Early American History: Native Cultures, European Exploration, and Conquest

Canadian Shield

A large area of exposed Precambrian rock in Canada.

Appalachians

A mountain range in eastern North America.

Great glaciers

Massive ice formations that shaped geography by creating rivers, Great Lakes, and Plains.

The Great Ice Age

A period when glaciers covered large parts of North America.

Bering Sea Land Bridge

A land connection between Asia and North America that existed during the Ice Age.

Earliest Americans

People who arrived in the Americas between 11,000 and 35,000 years ago from Asia.

First Migration

The migration of people across the Berengia land bridge 9,000 years ago.

Second Migration

The migration of people by water 8,000 years ago, which brought the Navajos and Apaches.

Third Migration

The migration of people by water 5,000 years ago, which brought Eskimos (Aleuts and Inuits).

Cahokia

A large urban settlement with 40,000 residents located in western Illinois.

Three Sister Farming

An agricultural practice in the American Southeast involving the cultivation of beans, squash, and corn together.

Pre-Columbian time period

The era before European contact with the Americas.

Urban dwellers

People living in cities.

Nomadic hunter-gatherers

People who move frequently to hunt and gather food.

Maritime seafarers

People who travel by sea for trade or exploration.

Farming villages

Settlements primarily focused on agriculture.

Nation-states

Political entities characterized by a defined territory and a permanent population.

Indirect Discoverers of the New World

Groups such as Norse seafarers and Christian Crusaders who explored before Columbus.

Causes of Exploration: Crusades

Religious wars that created a demand for trade with the East.

Marco Polo

A traveler who lived in China for 17 years and wrote about its wealth and products.

Increased nautical technology

Advancements in maritime technology that facilitated exploration.

Motives for European Exploration

Factors driving Europeans to explore, including trade and religious expansion.

Renaissance

Curiosity about other lands and peoples.

Reformation

Refugees & missionaries.

Monarchs seeking new sources of revenue

Kings in Europe consolidate power and sought ways to increase wealth and allegiance to Crown.

Technological advances

Advancements that facilitated exploration.

Fame, fortune and destiny

Motivations driving explorers.

Gutenberg press

Made books, maps, scientific and technological ideas widely available.

Reconquista

Spanish unification and expulsion of Moors in 1492.

Nation States

Political entities where kings consolidated power.

Astrolabe

Instrument that told latitude (North-South).

Caravel

Ship design that allowed sailors to sail with or against wind.

Compass

Instrument that told direction.

The 3 G's

Political (GLORY), Economic (GOLD), Religious (GOD) motives for exploration.

Sub-Saharan civilizations

Civilizations in Africa that Europeans were aware of but had no contact.

Portuguese trading posts

Established on the coast beginning in the 1450s for gold and slaves.

Bartholomeu Dias

Rounded Africa in 1488.

Vasco da Gama

Reached India by going south of Africa in 1498.

Columbus' voyage

Funded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, left August 3, 1492, arrived October 12.

Taino, Arawak and Carib people

Indigenous groups that Columbus aimed to subjugate.

Conditions in Europe (1450)

Most Europeans were peasants with no rights and few possessions.

Christianity

Taught people had to be constantly on defense against temptations.

Limits on Economic Opportunity

Manorial obligations, guilds controlling trades, and primogeniture limiting inheritance.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of people, products and ideas between Old and New Worlds.

Effects of Exploration

Included expanded knowledge of world geography, growth of trade, mercantilism, capitalism, Indian conflicts, introduction of slavery, and the Columbian Exchange.

Economic Motive

Search for new trade routes with direct access to Asian/African luxury goods.

Religious Motive

Spread Christianity and weaken Middle Eastern Muslims.

First Land Sighted by Columbus

The first land sighted was in the Bahamas.

Hereditary Nobility

Men dominated society during this period.

Christianity's Role

Taught people had to be constantly on defense against temptations.

Primogeniture

Limited inheritance rights of land.

Intentional Spread

Intentional and unintentional spread of plants and animals.

Impact of Disease

Disease destroyed Native American cultures.

Horses and Guns

Changed methods of fighting and hunting in the Americas.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.

Encomienda

A system that allowed Spanish settlers to demand labor from Native Americans.

Conquistadores

Spanish soldiers who helped conquer and settle the Americas.

Aztecs Conquered

Conquered by Cortez in 1521.

Incas Conquered

Conquered by Pizarro in 1531.

St. Augustine

Founded in 1565 to protect Spanish treasure fleets.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Native American descent.

Explorers for Spain

Columbus, Magellan, and others who sought new territories.

Big 4 European Countries

Spain, England, France, and Portugal competed for control of the New World.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A treaty signed in 1494 that divided newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.

Hernan Cortes

Conquered the Aztec Empire and took control of modern-day Mexico in 1519.

Noche Triste

An event on June 30, 1520, when the Spanish were defeated by the Aztecs during their retreat.

Encomienda System

A Spanish practice of securing an adequate and cheap labor supply by granting land and control over Indian populations to conquistadors.

Peninsulares

Individuals of Spanish ancestry born in Spain.

Creoles

Individuals of Spanish ancestry born in the Americas.

Mulattos

Individuals of mixed Spanish and Black ancestry.

Ponce de Leon

Explored Florida in 1513 and 1521.

Francisco Coronado

Explored Arizona and New Mexico from 1540 to 1542.

Hernando de Soto

Explored from the Mississippi River to the Arkansas River from 1539 to 1542.

John Cabot

Explored Northeast America from 1497 to 1498.

Verranzano

Explored the Eastern US seaboard in 1524.

Cartier

Claimed Eastern Canada after reaching the St. Lawrence River in 1535.

Samuel de Champlain

Known as the 'Father of New France', established Quebec in 1608.

Pueblo Revolt of 1680

A revolt by Native Americans against the Catholic church.

The Black Legend

A term used to describe the negative portrayal of Spanish colonialism.

Cycle of Conquest & Colonization

The process by which European powers established permanent colonial empires.

Spanish Empire by the 1600s

Consisted of parts of North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands, and much of South America.

Battle of Acoma

A battle fought in 1599.

Monteuzuma

The Aztec emperor who believed Hernan Cortes was a god.

Aztec Empire

An empire conquered by Hernan Cortes in 1519.