1. Key Concepts:

- Native American societies: diverse cultures, economies, and social structures.

- Columbian Exchange: exchange of goods, ideas, and diseases between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (the Americas).

- European exploration: motivations, such as seeking wealth, spreading Christianity, and finding new trade routes to Asia.

- Spanish colonization: establishment of colonies in present-day Mexico, Florida, and the American Southwest; impact on Native American populations.

- Portuguese exploration: exploration of the coast of Africa and the establishment of trading posts.

- Early English colonization: establishment of Roanoke and Jamestown; interactions with Native Americans; economic motivations (e.g., the search for gold and other resources).

- French colonization: establishment of fur trade networks and settlements in Canada and the Mississippi River Valley; interactions with Native American tribes.

2. Key Terms and People:

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1. **Christopher Columbus**: Italian explorer commissioned by Spain to find a westward route to Asia. He instead stumbled upon the Americas in 1492, leading to European exploration and colonization of the New World.

2. **Hernán Cortés**: Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico in the early 16th century, leading to Spanish colonization of the region.

3. **Francisco Pizarro**: Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in present-day Peru in the early 16th century, expanding Spanish influence in South America.

4. **Treaty of Tordesillas**: Agreement between Spain and Portugal in 1494 that divided newly discovered lands outside Europe between them along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands (off the west coast of Africa).

5. **Encomienda system**: A system established by the Spanish crown in the early colonial period that granted conquistadors the right to demand labor or tribute from Native Americans in exchange for "protection" and Christianization.

6. **Bartolomé de Las Casas**: Spanish priest and advocate for Native American rights who wrote extensively about the mistreatment of indigenous peoples by Spanish colonizers.

7. **Roanoke Colony**: Also known as the "Lost Colony," it was an English settlement established in present-day North Carolina in the late 16th century. It mysteriously disappeared, and its fate remains unknown.

8. **Jamestown**: The first successful English settlement in North America, established in present-day Virginia in 1607. It faced numerous challenges, including disease, starvation, and conflict with Native Americans.

9. **John Smith**: English explorer and leader of the Jamestown colony who implemented strict discipline and negotiated with Native American tribes to ensure the survival of the settlement.

10. **Powhatan Confederacy**: Native American confederation in Virginia led by Chief Powhatan, which interacted with the Jamestown colonists and initially provided them with food and resources.

11. **Pocahontas**: Daughter of Chief Powhatan who famously intervened to save John Smith's life. Her marriage to English colonist John Rolfe symbolized early attempts at peace between Native Americans and Europeans.

12. Joint-stock companies: Early form of corporation in which investors pooled their capital to fund overseas ventures, such as English colonization efforts in North America.

13. Virginia Company: A joint-stock company chartered by King James I to establish settlements in the New World, particularly in Virginia.

14. Mercantilism: Economic system in which nations seek to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by establishing a favorable balance of trade, usually through colonies and protectionist policies.

15. Coureurs des bois: French fur traders and adventurers who explored and traded in the interior of North America during the colonial period.

3. Themes to Consider:

- Interactions between European settlers and Native American societies: trade, alliances, conflicts.

- Impact of European diseases on Native American populations.

- Economic motives for exploration and colonization.

- Development of colonial economies: agriculture, fur trade, etc.

- Cultural exchanges and conflicts between European settlers and Native Americans.