Unit Notes and Vocabulary

Chapter 17

Exploration: Europe, Africa, the Americas

Spanish Exploration:

Conquistadors (Spanish soldiers/conquerors – great value placed on them) - drove Moors from Iberian Peninsula and were looking for more glory/conquests.

Spain controlled islands in the Caribbean since time of Columbus.

Hernando Cortez: 1519 - invaded Mexico, conquered the Aztecs and capital city, Tenochtitlan. Destroyed capital; named area New Spain.

Francisco Pizarro: 1532 – invaded Peru; conquered Inca empire, which had been weakened by civil war (war within people of same country).

Portuguese and Spanish Colonies

Brazil: claimed by Pedro Cabrel of Portugal. Main resource: Brazil wood.

Spanish colonies were divided into viceroyalties - governed by a viceroy (rules a colony in the name of a king/queen).

Catholic Church spread Christianity.

Spanish priests intervened on behalf of Native Americans when the government abused them.

Plantations - large farming enterprises. African slaves and Native Americans were used as laborers.

Encomienda – document giving right to control native population in an area.

Ecomendero - person granted an encomienda.

Dutch, French and English Exploration

People started to emigrate (leave one country and settle in another) to North America.

Colonies in North America

Dutch / Henry Hudson / 1609 / explored Hudson Bay and River and New York State
French / Samuel de Champaign / 1608 / Quebec, Canada; Great Lakes, Mississippi River Valley
English / Sir Walter Raleigh / 1585 / Roanoke, North Carolina (disappeared without a trace)
English / Captain John Smith –colony leader / 1607 / Jamestown, Virginia (first permanent English settlement in North America)
English / Pilgrims / 1620 / Plymouth, Massachusetts

Effects of colonization:

1. Native Americans died of diseases; North American Indians were pushed farther west.

2. Fought with French against British in French and Indian Wars.

3. Native Americans helped colonists to survive.

4. Many geographical areas carry Native American names.

Slave Trade

Colonies in the Americas relied on African slaves for labor force. European countries relied on black slaves when disease killed Native Americans.

Triangular Trade: manufactured goods from Europe were shipped to Africa in exchange for slaves. Slaves then were sent to the Americas. Raw materials were then sent back to Europe.

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