A: Renaissance Europe 6. Brave New World - Imperialism p. 128 Flashcards
Christopher Columbus and Indigenous people
He kidnapped Indigenous people in the Caribbean before his return to Spain.
Columbus was honoured later in a French painting by Deveria in the 1800s even though he kidnapped the Indigenous.
Trade route to Asia, and agreements with Portugal and Spain
They asked the pope to settle the matter since Spain had discovered a route to Asia, but Portugal wanted to take part in the trade on that route. The pope proposed a secret treaty that would divide the world between the Spanish and Portuguese. This treaty was called the Treaty of Tordesillas (TOR-thase-lyas).
Other countries were angry about this agreement. England and France ignored the terms and sent out explorers across the North Atlantic to find new territories.
All these explorers thought they could arrive somewhere and claim the territory even though others already lived on those lands. Imperialism was born.
Imperialism is the extension of power over a territory and its resources and people.
What were the territories in Central and South America called when Columbus arrived there?
What happened there?
New Spain
The Spanish granted land to people who wanted to settle in New Spain to mine for precious metals and set up plantations to grow crops for export to Spain.
Indigenous people were enslaved by Spanish land-owners and forced to work in terrible conditions. Millions of people were worked to death in the silver mines and in the fields.
Which country was the richest in Europe because of wealth generated in gold and silver and emeralds?
Spain, because of New Spain shipping these resources to Spain
Francis Drake
Came back to England in 1581 in a ship called the Golden Hind and Queen Elizabeth I was supposed to execute him by request of the Spanish, but the Queen chose not to. Drake had stolen gold and silver from Spanish treasure ships. The Queen dubbed him knight and thanked him for enriching England with his daring raids of the Spanish ships. This was seen as taking a cut to the Spanish who were stealing from what they called New Spain.
- Shows that England monarchy supports pirates :)
- Shows that England and Spain were not on good terms :)
Inca and Aztecs
In the early 1490s, the Inca and Aztecs had thriving civilizations in what is now Central and South America. In a few years, these empires were destroyed by the Spanish. Indigenous people paid a terrible cost everywhere that Europeans explored and settled in the Americas.
Some facts about how Indigenous People were treated as a result of European imperialism
- By 1600 less than one tenth of the original population of the Americas remained
- Around 90 million Indigenous people died during that time
- Most died of diseases such as smallpox, measles, influenza, bubonic plague, yellow fever, cholera, and malaria brought by the Europeans (Indigenous people had no immunity to these diseases since they were not there before)
- Many Indigenous peoples in the Americas completely died out, among them the Beothuk of Newfoundland and the Ona of Tierra del Fuego
What did the Spanish do with the Mayan books?
Burned them
When a sea route was found connecting Asia to Europe by travelling west, what did they find
There were two huge continents in between Europe and Asia! The Americas.
Which country became the most powerful trading country in Europe after setting up trading colonies around the shores of the Indian Ocean?
Portugal
Which country became the wealthiest after conquering peoples of America and stealing their precious metals?
Spain
Queen Elizabeth I and the great naval battle
Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England defeated Spain, the most powerful country in Europe at the time.
Queen Elizabeth I sponsored explorers like Francis Drake, and sponsored settling in North America.
Queen Elizabeth I contributed to England’s transformation into a prosperous trading country and a world power.
How did the majority of Europeans see themselves in comparison to the peoples of the Americas?
They thought the Europeans were superior to the Indigenous Peoples of America.
How did the English participate in slavery?
European expansionism also contributed to the establishment of trade in African slaves. It was carried out mainly by English merchant traders. They bought or captured African men, women, and children, packed them tightly into ships and took them to the Americas. There they were sold to plantation owners who wanted labourers.
