AP World History - Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections

What was the Middle Passage?

The route that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas; part of the Triangular Trade.

What was the impact of the Columbian Exchange on Native Americans?

Massive population decline due to diseases like smallpox and influenza.

Which European countries led the early Age of Exploration?

Spain and Portugal.

Name two technologies that helped European exploration.

Astrolabe, caravel, compass, lateen sails, cartography, knowledge of wind patterns/ocean currents.

What was mercantilism?

Economic system where countries competed to accumulate wealth, mainly gold and silver.

What was the casta system?

Social hierarchy in Latin America; more European ancestry = higher status.

Name the three major labor systems that exploited Native Americans.

Encomienda, Hacienda, Mita.

What is chattel slavery?

Africans were treated as property for life, mostly working on cash crops.

What were the main cash crops produced by enslaved Africans in the Americas?

Sugar, tobacco, cotton.

How did African societies in Africa suffer due to the slave trade?

Loss of people, possessions, cities collapsed, and severe gender imbalance occurred.

Give an example of religious syncretism in the Americas.

Voodoo, Santería (blend of African and Christian beliefs).

Why did Europeans explore the Atlantic?

Spread Christianity and find a shorter trade route to Asia.

What is the Encomienda system?

Spanish granted land + Native labor for cash crops

What is the Hacienda system?

Large estates producing goods using Native labor

What is the Mita system?

Used Native labor for mining, especially in Peru.

How were enslaved Africans treated?

Harsh labor, no rights, lifelong property

Why were Africans preferred as slaves over Native Americans?

Natives died from disease and were familiar with the land, Africans were more resistant.

Who was at the top of the Casta system?

Europeans/white ancestry.

Who was at the bottom of the Casta system?

Africans and Native Americans.

What religious changes occurred due to exploration?

Christianity spread, blended with African and Native religions.

How did Native Americans lose wealth?

Europeans took resources and land.

How did Europeans become wealthy from exploration?

Gold, silver, and cash crops from colonies.

What goods went from Europe to Africa?

Manufactured goods.

What goods went from Africa to the Americas?

Enslaved Africans (Middle Passage)

What goods went from Americas to Europe?

Raw materials and cash crops.

Why was the Triangular Trade profitable?

Each leg of trade generated wealth for merchants and countries.

How did the Triangular Trade affect African populations?

Depopulation, social disruption, gender imbalance.

What was the Middle Passage mortality rate?

About 15–20% of enslaved Africans died during the voyage.

How did exploration affect Europeans?

Immense wealth, power strengthened.

Give an example of European wealth from exploration.

Palace of Versailles.

Why did Europeans bring Christianity to the Americas?

Spread religion and assert cultural dominance.

What was the social consequence of European colonization?

Racial hierarchies, enslavement, exploitation