PreColumbian Era
Period before Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World, when North America was exclusively exclusively populated by Native Americans
Bering Strait
Ancient land bridge where Native Americans traveled from Asia to America between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago
Conquistadors
Early sixteenth-century Spanish adventurers who conquered Mexico, Central America, and Peru (ex. Cortez, Pizarro, Francisco)
Encomienda system
Spanish system of granting land to colonists in the new world; exploited Natives and resources; eventually Natives were replaced with African slave labor
Small pox
Disease spread by Europeans in the Americas; led to the deaths of millions of indigenous people in North and South America
Great Plains and Great Basin
Located in the central/western portion of the US; a lack of natural resources led indigenous people to live a nomadic lifestyle in these regions
Columbian Exchange
Exchange of goods, ideas, diseases, and people between the Americas, Africa, and Europe; each region was significantly impacted as a result of trade and contact
Role of the Spanish and Portuguese traders
Settled heavily in South America, reached West Africa and contributed to the development of the African Slave Trade
Maize
Corn; cultivated in present-day Mexico and spread to the SW portion of the US; Native American societies were built around maize
Bartolome de Las Casas
He debated Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda in the Valladolid Debate; Spanish priest that wrote about the atrocities the Spanish committed against the Native Americans and sought to end the encomienda system; his writings were later used by the British to perpetuate the "Black Legend
Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda
He debated Bartolome de Las Casas in the Valladolid Debate. He used Aristotelian Doctrine (some people are predisposed to be slaves) to justify treatment of the Native Americans, and he supported forcing natives to convert and accept Spanish king.
Age of Discovery
Historical period between the 15th and 18th century during which Europeans made contact and sought to explore and colonize the "New World
Casta System
A system developed by the Spanish that incorporated, and carefully defined the status of, the diverse population of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans in their empire (caste system)