Exploration & Technology
What period of rebirth in learning helped spark exploration?
Renaissance
Who established a navigation school in Portugal?
Prince Henry the Navigator
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The transfer of plants, animals, ideas, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds
Who conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Who spoke out against mistreatment of Native peoples?
Bartolomé de Las Casas
What event in 1453 forced Europeans to seek new sea routes to Asia?
The fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks
Who was the first European to reach India by sea?
Vasco da Gama
Name one crop that went from the Americas to Europe.
Corn / Potatoes / Tomatoes / Cacao
Who conquered the Inca Empire?
Francisco Pizarro
According to Howard Zinn, how should we view Columbus’s actions?
As conquest and suffering of Indigenous people
What tool showed sailors which direction they were heading?
Compass
Who sailed west across the Atlantic in 1492 and reached the Americas?
Christopher Columbus
Name one animal that came from Europe to the Americas.
Horses / Cattle / Pigs
What system allowed Spanish colonists to demand Native labor and tribute?
The Encomienda System
What was Samuel Eliot Morison’s view of Columbus?
A skilled navigator who opened new worlds
What ship design allowed sailors to travel against the wind?
Caravel
Who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe?
Ferdinand Magellan
What was one positive result of the Columbian Exchange?
New foods improved diets and population growth
What was the purpose of Spanish missions?
To convert Natives to Christianity
What did the Portolá diary show about early encounters in California?
They were curious and often peaceful exchanges
What invention helped spread maps and exploration knowledge quickly?
The Printing Press
Which British explorer mapped the Pacific and Oceania?
Captain James Cook
What was one negative effect of the Columbian Exchange?
Disease killed millions of Native Americans
What 1494 agreement divided new lands between Spain and Portugal?
Treaty of Tordesillas
What major impact did European colonization have on labor systems?
Rise of African slavery and forced labor