Key terms and concepts from Chapter 1 of the American Pageant.
Terms : Hide Images
| 907269286 | nation-state | The modern form of political society that combines centralized government with a high degree of ethnic and cultural unity. The development of European nation-states began the Age of Exploration | 0 | |
| 907269287 | matrilinear | the form of society in which family line, power, and wealth are passed primarily through the female side. Many Native American tribes developed matrilinear societies | 1 | |
| 907269288 | confederacy | An alliance or league of nations or peoples looser than a federation. The Iroquois Confederacy was the only political and economically united group of Indians, and remained militarily and politically powerful until the American Revolution. | 2 | |
| 907269289 | middlemen | In trading systems, those dealers who operate between the original buyers and the retail merchants who sell to consumers. In Asian-European trade, Muslim middlemen charged exorbitant fees for their goods, which was a big motive for exploration. | 3 | |
| 907269290 | caravel | A new, smaller ship created by the Portuguese. Enabled the exploration of sub-Saharan Africa and the discovery of an eastern sea route to Asia | 4 | |
| 907269291 | plantation | A large-scale agricultural enterprise growing commercial crops and usually employing coerced or slave labor. The plantation system was extremely prevalent in the Southern colonies, where large farms grew rice, tobacco, and cotton. It was first used by the Portuguese in the Atlantic sugar islands (Cape Verde, the Azore Islands, etc.). | 5 | |
| 907269292 | conquistador | A Spanish conqueror or adventurer in the Americas. The Spanish conquistadors defeated the Incas and the Aztecs and were the first to really explore the Midwest/Southwest North American continent. Established missions and were mostly there for God and gold. | 6 | |
| 907269293 | capitalism | An economic system characterized by private property , generally free trade, and open and accessible markets. The influx of Mexican silver into European markets was key to the rise of capitalism and an interdependent global economy. | 7 | |
| 907269294 | encomienda | The Spanish labor system in which persons were help to unpaid service under the permanent control of their masters, though not legally owned by them. Precursor to the plantation system, and helped create the practice of slavery. | 8 | |
| 907269295 | mestizo | A person of mixed Native American and European ancestry. Mestizos were far more prevalent in Spanish colonies as the Spanish conquistadors assimilated with the natives, while the English settlers viewed them as savages and did their best to eradicated them. | 9 |
