AP World Unit 4 test (Katie's)

Magnetic Compass

Invented in China; helped sailors steer direction on long voyages.

Astrolabe

Improved by Muslim navigators; measured distance from the equator.

Lateen Sail

Triangular Arab sail allowing ships to catch wind from multiple angles → sail in more directions.

Stern Rudder

Chinese invention that improved ship steering.

Caravel

Portuguese 15th-century ship; fast and storm-resistant.

Carrack / Fluyt

Large or efficient ships designed for long-distance trade.

Cartography Improvements

Better maps, wind/current knowledge, and astronomical charts for safer navigation.

Newton + Understanding of Tides

Better understanding of tides made sailing safer.

Impact of Maritime Technology

Europeans could travel farther, faster, and more safely → exploration surged.

Population Growth in Europe

Caused scarcity of land, jobs, and food → pushed exploration.

Primogeniture Laws

Only eldest son inherited land → younger sons sought opportunities abroad.

Religious Minorities’ Motivation

Wanted more tolerant societies.

Economic Motives for Exploration

Desire for gold, silver, spices, and luxury goods.

Religious Motives for Exploration

Convert others to Christianity.

Cultural Motives for Exploration

Curiosity, adventure, glory

Why States Sponsored Exploration

Increased wealth, power, influence; spread religion; only governments could afford it.

Pre-1500 Links Between Europe and Asia

Indian Ocean trade, Muslim merchants, and land routes.

Impact of Europeans Entering the Indian Ocean

Competition with Middle Eastern powers (e.g., Oman).

Reason for Seeking New Routes to Asia

To bypass existing trade monopolies and access luxury goods.

Impact of Columbus’s Voyages

Linked Afro-Eurasia and the Americas; created new Atlantic trade networks.

Rise of Maritime Empires

Spain, Portugal, France, Britain, and the Netherlands.

Atlantic Trade Goods

Americas: sugar, tobacco, rum; Africa: enslaved people; Europe: weapons, textile

Greek Navigation Knowledge

Europeans used Greek techniques for star navigation.

Islamic + Asian Tech Influence

Combined with European knowledge to improve maritime navigation.

Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain)

A major diffusion point for science and navigation.

Prince Henry the Navigator (Portugal)

Funded voyages along Africa; advanced Portuguese exploration.

Bartholomeu Diaz

Reached the Cape of Good Hope.

Vasco da Gama

Reached India by sea.

Afonso de Albuquerque

Seized trade centers like Malacca; built Portuguese trading-post empire.

Portuguese Trading-Post Empire

Hormuz → Goa → Malacca.

Columbus (Spain)

Explored the Caribbean; opened Americas to Europe.

Magellan (Spain)

Led the first circumnavigation (completed by his crew).

Spain in the Philippines

Conquered and spread Christianity.

Cartier + Champlain (France)

Explored Canada; focused on fur trade and alliances.

John Cabot (England)

Claimed Newfoundland region.

1588: Defeat of Spanish Armada

England rose as a major naval power.

Jamestown (1607)

First permanent English colony.

Henry Hudson (Dutch)

Explored the New York region; led to New Amsterdam.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of plants, animals, people, and diseases between Old and New Worlds.

Old World → New World Diseases

Smallpox, measles, influenza, malaria → up to 90% Native American population decline.

Europe → Americas (Foods & Animals)

Horses, pigs, cows; wheat, grapes, sugarcane.

Americas → World (Foods)

Potatoes, maize, tomatoes; turkeys; cacao, tobacco.

Impact of American Crops Globally

Potatoes + maize boosted global population because of high calorie density.

Silver’s Impact on Global Trade

American silver fueled global commerce; Spain became wealthy then faced inflation.

Manila Galleons

Linked Americas and China, trading silver for luxury goods.

Mercantilism

Economic strategy to maximize exports, minimize imports, and accumulate wealth.

Long-Term Results of Early Exploration

Maritime empires, global trade expansion, gunpowder spread, cultural mixing, population decline of Indigenous peoples, rise of European dominance.

Key Effects of Maritime Empires

Maritime empires stretched across continents and reshaped global trade and politics.

Importance of Controlling Sea Routes

Control of sea routes meant control of global trade and wealth.

Rivalries in Exploration

Competition shaped routes, caused conflicts, and drove expansion.

Strengthening of Trade Systems

Expanded Atlantic and Indian Ocean trade networks.

Purpose of Trading Posts and Colonies

Created trading posts, colonies, and plantations to control resources and labor.

Cultural & Economic Connections

New links between Africa, Europe, and Asia.

What Spread Through Cultural Diffusion?

Religion, languages, goods, technologies.

Goods Exchanged Through Empires

Spices, textiles, metals, foods spread widely.

Growth of Coerced Labor Systems

Expansion of slavery, indentured servitude, and encomienda.

Environmental Effects of Maritime Expansion

Cash-crop plantations expanded; deforestation, soil exhaustion, and biodiversity loss.

Disease Spread Through Trade Routes

Disease outbreaks traveled across continents through new networks.

Political Impact of Maritime Empires

States gained power by controlling trade and naval routes.

Colonial Bureaucracy Development

Governments created centralized systems to manage colonies.

European Conflicts Over Empire

Rivalry for territory and trade dominance sparked wars.

Smallpox

Deadly disease brought by Europeans that caused massive Indigenous population decline

Sugarcane

Cash crop that drove plantation labor systems in the Caribbean

Potato

American crop that caused major population growth in Europe

Horses

Animal introduced to the Americas that transformed Native American mobility

Encomienda System

Spanish labor system granting rights to Indigenous labor and tribute

Hacienda System

Large estates in Spanish America using coerced labor

Mit’a System

Inca labor system adapted by the Spanish for mining

Chattel Slavery

Hereditary slavery where people are treated as property

Indentured Servitude

Contracted labor for a set number of years common in English colonies

Joint-Stock Company

Company owned by investors who share risks and profits

Triangular Trade

Trade system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Middle Passage

Brutal Atlantic journey endured by enslaved Africans

Potosí

Massive silver mine in the Andes that fueled global trade

Casta System

Spanish American social hierarchy based on race and ancestry

Creoles

People of European descent born in the Americas

Maroon Communities

Settlements of escaped enslaved Africans in the Americas

Franciscan & Jesuit Missions

Religious missions aimed at converting Indigenous peoples

Vodun

Syncretic religion blending African beliefs with Christianity in the Caribbean

Trading-Post Empire

Empire focused on controlling trade routes rather than conquering territory

Commercial Revolution

Period of European economic expansion fueled by trade colonization and new financial systems

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

An Indigenous rebellion in New Mexico led by Popé; the Pueblo expelled the Spanish for about 10 years before Spain returned with reduced religious suppression.

Metacom’s War (King Philip’s War)

Conflict in New England where Metacom led tribes against English settlers; ended in English victory and loss of Indigenous autonomy.

Queen Nanny of the Maroons

Leader of Jamaican Maroons who successfully resisted British forces; symbol of African resistance.

Cossack Revolts

Uprisings by Cossacks and peasants in Russia resisting centralization and serfdom; ultimately suppressed

Pugachev Rebellion

A major Cossack-led revolt against Catherine the Great, calling for an end to serfdom; crushed by Russian forces

Ana Nzinga

Queen of Ndongo and Matamba who resisted Portuguese expansion through diplomacy, alliances, and warfare

Enslaved People's Resistance

Day-to-day acts like work slowdowns, sabotage, escape, and occasional revolts against chattel slavery.

Stono Rebellion

A 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina where enslaved people sought freedom in Spanish Florida; suppressed and followed by stricter slave codes.