AP World History Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections

caravel

small, highly maneuverable used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic; used for long voyages at great speed from 15th - 17th centuries; used for exploration, not trade

Santeria

originated in Cuba, a religion that blends African traditions and Roman Catholic beliefs/practices; evidence of the syncretism created when European and African beliefs merged in the Americas

casta paintings

Spanish-commissioned paintings that showed the racial mixing of New World families; illustrated the importance of European ancestry in the social hierarchy of Latin America

mestizo

term used by Spanish authorities to describe someone of mixed native American and European descent

mulatto

term used in Spanish and Portuguese colonies to describe someone of mixed African and European descent.

creoles

Descendants of Spanish-born parents, but born in Latin America; resented inferior social, political, economic status.

peninsulares

Spanish-born upper class individuals who immigrated to Latin America; highest social class and given special privileges and the highest political positions in Latin American governments

Nat Turner's Rebellion

a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia led by former enslaved person Nat Turner in 1831; one example of resistance to existing authorities in the Americas

British East India Company

British joint-stock company that controlled most of India during the period of imperialism; controlled the political, social, and economic life in India for more than 200 years.

Dutch East India Company

joint-stock company that controlled the spice trade in the East Indies.

Triangular Trade

three-way system of trade during 1600-1800s whereby Africa sent enslaved people to the Americas, the Americas sent raw materials (sugar, tobacco) to Europe, and Europe sent guns and rum to Africa in exchange for enslaved Africans

coercive labor

any labor system that involves force (slavery, chattel slavery, serfdom, Spanish run mita system, and indentured labor)

bullion

gold and silver in the form of bars

Middle Passage

voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies; incredibly dehumanizing and brutal

plantation agriculture

system of large-scale farming focused on producing cash crops for export (sugar, tobacco, and cotton) often using enslaved or other coerced labor

Henry the Navigator

(1394-1460) Portuguese prince who promoted the study of navigation and directed voyages of exploration down the western coast of Africa.

chattel slavery

enslaved person who is owned forever and whose children and children's children are automatically enslaved; treated as property, not humans, to be bought and sold

mercantilism

economic system in which governments sought to increase their wealth and power by exporting more than they imported, accumulating gold and silver, and controlling colonial trade and resources

Vodun (voodoo)

syncretic religion practiced in the Caribbean and the Southern US; combines elements of Roman Catholic ritual with traditional West African religious rites; an example of religious syncretism resulting from colonial expansion in the New World

Columbian Exchange

widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres following European contact with the Americas beginning in 1492

Great Dying

the devastation of American Indian populations by diseases (smallpox and measles) brought over from Europe after 1492

trading-post empire

empire built by controlling strategic ports and trading centers along major trade routes rather than conquering large amounts of territory; example would be Portuguese influence in Indian Ocean

hacienda system

Spanish colonial system in which large landed estates (haciendas) produced agricultural goods using the labor of Indigenous people and other workers, often under exploitative conditions

encomienda system

Spanish colonial labor system that granted Spanish settlers the right to demand labor or tribute from Indigenous people in exchange for supposedly providing them with protection and Christian instruction.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer who, sponsored by Spain, crossed the Atlantic in 1492 seeking a westward route to Asia but instead reached the Caribbean, beginning sustained European contact with the Americas and contributing to the Columbian Exchange and Spanish colonization

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who sailed around Africa to India in 1498, establishing a direct sea route between Europe and the Indian Ocean trade network

indentured servitude

coercive labor system in which people agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for transportation, food, housing, or other benefits, after which they were generally granted their freedom

mita system

Incan system for payment of taxes with labor; manipulated by the Spanish to use free labor to extract silver

fluyt

Dutch cargo ship developed in the 1600s that was designed to carry large amounts of goods cheaply with a small crew, helping the Dutch dominate maritime trade.

galleon

large, heavily armed European sailing ship used from the 1500s-1700s to transport goods, silver, and enslaved people, especially within the Spanish Empire

joint stock company

business in which multiple investors pooled their money to fund trading ventures and shared the profits and risks, helping European states finance overseas exploration and colonization