Native American Societies and European Exploration

Set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, terms, and definitions related to Native American societies and European exploration.

Key Concept 1.1

As native populations migrated and settled across North America, they developed distinct societies by adapting to their environments.

Mayan civilization

A highly organized society that created advanced calendars and carried on extensive trade.

Incan Empire

An empire known for its complex society and agricultural innovations, particularly with potatoes.

Aztec Empire

A civilization that had a stable food supply through corn cultivation and complex social structures.

Semi-permanent settlements

Living arrangements for most North American natives, characterized by small groups and seasonal migration.

Great Plains tribes

Nomadic hunters and sedentary farmers who utilized every part of the buffalo for survival.

Iroquois Confederation

A political union of five tribes in Mohawk Valley that dominated the region from the 16th century.

Hohokam culture

An ancient southwest culture known for their farming techniques using irrigation.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of goods, ideas, and populations between the Americas and the rest of the world after 1492.

Europeans learned from natives

New agricultural products like beans, corn, potatoes, and tobacco.

New World diseases

Epidemics such as smallpox and syphilis introduced to and from the Americas, devastating populations.

Spanish Exploration

Led to the conquest of the Aztecs by Hernan Cortes and the Incas by Francisco Pizarro.

Encomienda system

A Spanish labor system granting colonists the right to demand labor from Native Americans.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

A Spanish advocate for Native American rights who opposed the encomienda system.

Valladolid Debate

A debate over the treatment of Native Americans in the Spanish colonies, centered on justice and humanity.

French settlement

Initial establishment of trading posts and relationships with Native Americans for fur trading.

Dutch West India Company

The company that controlled Dutch economic interests in the Americas, including fur trading ports.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement sanctioned by the pope splitting the land claimed by Spain and Portugal.

Political causes of exploration

European monarchs sought to expand power and territories through overseas exploration.

Economic causes of exploration

The pursuit of wealth through resources and trade routes prompted European nations to explore.

Social causes of exploration

Religious motives included the desire to spread Christianity and convert Indigenous peoples.

Atlantic Slave Trade

The trade of enslaved Africans to work in the Americas, particularly on plantations.

Iroquois power

The Iroquois Confederation emerged as a powerful entity throughout the colonial period.

Spanish policies towards Native Americans

Included a rigid class system and exploitation leading to significant population reduction of natives.

Cahokia settlement

The largest urban settlement in prehistoric North America, located near present-day St. Louis.

Native American adaptations

Tribes modified their cultures and societies based on interaction with European settlers.

Cultural exchange

The mutual influence of Native American and European customs, ideas, and practices.

Fall of indigenous societies

Many Native American groups lost political power and autonomy with European colonization.

Agricultural innovations

Methods developed by Native Americans, such as the three sisters planting technique (corn, beans, squash).

Eastern Woodland societies

Tribes that developed complex political systems like the Iroquois Confederation based on agriculture and trade.

Impact of guns on tribes

European firearms changed Native American hunting and warfare techniques.

Conflicts over land usage

Differences in land ownership concepts led to clashes between Native peoples and European settlers.

Longhouses

Structures used by Woodland tribes, particularly the Iroquois, as communal living spaces.

Spanish puerto system

A system where Spain used its colonies in the Americas to expand its economic and military power.

Economic competition

Struggles among European nations to control trade routes and resources in the New World.

Indigenous population decline

The impact of disease and violence led to a dramatic reduction of Native American populations.