Trans-oceanic trade

Read pages 253-296 (Unit 4)

Topics

astrolabe
caravel
cartography
primogeniture laws
Omani- European rivalry
Christopher Columbus
astronomical chart
sailing technology improvements 1450
lateen sail
sea beggars
european maritime empires
Prince Henry the Navigator

Reading/Resources

Context (what else is happening around this place/time?)

Media resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hz5zNOgw04&pp=ygUXT21hbmktIEV1cm9wZWFuIHJpdmFscnk%3D

Review Questions

Topic 4.1: Technological Innovations

Which of the following maritime technologies was adopted by European explorers from other cultures?
- (A) The astrolabe
- (B) The caravel
- (C) The gunpowder cannon
- (D) The lateen sail
- Correct Answer: (D) The lateen sail.
  
  Explanation: Europeans adopted the lateen sail from Arab sailors. The lateen sail was triangular and could catch winds coming from many different directions. This made European ships more maneuverable and allowed for sailing against the wind. The astrolabe was a navigational tool developed in the classical era (c. 600 BCE–c. 600 CE) and used to determine latitude by measuring the altitude of the sun or the stars. Gunpowder cannons and caravels were both developed in Europe.

Topic 4.2: Exploration (c. 1450 to c. 1750)

Which European explorer is credited with being the first to circumnavigate the globe?
- (A) Christopher Columbus
- (B) Bartolomeu Dias
- (C) Ferdinand Magellan
- (D) Vasco da Gama
- Correct Answer: (C) Ferdinand Magellan.
  
  Explanation: Although Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines, his expedition was the first to circumnavigate the globe. Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering the Americas. Bartolomeu Dias was the first European explorer to sail around the southern tip of Africa. Vasco da Gama was the first European explorer to sail from Europe to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope.

Topic 4.3: Columbian Exchange

Which of the following describes a key consequence of the Columbian Exchange?
- (A) The introduction of new diseases to the Americas led to a dramatic decline in the Native American population.
- (B) The introduction of European crops to the Americas led to an immediate increase in agricultural productivity.
- (C) The introduction of African slaves to the Americas led to the development of new religious practices.
- (D) The introduction of horses to the Americas had little effect on Native American societies.
- Correct Answer: (A) The introduction of new diseases to the Americas led to a dramatic decline in the Native American population.
  
  Explanation: The introduction of European diseases to the Americas, including smallpox, measles, and influenza, had a devastating effect on Native American populations. These diseases had a much higher mortality rate among Native Americans than among Europeans. While the introduction of horses to the Americas did transform warfare and hunting for some Native American groups, this was not a key consequence of the Columbian Exchange. The introduction of African slaves to the Americas resulted from the decline in Native American labor and resulted in the development of new, syncretic forms of religion.

Topic 4.4: Maritime Empires (c. 1450 to c. 1750)

Which of the following best describes the economic system of mercantilism?
- (A) Colonies were expected to export raw materials to the mother country and import manufactured goods.
- (B) Colonies were expected to develop their own industries and trade freely with other countries.
- (C) Colonies were expected to provide military support to the mother country but were otherwise allowed to govern themselves.
- (D) Colonies were expected to convert to the religion of the mother country and abandon their native faiths.
- Correct Answer: (A) Colonies were expected to export raw materials to the mother country and import manufactured goods.
  
  Explanation: Mercantilism was an economic system in which colonies existed primarily to benefit the mother country. Colonies were expected to provide the mother country with raw materials and markets for manufactured goods.
Which of the following was a major consequence of the Atlantic slave trade?
- (A) The development of new, syncretic religious practices in the Americas
- (B) A decrease in interregional trade networks
- (C) The decline of European colonial empires
- (D) The development of the encomienda system
- Correct Answer: (A) The development of new, syncretic religious practices in the Americas.
  
