Unit 1 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What was a central justification for European conquest and colonization of the Americas?
The lack of machines, metalwork, gunpowder, Christianity, or written language among Native Americans.
How was Native American society organized compared to European society?
Without private property, material wealth, or marital inequality.
What term did Europeans use to describe Native American cultures?
Barbaric.
What year did Christopher Columbus arrive in the New World?
1492.
What motivated Spanish conquistadors in their conquests in South America?
Wealth, glory, and Catholic conversion.
Which empires did Spanish conquistadors conquer?
- Aztec Empire
- Inca Empire
What was one of the factors that contributed to the success of Spanish colonization?
Advanced European weaponry and the introduction of smallpox.
Who was Bartolomé de las Casas?
A Spanish priest and Native sympathizer who criticized Spanish violence toward Native Americans.
What document did Bartolomé de las Casas write in 1542?
Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies.
What is the Black Legend of Spanish Colonization?
An anti-Spanish, anti-Catholic propaganda piece criticizing Spain for its treatment of Native Americans.
How did the English settlers’ treatment of Native Americans compare to that of the Spanish?
The English became crueler to Native Americans than the Spanish were.
What was the primary focus of French colonization in the New World?
Fur trade rather than agricultural settlement.
How did the French maintain relations with Native Americans?
By respecting Native religions and offering citizenship for conversion to Catholicism.
What freedoms did the Dutch bring to the New World?
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of the press
What was the main goal of the Dutch in the New World?
To extract profit, not to conquer or settle.
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The transfer of diseases, crops, and goods between the New World and Europe.
What disease did Christopher Columbus introduce to the Americas?
Smallpox.
What impact did smallpox have on Native American populations?
It decimated hundreds of thousands of indigenous Americans.
What shift did colonizers make in labor practices due to smallpox?
From enslaving natives to importing slaves from Africa.
What was the Atlantic slave trade?
The trade in enslaved peoples from Africa to American plantations.
