Age of Exploration Flashcards
What was the Age of Exploration?
a time in the 15th and 16th centuries when European explorers attempted to find a new trade route to Asia
Which two countries led the Age of Exploration?
Spain and Portugal
What were the motivations for European exploration?
God, Gold, Glory-spread Christianity, expand empires, more power, gain colonies, natural resources
Which two empires were colonized by the Spanish during this time period?
Aztec and Inca
What is mercantilism?
when the mother country (Europe) benefits from the colony (Americas) by taking their natural resources
What was the Columbian Exchange?
the exchange of food, plants, animals, diseases between the New World (Americas) and the Old World (Europe, Africa, & Asia)
Who was the viceroy?
representative of the King in the Spanish colonies, controlled the colony
What changes were made the social class structures once the Spanish colonized the Americas?
Peninsulares-Spanish-born on top, most rights
Creoles-of Spanish descent
Mestizos
Mulattoes
Natives & African slaves-no power, no rights
What was the encomienda system?
a system of forced labor and taxation on the native peoples by the Spanish
What was the Triangular Trade system?
trade established between Europe, Africa, and the Americas (slave trade)
What was the Middle Passage?
the journey across the Atlantic Ocean for Africans who were captured and brought to the New World to be enslaved
