Unit 6: Age of Exploration Vocabulary

Mercantilism: The policy of a nation seeking an increase in wealth and power by establishing a favorable balance of trade.

Colonization: A system where one country extends its control over another area, especially for economic benefit

Columbian Exchange: The transfer of plants, animals, disease, and technology between the New World and Europe.

Commercial Revolution: The expansion of trade and competition among nations caused by the discovery of the New World

Middle Passage: Part of the Triangular Trade system on which slaves from Africa were brought to the New World

Triangular Trade: Trade system between the Europe, Africa, and the New World.

Quipu: With no written language, the Inca used quipus--system of knotted strings--to keep accounting records of people and goods in South America.

Conquistadors: “conqueror” Conquistadors: “conqueror” . . . any one of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of the Americas, in the 16th century

Encomienda: forced labor of natives of the Americas by Spanish conquistadors

Balance of Trade: the difference in the value between a country’s imports (what they buy from other countries) and exports (what they sell to other countries) Goal of FAVORABLE Balance of Trade: exports value more than imports

Plantations: a farm/estate where crops are grown for sale

Colony: a territory under the political control of a “parent” country

Globalization: international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture

4-Square Vocabulary Template Word Picture Definition Sentence