  Explanation: The Atlantic slave trade led to the development of new syncretic religious practices, such as Vodun, Santeria, and Candomblé in the Americas. Enslaved Africans combined elements of their traditional religions with Christianity. This trade actually resulted in the expansion of interregional trade networks and the intensification of the encomienda system, a system of forced labor in Spanish America. The Atlantic slave trade was a critical component of European colonial empires.

Topic 4.5: Maritime Empires Develop

Which of the following maritime empires developed a trading-post empire?
- (A) The British Empire
- (B) The Dutch Empire
- (C) The French Empire
- (D) The Spanish Empire
- Correct Answer: (B) The Dutch Empire.
  
  Explanation: The Dutch established a trading-post empire in the Indian Ocean. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) set up trading posts in key locations to control the spice trade. The British, French, and Spanish developed more traditional empires based on territorial conquest.
Which of the following was a major change in labor systems that occurred in the Americas during this era?
- (A) Indentured servitude declined as enslaved Africans became a more important source of labor.
- (B) The mita system was developed in British North America.
- (C) The encomienda system was abolished in all Spanish colonies.
- (D) European settlers largely relied on their own labor to produce agricultural goods.
- Correct Answer: (A) Indentured servitude declined as enslaved Africans became a more important source of labor.
  
  Explanation: As the demand for labor in the Americas increased, indentured servitude declined as enslaved Africans became a more prominent source of labor. The mita system, which was a system of forced labor in the Inca Empire, was adapted by the Spanish to extract silver from the mines in Potosi. The encomienda system was gradually replaced by other forms of coercive labor, such as the hacienda system.

Topic 4.6: Challenges to State Power

Which of the following was a major challenge to state power in the Americas during this era?
- (A) The Fronde, a series of uprisings against the French monarchy, spread to the French colonies in North America.
- (B) The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 in present-day New Mexico was a successful revolt against Spanish rule.
- (C) Metacom's War, also known as King Philip's War, was a series of conflicts between the English colonists and Native Americans in New England, but it did not pose a serious threat to English rule.
- (D) The Gloucester County Rebellion was a successful revolt by enslaved Africans in Virginia that led to the abolition of slavery in the colony.
- Correct Answer: (B) The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 in present-day New Mexico was a successful revolt against Spanish rule.
  
  Explanation: The Pueblo Revolt was a successful revolt by Pueblo Indians against Spanish rule. The Pueblo were able to drive the Spanish out of New Mexico for 12 years. Metacom's War and the Gloucester County Rebellion were both unsuccessful. While the Fronde was a series of uprisings against the French monarchy, they were not connected to French colonial efforts in North America.

Topic 4.7: Changing Social Hierarchies

Which of the following best describes the casta system in Spanish America?
- (A) A rigid social hierarchy that placed people of European descent at the top.
- (B) A flexible social system that allowed for social mobility based on wealth and education.
- (C) A system of governance in which local communities elected their own leaders.
- (D) A legal system based on the principles of equality and justice.
- Correct Answer: (A) A rigid social hierarchy that placed people of European descent at the top.
  
  Explanation: The casta system was a complex and rigid social hierarchy based on race and place of birth. People of Spanish descent born in Spain (peninsulares) were at the top of the social hierarchy.

Topic 4.8: Continuity and Change in the Role of Women

Which of the following best describes the impact of European colonization on the role of women in indigenous societies?
- (A) Women in indigenous societies gained political and economic power as a result of European influence.
- (B) The role of women in indigenous societies remained largely unchanged as a result of European colonization.
- (C) Women in indigenous societies were often marginalized as a result of European patriarchal practices.
- (D) Women in indigenous societies played a key role in facilitating trade with European colonists.
- Correct Answer: (C) Women in indigenous societies were often marginalized as a result of European patriarchal practices.
  
  Explanation: European patriarchal practices led to the marginalization of women in many indigenous societies. For instance, the introduction of new legal codes and property rights often limited women’s economic opportunities. In many cases, the disruption of traditional social structures by European colonists also led to a decline in women's status.