All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What was the primary commodity sought by Europeans in the East Indies?
Answer: Spices. Valuable seasoning agents worth enormous profits in Europe.
Flashcard 2: What was the main motivation for European exploration during 1450–1750?
Answer: Desire for new trade routes and wealth. Europeans sought alternatives to expensive overland routes to Asia.
Flashcard 3: Which technological advancement significantly aided European exploration?
Answer: The astrolabe. Allowed sailors to determine latitude by measuring star positions.
Flashcard 4: Identify the Portuguese prince who sponsored early voyages of exploration.
Answer: Prince Henry the Navigator. Established Portugal's maritime exploration school and expeditions.
Flashcard 5: Name the treaty that divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.
Answer: Treaty of Tordesillas. Signed in 1494, it divided territories along a meridian line.
Flashcard 6: What was a primary consequence of the Columbian Exchange?
Answer: Introduction of new crops and animals across continents. Transformed global agriculture and ecosystems dramatically.
Flashcard 7: Which economic theory drove European nations to acquire colonies?
Answer: Mercantilism. Emphasized accumulating wealth through favorable trade balances.
Flashcard 8: Which empire did Hernán Cortés conquer?
Answer: The Aztec Empire. Conquered Tenochtitlan and claimed Mexico for Spain in 1521.
Flashcard 9: What was the primary purpose of the encomienda system?
Answer: To regulate Native American labor and behavior. Spanish colonial system granting control over indigenous workers.
Flashcard 10: Name the first permanent English settlement in North America.
Answer: Jamestown. Established in Virginia in 1607 for tobacco cultivation.
Flashcard 11: Which commodity was central to the economy of the Caribbean colonies?
Answer: Sugar. Profitable crop that drove plantation slavery expansion.
Flashcard 12: What was the primary role of the Dutch East India Company?
Answer: To trade in the Indian Ocean and control spice trade. Joint-stock company monopolizing Asian trade for Netherlands.
Flashcard 13: Identify the main purpose of the navigational instrument called a sextant.
Answer: To determine latitude and longitude. Measures angular distance for precise navigation calculations.
Flashcard 14: What was the significant impact of the Age of Exploration on Europe?
Answer: The rise of powerful maritime empires. Created global trade networks and colonial competition.
Flashcard 15: Which civilization did Francisco Pizarro conquer in South America?
Answer: The Inca Empire. Conquered the Andean empire and claimed Peru for Spain.
Flashcard 16: Identify the European nation that first established a colony in Brazil.
Answer: Portugal. Claimed Brazil through early coastal expeditions and settlements.
Flashcard 17: What was the primary cash crop in the southern colonies of North America?
Answer: Tobacco. Highly profitable export crop requiring extensive slave labor.
Flashcard 18: Which European power controlled the Philippines for over three centuries?
Answer: Spain. Colonized after Magellan's expedition and maintained until 1898.
Flashcard 19: Name the system of trade that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Answer: Triangular Trade. Exchange system linking three continents economically.
Flashcard 20: What was the primary goal of the Spanish missions in the New World?
Answer: To convert indigenous peoples to Christianity. Combined religious conversion with Spanish cultural dominance.
Flashcard 21: Identify the term for the global transfer of plants, animals, and diseases post-1492.
Answer: The Columbian Exchange. Describes the massive biological exchange after 1492.
Flashcard 22: What was the primary navigation tool used by European sailors during this period?
Answer: The compass. Magnetic instrument showing direction for ocean navigation.
Flashcard 23: Which empire was known for its advanced maritime technologies during this era?
Answer: The Ming Dynasty (China). Zheng He's voyages demonstrated Chinese naval capabilities.
Flashcard 24: What was the main reason for the decline of the Portuguese trading empire?
Answer: Competition from other European powers. Dutch and English challenged Portuguese trade monopolies.
Flashcard 25: Which explorer is known for his voyages to North America for England?
Answer: John Cabot. Explored Newfoundland coast and established English territorial claims.
Flashcard 26: What was the primary impact of the introduction of European firearms in Africa?
Answer: Increased warfare and political instability. Guns disrupted traditional power structures and conflicts.
Flashcard 27: Name the economic system where colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country.
Answer: Mercantilism. Economic theory prioritizing mother country's wealth accumulation.
Flashcard 28: Identify the first European to sight the Pacific Ocean.
Answer: Vasco Núñez de Balboa. Crossed Panama and claimed the Pacific for Spain.
Flashcard 29: Which navigation tool measures the angle between a celestial object and the horizon?
Answer: The sextant. Precise instrument for celestial navigation and positioning.
Flashcard 30: What was the primary goal of the Spanish missions in the New World?
Answer: To convert indigenous peoples to Christianity. Combined religious conversion with Spanish cultural dominance.