Time Period 1 (Chapter 1) Flashcards
Canadian Shield
first part of the North American landmass to rise above sea level
Incas
Native American civilization that controlled present-day Peru until they were conquered by Francisco Pizzaro in 1532
Aztecs
Native American civilization established in Mexico, known for religious human sacrifices, mathematics, and writing; they were conquered by Hernan Cortes and his forces in 1592
nation-states
a sovereign (free) state whose citizens/subjects are relatively similar in characteristics (language, heritage, religion, etc.)
Cahokia
Mississippian civilization near present day East St, Louis that sheltered more than 25,000 Native Americans
Three-Sister Farming
advanced agricultural practice created by Native Americans of growing beans, corn, and squash all together to maximize crop yield
Middlemen
Dealers in the Mideastern terrain that would make Europeans pay a toll and make their journey for resources more costly
caravel
small regular vessel with a high deck and three triangular sails
plantation
large agricultural system that utilized slave labor
Columbian Exchange
The New and Old Worlds collide and trade goods such as wheat, corn, and diseases. Africa was forced to give slave labor to the New World.
Treaty of Tordesillas
signed by Spain and Portugal, where Spain got the lands East of an imaginary line in the Atlantic and Portugal got the lands West of that line. Portugal focused on Africa while Spain got the New World and focused on conquering it.
Conquistadors
16th century Spanish explorers who were tasked with fanning out across the Americas and conquering lands for the Spanish empire
Capitalism
economic system characterized upon open and free markets, private property, and generally free trade
encomienda
Spanish governments gave an Indian to a certain colonist in exchange for a promise that they would Christianize them
Noche Triste
“sad night” when the Aztecs were attacked by Hernan Cortes and his forces
mesitos
People of mixed European and Indian heritage/decent most notable in Mexico
Battle of Acoma
Spanish conquistadors had attacked the Acoma Pueblo (village) and killed 500 Acoma men and about 300 Acoma women and children in January 1599
Pope’s Rebellion
Native Americans revolt and destroy Spanish Catholic churches around New Mexico and drive Spanish settlers out
Black Legend
a false notion that Spanish settlers did little but kill off Native Americans and steal their gold in the name of Christ
Ferdinand of Aragon & Isabella of Castile
Two Spanish monarchs who married, uniting Spain, and who both supported Christopher Columbus’ journey to finding a new and faster way to get to Asian markets, leading to his discovery of the West Indies
Christopher Columbus
Geonese explorer who was sent to find a faster trade route from Europe to Asia
Francisco Coronado
Spanish explorer who went from present day New Mexico to present day Kansas in search of fabled golden cities for his Spanish king
Francisco Pizarro
Spanish conquistador who had conquered the Incan empire back in 1532 and founded the city of Lima, Peru
Hernan Cortes
Spanish conquistador who had conquered the Aztec empire and claimed Mexico for Spain
Bartolome De Las Casas
Spanish missionary who documented the mistreatment of Natives in the encomienda system and hoped to abolish this system
Malinche (Dona Marina)
enslaved Native American who served as a translator for Hernan Cortes before he attacked the Aztecs. She got married to one of his men and had been taken back to Spain with him.
Mocteszuma
last of the Aztec rulers who watched his empire crumble when they were attacked by Hernan Cortes
Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)
Italian explorer sent by English King Henry VII to explore the northeastern coast of North America in 1497 and 1948
Robert de La Salle
French explorer tasked with traveling and exploring the Mississippi River in the 1680’s
Father Junipero Serra
A Franciscan priest tasked with going along the California coast with the aim of Christianizing the Natives
