• Maritime Empires: Powerful European states like Spain, Portugal, England, France, and the Netherlands that expanded overseas via naval power and colonization. • Caravel: A small, fast ship developed by the Portuguese, great for long voyages and exploration. • Astrolabe: A tool used by sailors to navigate by the stars. • Magnetic Compass: A navigation tool that always points north, improving ocean travel. • Columbian Exchange: The transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa) and the New World (Americas). • Triangular Trade: A system where Europe sent goods to Africa, Africa sent enslaved people to the Americas, and the Americas sent raw materials to Europe. • Middle Passage: The brutal, deadly journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean. • Joint-Stock Company: Businesses where investors shared profits and losses, making colonization less risky (e.g., British East India Co.). • Mercantilism: Economic system focused on building national wealth by controlling trade and colonies. • Encomienda System: Spanish labor system using Native Americans for work on plantations and in mines. • Hacienda System: Large Spanish estates that produced crops using coerced labor. • Syncretism: The blending of religions or cultures (ex: Vodun, Sikhism). • Diaspora: People leaving or being forced from their homeland and forming new communities. • Resistance Movements: Uprisings by native peoples or enslaved populations against colonial powers. Q&A: Q: What technological innovations made transoceanic travel possible? A: Caravel ships, the compass, the astrolabe, and new sailing techniques like lateen sails. Q: What were the effects of the Columbian Exchange? A: Population collapse in the Americas (due to disease), new crops in Europe (like potatoes), and new animals in the Americas (like horses). Highlights: • European empires shifted from land-based to sea-based power. • Global trade expanded. • African slave trade intensified. Conclusion: Unit 4 was all about new global connections—especially across the Atlantic and Pacific. Technology and trade built powerful empires and changed life everywhere, especially for indigenous peoples and Africans