Ap World Unit 4 Transoceanic Interconnection

Mercantilism

An economic theory that trade generates wealth, especially through a favorable balance of trade and accumulation of gold and silver by the state.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and diseases between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after 1492.

Joint-Stock Company

A business structure used by investors pooling resources for exploration and trade, sharing profits and risks; e.g., British East India Company.

Encomienda System

A labor system in the Spanish colonies granting colonists authority over Indigenous people in exchange for Christianizing them.

Triangular Trade

A transatlantic trading network among Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving slaves, cash crops, and manufactured goods.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea journey of enslaved Africans to the Americas, part of the triangular trade.

Creoles

People of European descent born in the Americas; a powerful social class in colonial Latin America.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious and cultural beliefs, often seen in colonial societies.

1492 – Columbus Reaches the Americas

Marks the beginning of sustained European contact with the Americas and the start of the Columbian Exchange.

Portuguese Maritime Empire Expands (1400s–1500s)

Portugal explored Africa, reached India via the Cape of Good Hope, and built trade-post empires along the coasts.

Spanish Conquest of Aztec and Inca Empires (Early 1500s)

Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs (1519), and Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca (1532), establishing Spanish rule in the Americas.

Founding of the British East India Company (1600)

A major force in expanding British influence and trade in Asia; part of broader European mercantilism.

Atlantic Slave Trade Intensifies (1600s–1700s)

Millions of Africans forcibly transported to the Americas; deeply shaped global economies and societies.

Tokugawa Japan’s Isolation (1630s)

Japan closed itself to most foreign trade and influence, maintaining internal stability through sakoku (closed country) policy.

What technological advances enabled long-distance sea voyages?

Compass, astrolabe, lateen sail, caravel, improved cartography, and wind/current knowledge.

How did cross-cultural interactions shape maritime technology?

Europeans adopted innovations from Muslims (astrolabe), Chinese (compass, rudder), and Indian Ocean traders (lateen sail).

Why did states sponsor maritime exploration?

To gain wealth (gold), spread religion (God), and gain prestige (glory).

Which European nations led early maritime exploration?

Portugal, Spain, followed by England, France, and the Netherlands.

What is mercantilism?

An economic system where governments sought to increase wealth by exporting more than they imported, using colonies for raw materials.

How did trade networks change between 1450 and 1750?

Shift from land-based (Silk Roads) to transoceanic networks like the Atlantic and Indian Ocean trade.

What labor systems developed in the Americas?

Encomienda, hacienda, chattel slavery, and indentured servitude.

Why did Europeans rely on African enslaved labor?

Indigenous populations declined due to disease; Africans were forcibly brought for plantation labor (especially sugar).

What was exchanged during the Columbian Exchange?

Crops, animals, people, technology, and disease between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas.

What were the effects of the Columbian Exchange?

Massive depopulation of Indigenous Americans (due to disease), population growth in Afro-Eurasia, global spread of crops like potatoes and corn.

Which empires were conquered by Europeans?

Aztec Empire (Cortés) and Inca Empire (Pizarro).

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

1494 agreement dividing the Americas between Spain (west) and Portugal (east).