Unit 2: Topic 2 - European Colonization Flashcards
Who did the Encomienda system benefit?
The Encomienda system was created by the Spanish Crown to provide an incentive for Spanish conquistadors, explorers, and military men to extract wealth from the New World. The Spanish conquistadors were awarded with not only the land, but also the Natives living on the land to use as labor. In return, the Spanish Crown taxed the wealth generated by the land. Lastly, the Catholic Church benefitted by spreading Christianity throughout the New World with Native conversion and exposure to Christianity.
What was the Spanish Caste system?
The Spanish Caste system was a social hierachy system based on heritage and ancestory. It placed European-born Spanish on the top and African slaves on the bottom. This structure was created to ensure the superiority and authority of the Spanish in order to continue subjugating the other populations.
What is a commonality between how the French and the Dutch interacted with Native Americans?
The French and Dutch settlers maintained friendly relations with Natives Americans due to their interest in the fur trade. Many French and Dutch men married Native American women to expand their trading and exporting efforts.
What was the fur trade?
The fur trade was an exchange of items between Europeans, mainly the French and Dutch, with Native Americans. Europeans traded manufactured goods with Native Americans in return for animal fur that would be sold in Europe.
What were the main motivations of Europeans to settle in the Americas?
The English settled for economic opportunities, trade, and to flee religious persecution. The Spanish settled to extract valuable materials (gold and silver), make Spain more powerful, and convert Native Americans to Christianity. The French settled to create trading posts for the fur trade and later converted Native Americans to Christianity. The Dutch escaped religious persecution and later participated in the fur trade.
How did the Spanish, British, French, and Dutch differ in their treatment of Native Americans?
The Spanish subjugated and enslaved Native Americans while forcing conversion to Christianity.
The British traded with Native Americans but focused more on expelling them, trying to remove them from their lands in order to further colonize.
The French and Dutch interacted with Native Americans in more positive ways, including trade and intermarriage.
