unit 4 social studies flashcards

Amerigo Vespucci

The explorer who the americas are named after

Prince Henry the navigator

Portuguese Royal who sponsored early voyages and navigation schools

Vasco da Gama

first European to reach India by sailing around Africa

Ferdinand Magellan

Led the first exploration to circumnavigate the globe

Hernan Cortes

Conquered the Aztec empire

Francisco Pizarro

Conquered the Inca empire

Conquistador

Spanish term for conqueror (soldiers/explorers)

3 G’s

The main motivations of exploration god glory and gold

Colombian exchange

The global exchange of plants animals and diseases between old and new worlds

Middle passage

The brutal sea voyage bringing enslaved Africans to the americas

Triangular trade

The trade network connecting Europe Africa and the America’s

Merchantilism

Economic theory that colonies existed to enrich the mother country

What was the main purpose of exploration

To find new trade routes and achieve the 3 G’s

Where in Africa were most slaves from

West and west central Africa

What country imported the most slaves

Brazil

What country began European exploration

Portugal

Why did African slavery begin

To meet the labor shortage on American cash crop plantations

Who sold African slaves to the Europeans

Powerful African kingdoms and local merchants

What were new weapon advancements at this time

Gunpowder weapons like cannons and muskets and steel armor and swords

Why were humans sacrificed in early American civilizations

To appease the gods and ensure order

Worst consequence of exploration

Massive death toll of natives from European diseases

Why was exploration possible during this time

Advancements in ship design (carvel) and navigation (sextant astrolabe compass etc)

What major European countries participated

Portugal,Spain,England,France,Netherlands

How were natives generally treated

Brutally enslaved exploited for labor and displaced from their land

How did populations change

Native Americans plummeted (up to 90% dead) and African and European populations grew in the americas

What were 3 major differences in how the Europeans treated the natives vs how the Spanish did

the three major differences between Spanish and English colonization lay in their primary goals, their approach to native Americans, and the level of royal control. The Spanish focus on extracting, gold and silver and converting the natives often using them for forced labor and leaving to coastal integration. Conversely, the English prioritize establishing settlement and agriculture, the economy, largely excluding and displacing Native Americans. Finally Spanish colonies were govern directly by the crown and strictly by the English colonies, developed a greater degree of local self governance.

How did European diseases impact Native American populations during colonization

Diseases like smallpox, measles, influenza were new to the America. Native people had no acquired immunity. This resulted in devestating mortality rates and populations plummeting up to 90% in some regions. This massive death toll and resulting social chaos destroyed native leadership and traditional structures. Ultimately the collapse weakened native resistance and made it much easier for Europeans to conquer and control the Americas.