; expanded Spanish control.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system with fixed-term contracts; used before widespread slavery.

Encomienda System

A Spanish labor system exploiting Indigenous peoples.

Coercive Labor

Forced labor systems supporting imperial economies.

Atahualpa

Last Incan ruler; his capture ended the empire.

Hispaniola

First major Spanish colony; center of early colonization.

Chattel Slavery

A system where enslaved people were property for life; racially based.

Hacienda System

Large agricultural estates; concentrated land and wealth.

Middle Passage

The transatlantic journey of enslaved Africans; extremely deadly.

Commercial Revolution

A period of economic growth from global trade; empowered merchants.

East India Company

English trading company dominating Asian trade.

Monopoly

Exclusive control of trade; increased profits.

Creoles

Europeans born in the Americas; later led independence movements.

Viceroy

A ruler governing a colony for a monarch.

Joint-Stock Company

A business with shared investment; reduced risk.

Triangular Trade

A trade system linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Vodun

A syncretic religion blending African and Christian beliefs.

Metacom's War

A conflict between English colonists and Native Americans; expanded English control.

Pueblo Revolt

A successful Indigenous uprising against Spanish rule.

Maroon Wars

Conflicts between colonial powers and escaped enslaved communities.

Harem

Elite household for women in Islamic societies; reinforced patriarchy.

Zambos

People of African and Indigenous ancestry; lowest caste.

Peninsulares

Europeans born in Iberia; highest colonial status.

Mestizos

Mixed European and Indigenous ancestry; middle social status.

Mulattoes

Mixed European and African ancestry; faced discrimination.

Casta System

A racial hierarchy in Spanish colonies; institutionalized inequality.