Exploration and Colonization of America

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the exploration and colonization of America, including important figures, events, and cultural shifts.

Amerigo Vespucci

Italian explorer who made several trips along the Southern Coast of the Western Hemisphere and wrote descriptions of the 'new world', leading to it being named America.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish explorer and conqueror known for his role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire in the New World.

Montezuma

The Aztec emperor who believed Hernan Cortes was the returning god Quetzalcoatl.

Smallpox

A disease brought by European explorers that devastated the indigenous populations in the Americas.

Saint Augustine

The first permanent European settlement in North America, founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565.

Mayflower Compact

A document signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, establishing a framework for self-governance in the New World.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England from Catholic practices and established settlements in America.

Roger Williams

A Puritan minister who advocated for religious freedom and founded the colony of Rhode Island after being banished from Massachusetts.

Quakers

Members of the Society of Friends, a religious group founded by William Penn, promoting equality and pacifism.

The Great Awakening

A religious revival in the 18th century that emphasized personal faith and led to the establishment of new colleges in America.

Amerigo Vespucci

Italian explorer who made several trips along the Southern Coast of the Western Hemisphere and wrote descriptions of the 'new world', leading to it being named America.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish explorer and conqueror known for his role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire in the New World.

Montezuma

The Aztec emperor who believed Hernan Cortes was the returning god Quetzalcoatl.

Smallpox

A disease brought by European explorers that devastated the indigenous populations in the Americas.

Saint Augustine

The first permanent European settlement in North America, founded by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565.

Mayflower Compact

A document signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, establishing a framework for self-governance in the New World.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England from Catholic practices and established settlements in America.

Roger Williams

A Puritan minister who advocated for religious freedom and founded the colony of Rhode Island after being banished from Massachusetts.

Quakers

Members of the Society of Friends, a religious group founded by William Penn, promoting equality and pacifism.

The Great Awakening

A religious revival in the 18th century that emphasized personal faith and led to the establishment of new colleges in America.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, established in Virginia in 1607.

John Rolfe

English settler credited with cultivating tobacco in Virginia, which became vital to the economic survival of the Jamestown colony.

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia in 1619.

William Penn

An English Quaker who founded the colony of Pennsylvania, intended as a haven for religious tolerance and peaceful relations with Native Americans.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea route used to forcibly transport enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, central to the Triangular Trade.

Triangular Trade

An transatlantic trading network involving the exchange of manufactured goods, enslaved Africans, and raw materials between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, utilizing the Middle Passage.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Considered the first written constitution in North America, adopted by the Connecticut Colony in 1639, establishing a democratic government.

Mercantilism

An economic system where colonies provided raw materials and acted as markets for finished goods, designed to maximize the wealth and power of the European mother country.

Bacon's Rebellion

An armed revolt in 1676 by Virginia settlers, led by Nathaniel Bacon, against Governor William Berkeley's administration, largely concerning frontier defense policies.