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