P2 Old Imperialism ID

Christopher Columbus

sponsored by Spanish monarchs (Isabella and Ferdinand), he mistakenly arrived at the Americas when his original purpose was to find a new route to India for spice trade (1492); this event sparked a beginning to Columbian Exchange

Columbian Exchange

the widespread exchange of different goods, ideas and diseases between the Old World and the New World

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors; Spanish conquests of the Americas

Smallpox

a disease that spread through the respiratory system; wiped out most of the indigenous population because Europeans had immunity to this disease; one of the greatest demographic disease in history

Encomienda

a very brutal and harsh coercive labor system established by the Spanish that used native Americans for access to gold and other resources

Transatlantic slave trade

trading of slaves from Africa to the Americas (across the Atlantic Ocean); greatly influenced Africa, American colonies, and Europe (mother countries) whether good or bad

Hernan Cortes

a Spanish conquistador, with the help of Aztec's conquered people and smallpox, took over the Aztecs (1519), and founded New Spain

Francisco Pizarro

a Spanish conquistador who captured the Incan ruler, Atahualpa, and demanded a ransom (a large room filled with gold) in exchange; however, the Spanish killed Atahualpa anyways

Treaty of Tordesillas

(1494) a treaty between Portugal and Spain that divided the Americas among them; Spain took most of the Americas while the Portuguese were given Brazil; this was an intentional effect considering that the Pope, who issued this treaty, was of Spanish birth

Viceroy

a "governor" who ruled administrative divisions in the New World; direct representatives of monarch

Audiencias

Board of 12~15 judges who served as advisors to the viceroy; highest judicial body; royal courts which Spanish settlers could appeal the viceroys' decisions or policies

Creoles

Spaniards who were born in the Americas who enjoyed political dominance in New Spain; by the 1750s, they started to clamor for independence from the Spanish throne.

Peninsulares

a population who were born in the Iberian peninsula; stood on top of the new social hierarchy created in the New World as new populations started to flood the Western Hemisphere

Castas

people of mixed-race ancestry who were below the Peninsulares and the Creoles

Mestizos

those of mixed European and indigenous ancestry; top of the castas

Mulattoes

those of mixed European and African ancestry; below the Mestizos in the New World social hierarchy

Zambos

those of mixed indigenous and African ancestry; however, they were not at the very bottom of the hierarchy with the indigenous population and enslaved African population being at the very bottom

Jacques Cartier

(1535) looking to find a new route to Asia, this French explorer sailed from the Atlantic Ocean to St. Lawrence River; he claimed what is now Canada for France

New France

the French rarely settled and had good relations with the indigenous population; this French colony in North America was only of 70,000 people by 1754

John Cabot

an English explorer sent by the king to find a northwest passage in the Americas; claimed lands from Newfoundland south to the Chesapeake Bay

Jamestown

(1607) the first permanent English settlement in the North America; the settlement and the river it was located in was named after the English monarch at the time

London Company

a joint-stock company headquartered in England that owned Jamestown; as many people died out in Jamestown, they started to replace dead colonists by offering new settlers a free voyage to America

Tobacco

a native plant grown by several tribes of American Indians, which was profitable for Jamestown; by 1620, colonists grew high-quality tobacco (was in high demand in Europe) and Jamestown started to prosper

Indentured servitude

a labor system where someone who contracted to work for an employer without pay for a set number of years in exchange for certain thing (ex: passage to America); was more common in northern English colonies since African enslavement was more profitable

Henry Hudson

a Dutch explorer who was sent to explore the East Coast of North America; he eventually sailed up to Hudson River to see if it led to Asia (northwest passage); using this knowledge, the Dutch set a town called New Amsterdam on the island of Manhattan

Sunni Ali

(1464) the first ruler of the Songhay Empire; conquered territories on both sides of the Niger River, creating the Songhay Empire

Vasco da Gama

(1498) a Portuguese explorer who invaded the Swahili city-states of East Africa; he is also known for being the first to sail from Europe to India by going around the Cape of Good Hope

Triangular Trade

a complex global trading system based on a trade cycle with three "legs" between the Americas, Africa, and Europe; Europe gave manufactured goods to Africa, Africa provided slaves to the Americas, and the Americas provided raw materials to Europe

Barracoons

"slave castles"; a holding prison for slaves in West Africa before they were sent to the Americas for enslavement

Middle Passage

the journey across the Atlantic slaves had to go through; many slaves died during these voyages because of harsh conditions of the ship; many captives planned a rebellion only for them to be crushed

African Diaspora

dispersion of Africans out of Africa; enslaved Africans managed to retain certain aspects of their cultures in their new environments

Creole (language)

a new language created from a combination of European languages and West African languages; dominant language in the Caribbean islands still up to this date; (ex: Gullah, Geechee)

polygyny

this social practice increased greatly in Africa because so many male captives (compared to females) were taken to the Americas (depopulation of males in the area)

Abolition

Movement to end slavery; many political and social changes in Europe (especially Great Britain) led to this; Enlightenment philosophers during this time also greatly advocated this with Enlightenment ideals

St. Dominigue

the first country/colony to end slavery in the Americas; led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, this French colony was overthrown by slaves and officially put an end to slavery