Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections

This collection of flashcards covers key vocabulary and definitions related to the causes and effects of European exploration and the establishment of maritime empires from 1450-1750.

Magnetic Compass

A navigational instrument from China that helps sailors determine direction.

Astrolabe

An ancient tool developed from Greece and the Arab world for understanding latitude.

Lateen Sail

A sail design from the Arab world that allows ships to cut through the wind, improving navigation.

Portuguese Caravel

A small, fast sailing ship that improved navigation in rivers and shallow coastal areas.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that encourages nations to amass wealth through trade and control of colonies.

Joint-Stock Companies

Limited liability businesses chartered by states and funded by private investors, minimizing individual risk.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of diseases, food, plants, and animals between the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

Great Dying

The significant decline in indigenous populations due to diseases introduced from Afro-Eurasia.

Cash Cropping

Farming focused on cultivating crops for export, particularly in the Caribbean, using coerced labor.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery where enslaved individuals are treated as property, prevalent in the Americas.

Encomienda System

A Spanish labor system where indigenous people were forced to work in exchange for protection and religious instruction.

Fronde Rebellion

A series of civil wars in France from 1648-1653 caused by opposition to the absolute monarchy and increased taxes.

Casta System

A hierarchical system in Spanish colonies based on ancestry and racial purity, impacting social status.

Tokugawa Japan

The period when Japan resisted Western influence while maintaining trade with the Dutch.

Asante Empire

A west African state that thrived through trade of goods like gold and enslaved people with Europeans.

Indigenous Labor

Labor provided by native populations, often under coercion, especially in labor systems like the Mit’a.

Atlantic System

A new trading system involving the movement of goods, wealth, and labor between the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

Hacienda

Large agricultural estates in Spanish America where forced labor (often indigenous) was used for production.