Global exploration-part 2! Flashcards
What did Ferdinand and Isabella claim with the support of Pope Alexander VI?
With the support of Pope Alexander VI, Ferdinand and Isabella claimed ownership of all lands discovered across the Atlantic.
What did the Portuguese King João II insist on?
The Portuguese King João II insisted that Spain should share the spoils, so in 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed.
What was the significance of the Treaty of Tordesillas?
This extraordinary agreement drew a line down the globe running 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. Anything west of the line belonged to Spain, anything east of the line belonged to Portugal.
What is the language situation in South America today as a result of the Treaty of Tordesillas?
To this day, most of South America speaks Spanish, aside from an eastern bulge jutting out into the Atlantic called Brazil, which speaks Portuguese.
How did explorers who followed Columbus describe the Americas?
Those explorers who followed Columbus would often describe the Americas as ‘virgin’ territory, meaning an untouched and uninhabited wilderness.
What justification did Europeans use for their conquest of the Americas?
This claim was used by Europeans to justify their conquest of land that was in fact inhabited by millions of native Americans.
What did Europeans bring to the Americas besides violence?
Besides seizing land through violence, the Europeans also brought with them diseases that the native population had no immunity to.
What is the estimated impact of these diseases on the indigenous population?
Historians estimate that 90 percent of the indigenous American population at the time of the European arrival died from new diseases such as measles, smallpox, malaria, and tuberculosis.
What is the situation of indigenous people today?
Nonetheless, descendants of indigenous people live throughout the Americas to this day.
