Colonial America: Contact and Exploration (1491-1607) Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Colonial America: Contact and Exploration (1491-1607) distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

PiqCue — piqcue.com/colonial-america/cheatsheet

Quick Reference

Columbian Exchange

The massive transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages. It transformed ecosystems, diets, and populations on both sides of the Atlantic.

Pre-Columbian Societies

The diverse civilizations that existed in the Americas before European contact, ranging from nomadic hunter-gatherers to complex agricultural empires with cities, writing systems, and trade networks.

Encomienda System

A Spanish colonial labor system in which colonists were granted control over indigenous peoples who were forced to provide labor and tribute in exchange for supposed protection and Christian instruction.

Mercantilism

The dominant European economic theory holding that national wealth was measured by gold and silver reserves, and that colonies existed to enrich the mother country through favorable trade balances.

Joint-Stock Company

A business structure in which investors pooled capital to fund colonial ventures, sharing both the risks and potential profits. This model enabled expensive colonization without full government funding.

Biological Imperialism

The ecological advantages Europeans gained through the Columbian Exchange, including domesticated animals (horses, cattle), crop transfers, and especially the devastating effect of Old World diseases on indigenous populations.

Spanish Mission System

A network of religious and colonial outposts established by Spain across the Americas to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity, extract labor, and extend territorial control.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

A papal agreement dividing the newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal along a meridian in the Atlantic, granting Spain most of the Americas and Portugal control of Brazil and routes to Asia.

Key Terms at a Glance

Columbian Exchange:The massive transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following 1492.

Encomienda System:A Spanish colonial labor system granting colonists control over indigenous workers in exchange for religious instruction, functioning in practice as forced labor exploitation.

Three Sisters:A complementary Native American agricultural system of corn, beans, and squash grown together for mutual benefit.

Treaty of Tordesillas:A 1494 agreement dividing the non-Christian world between Spain and Portugal along a meridian west of Cape Verde.

Cahokia:The largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico, built by the Mississippian culture near present-day St. Louis, with a peak population of 10,000-20,000.

Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee):A political alliance of five (later six) northeastern Native American nations united under the Great Law of Peace.

Roanoke Colony:The first English attempt at permanent settlement in North America (1587), which mysteriously disappeared and became known as the Lost Colony.

Conquistador:A Spanish soldier-explorer who participated in the conquest of indigenous civilizations in the Americas during the 16th century.

Mission System:A Spanish colonial institution in which Catholic missionaries established settlements to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity and incorporate them into the colonial economy.

Pre-Columbian:Referring to the period in the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and the subsequent European colonization.

Epidemic Disease:Infectious diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza that spread rapidly through indigenous populations who lacked immunity, causing catastrophic population decline.

Pueblo:Spanish for village; refers to the settled, agricultural Native American peoples of the American Southwest who built multi-story adobe and stone structures.

St. Augustine:Founded in 1565, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the present-day United States, established by Spain in Florida.

Mestizo:A person of mixed European and indigenous ancestry, a demographic category that emerged from the colonial encounter in the Americas.

Bartolome de las Casas:A Spanish Dominican friar who documented colonial abuse of indigenous peoples and advocated for their rights, producing influential critiques of the encomienda system.

Get study tips in your inbox

We'll send you evidence-based study strategies and new cheat sheets as they're published.

We'll notify you about updates. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.