Social studies final - chapter 2

Amerigo Vespucci:

An explorer that a German mapmaker named America after

Northwest Passage:

A water route through the Americas to Asia. Europeans wanted a direct, safe and faster way from Europe to Asia so they could trade. This passage was a major goal of European exploration.

New Netherlands:

Colony started by the Dutch and later taken over by the English - present day New York

Caravel:

Newer vessel/ship used for longer voyages, was sturdier, had a triangular sail so allowed ships to sail into the wind, carried more cargo than other ships and had an instrument (sextant)that could determine latitude and longitude, had shallow draft that allowed it to explore closer to the shore.

Spanish Armada:

A fleet of 132 Spanish warships that were sent to England but they were defeated by the British. The British defeat meant other European countries were no longer afraid to confront Spain and allowed them to settle North America

Colombian Exchange:

The exchange of goods, ideas and diseases between Europe and New World. (Europe, Asia, and Africa were exchanging plants, animals, goods, ideas, and diseases with the Americas).

Slavery in the New World:

The Spanish, Dutch, and other European powers stopped using Native Americans slaves because they killed too easily by disease and began using African American slaves because they had immunities to European diseases

Spanish exploration impact on Native Americans:

Spanish exploration completely changed life in the Americas. Native American land and civilizations were conquered, NA civilizations were eliminated, they destroyed NA culture, they enslaved NA's and diseases killed them. Positives were that it started a massive exchange of animals, food and technologies. (they got sheep cattle and horses)

Comparative Cultures: Aztec vs. Maya

Aztec

Emperor

Tenochtitlan - capital city

floating gardens - to grow food on top of lakes

BOTH

writing system

priests and temples

calendar

Maya

had City-States

no capital city

focused on math/science - Number zero

used slash and burn agriculture

European Exploration Goals:

Aimed to spread Christianity, find new sources of wealth, and expand empires. They wanted a short cut to Asia, to convert people to Christianity (started with Spanish sending Catholic priests to build churches) and claim the most land.

Treaty of Tordesillas

An agreement between Spain and Portugal that settled land claims in the New World. It revised and changed land ownership according to the old line of demarcation. In 1493 Pope Alexander VI ordered a line of demarcation(an imaginary line that reached from the north pole to the south pole and cut through Atlantic ocean ) Spain was to control all land west of line, and Portugal control all land east of the line. Portugal thought Spain had more land so they objected, and they came up with this treaty that moved the line more west to be more fair and the treaty was signed in 1494.

Northwest passage

major goal of European exploration