Enlightenment Thinkers and Ideas
“This Enlightenment philosopher argued that every human is born as a ‘blank slate’ and is entitled to natural rights such as life, liberty, health, and personal possessions
Who is John Locke
This English king, who reigned from 1509 to 1547, established the Church of England by passing the Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity
Who is Henry VIII?
This nimble, smaller ship was essential for Portuguese explorers as they mapped Africa’s western coast.
What is a caravel?
Signed in 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas divided newly discovered lands between these two major Catholic kingdoms.
What are Spain and Portugal?
This term describes the vast exchange of crops, animals, and diseases between the New World and the Old World following European exploration.
What is the Columbian Exchange?
Criticizing state enforcement of religion and advocating religious toleration, this French thinker noted that an involved God lacked empirical evidence
Who is Voltaire
This doctrine claimed that a monarch’s authority came directly from God, making him accountable to no earthly power
What is the Divine Right of Kings?
In 1521, this Portuguese explorer became the first European circumnavigate the globe.
Who is Ferdinand Magellan?
This mandatory trade certificate, required for native traders in the Indian Ocean, ensured Portuguese monopoly by imposing a 20% tax—and ships without it were sunk.
What is the cartaz?
New World staples like tobacco, cacao, and corn were sent to Europe, while Old World commodities such as wheat, coffee, and rice were introduced to the Americas as part of this process.
What is the Columbian Exchange?
This French philosopher proposed dividing state power into legislative, executive, and judicial branches—a concept that greatly influenced the U.S. Constitution in 1787.
Who is Montesquieu
This English king’s attempt to rule without Parliament led to a civil war that underscored the principle that even the king must abide by the law—a principle rooted in the Magna Carta.
Who is Charles I?
Searching for a western passage to India, this explorer set sail in 1492 under Ferdinand and Isabella, only to encounter the Caribbean Islands.
Who is Christopher Columbus?
In the Spanish Empire, this feudal system granted large land holdings to conquerors to rule over native populations, though it often amounted to a form of slavery.
What is the encomienda system?
This is the agricultural product that a majority of enslaved africans were transported to grow in the Caribbean and South America.
What is sugar cane?
Emerging between 1715 and 1789, this movement rejected intuition, revelation, and hereditary authority in favor of a society governed by reason and education.
What is the European Enlightenment?
In his 1651 work ‘Leviathan,’ this philosopher argued that people surrender some rights to the state in exchange for security, laying the foundation for social contract theory.
Who is Thomas Hobbes?
The primary motivations for European exploration are summed up by these three words: God, gold, and ____
What is glory?
Within Spanish colonial society, individuals born in Spain held the highest status in a racial caste system. They are known by this term
Who are the Peninsulares?
To help spread the financial risk of expensive voyages, investors pooled their money in this type of financial arrangement
What is joint stock investment?
Enlightenment thinkers insisted that the state’s primary role was to protect these rights, which every person inherently possesses.
What are natural rights?
The bloodless revolution of 1688, which resulted in William of Orange ascending the throne, established a constitutional monarchy in England.
What is the Glorious Revolution?
Equipped with advanced gunpowder weapons, European ships could defeat the navies of larger states like the Ottoman Empire during these early expeditions.
What are advanced gunpowder weapons?
“This European country established the Virginia Colony in 1607—a foothold that would eventually grow into the 13 colonies of the United States.
What is England?
This term describes the transatlantic trading system in which European goods, New World labor, and African slaves were all interlinked.
What is the Atlantic System?