European Colonization: Causes, Effects, and Key Terms in the Americas

Colonization

The process of one country taking control of another land and settling there

Old World

Europe, Asia, and Africa before contact with the Americas

New World

The Americas after European exploration and colonization

Peninsulare

A person born in Spain who lived in the colonies; highest social class

Creole

A person of Spanish descent born in the Americas

Mestizo

A person of mixed European and Native American ancestry

Encomienda

A Spanish labor system that forced Native Americans to work for Spanish landowners

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Old World and New World

Joint-Stock Companies

Businesses funded by investors who shared profits and risks of colonization

Mercantilism

An economic system where countries gained wealth by controlling trade and colonies

Favorable Balance of Trade

Exporting more goods than importing in order to gain wealth

Internal Slavery

Slavery that existed within African societies before European involvement

External Slavery

The selling of enslaved Africans to people outside Africa, especially Europeans

Atlantic Slaving System

The trade network that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas

Middle Passage

The brutal journey enslaved Africans endured across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas

Political Cause of Colonization

European countries wanted more power, land, and stronger empires

Economic Cause of Colonization

Europeans wanted gold, silver, raw materials, and trade profits

Social Cause of Colonization

Europeans wanted land, opportunity, and to spread Christianity

Why Europeans conquered the Americas

Advanced weapons, horses, disease, alliances with Native groups, and desire for wealth and power

Impact of Colonization on Native Americans

Loss of land, disease, forced labor, and destruction of empires like the Aztec and Inca

Impact of Colonization on Africa

Increased slave trade, population loss, and political instability

Impact of Colonization on Europe

Increased wealth, stronger economies, expanded trade, and greater global power

Aztec Empire

A powerful civilization in present-day Mexico conquered by Hernán Cortés

Inca Empire

A powerful civilization in South America conquered by Francisco Pizarro

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers and soldiers who conquered lands in the Americas

Smallpox

A deadly European disease that killed millions of Native Americans

Mercantilism and Colonies

Colonies existed to provide wealth and resources to the mother country

Purpose of Joint-Stock Companies

To fund colonies and voyages by sharing risks and profits among investors

Reason for African Slavery

Europeans wanted cheap labor for plantations in the Americas

Spread of Christianity

Europeans attempted to convert Native Americans to Christianity

Alliance with Native Americans

Some Native groups helped Europeans fight rival tribes and empires

Advanced European Technology

Guns, steel weapons, ships, and horses gave Europeans military advantages