Comprehensive Guide to Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (c. 1450–1750)

Compass

A navigation tool that originated in China, allowing sailors to determine direction without relying on the stars.

Astrolabe

An instrument improved by Muslim navigators, used to determine latitude based on the position of the stars.

Cartography

The art and science of making maps, improved by knowledge of wind patterns and currents.

Caravel

A small, highly maneuverable ship with lateen sails, primarily used for exploration.

Carrack

A larger ship used for trade and warfare, combining square and lateen sails.

Fluyt

A Dutch trading vessel designed specifically for trade, known for its large cargo hold.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail that allowed ships to sail against the wind, revolutionizing maritime navigation.

Three Gs

The motivations for exploration: Gold (economic), God (religious), and Glory (national pride).

Prince Henry the Navigator

A Portuguese prince who established a navigation school and sponsored early voyages of exploration.

Vasco da Gama

The first explorer to sail around Africa and reach India, establishing a Portuguese presence in Asia.

Christopher Columbus

An explorer sponsored by Spain who sought a westward route to India but reached the Americas.

Ferdinand Magellan

The first explorer to lead an expedition that circumnavigated the globe.

Northwest Passage

A sought-after sea route from Europe to Asia through North America that was explored by several European nations.

Columbian Exchange

The biological exchange of crops, plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and New World.

Great Dying

The demographic collapse of indigenous populations in the Americas due to diseases introduced by Europeans.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that emphasizes the accumulation of gold and silver and a favorable balance of trade.

Joint-Stock Companies

Businesses in which investors pooled their resources to fund exploration and trade, sharing profits and risks.

Encomienda System

A labor system where Spanish settlers were granted rights to force natives to work in exchange for protection.

Hacienda System

Large agricultural estates run by Spanish landowners with native workers under debt peonage.

Mit'a System

A coerced labor system adapted by the Spanish from the Incan public service obligation for mining.

Chattel Slavery

A system where individuals are treated as property and have no rights, prevalent in the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Casta System

A race-based social hierarchy in colonial Latin America classifying people based on ethnicity.

Peninsulares

Spanish-born individuals residing in the Americas.

Creoles

Spaniards born in the Americas.

Mestizos

Individuals of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry.

Mulattoes

Individuals of mixed European and African ancestry.