"The term gained prominence in the early 16th century during Europe's Age of Discovery, shortly after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci concluded that America, now often called the Americas, represented a new continent..."
The name given to the Americas when Europeans first arrived, as they were previously unknown to them.
The Renaissance: This period marked a cultural, intellectual, and artistic rebirth in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century. As such, it led to a renewed interest in exploration and discovery.
The Spice Trade: A lucrative commerce in spices from Asia to Europe in the Middle Ages. The race to find new trade routes that were safe from the Ottoman Empire led to the development of new maritime technology and navigation methods.
The Caravel: A small, highly maneuverable Portuguese ship that was constructed for long journeys at sea, including exploration and trading.
The Age of Exploration: A period of European global exploration that started in the 15th century. The primary objectives were to find new trade routes to Asia, to spread Christianity, and to expand Europe's political influence.
The Columbian Exchange: Refers to the transfer of goods, ideas, diseases, and, in some instances, people between the Old World and the New World thanks to Columbus's voyages. This exchange had dramatic and long-lasting effects on the social, economic, and ecological systems of both continents.
The Conquistadors: The Spanish conquistadors were the soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who took part in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. They were motivated by the promise of riches and sought to establish Spain as a dominant world power.
The Aztecs: The native people who lived in the Valley of Mexico and built one of the most influential and powerful empires in the pre-Columbian Americas.
The Incas: The Andean people who built the largest empire the world had seen before the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas.
The Mayans: The native people who lived in Mesoamerica and created one of the most enduring cultures of the pre-Columbian era.
The Exploration of North America: The British, French, and Dutch explorers who ventured into North America, from the Vikings of the 11th century to the settlement of Jamestown in 1607.
The Slave Trade: The buying and selling of human beings, mostly Africans, as property for labor in the Americas. This commerce was one of the most shameful chapters in human history and had a profound impact on both Africa and the Americas.
The Treaty of Tordesillas: A treaty between Spain and Portugal that divided the newly discovered lands outside of Europe between the two powers along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands.
The Navigation Acts: A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in the 17th and 18th centuries that regulated British trade with its colonies in the Americas and limited colonial export trading to other countries.
The Enlightenment: An intellectual movement that developed in Europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries that advocated for reason, science, and individualism.
The Declaration of Independence: This document is one of the most important milestones in American history and declared the United States independent from Great Britain.
Norse exploration and colonization: In the early 11th century, Norse explorers from Iceland traveled to the coast of North America, establishing small settlements in what is now Newfoundland, Canada.
Spanish conquest and colonization: During the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortez and Francisco Pizarro, conquered and colonized parts of present-day Mexico, Florida, California, and the Southwest United States.
French exploration and fur trade: The French explored and established trading outposts along the St. Lawrence River, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River, which eventually led to the foundation of New France (Canada) in the 17th and 18th century.
English colonization and Jamestown: In 1607, the Virginia Company of London established the first permanent English colony in North America, Jamestown, which marked the beginning of English colonization in North America.
Dutch settlement and New Netherland: The Dutch established New Netherlands (New York) in the early 17th century, which included modern-day New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
Aztec and Inca Empires: During the 15th and 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors led by Cortez and Pizarro conquered and destroyed the Aztec and Inca empires, respectively, which opened up the New World to European colonization and expansion.
Portuguese colonization and Brazil: In 1500, the Portuguese established the colony of Brazil, which became one of the largest and most diverse colonies in the New World.
Columbian Exchange: The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds, resulting from the encounter between the Europeans and the indigenous people, which had far-reaching economic, cultural, and environmental impacts on both hemispheres.
Spanish missions and religious conversion: The Spanish built numerous missions in the Americas, particularly in present-day Mexico, California, and Texas, in an attempt to spread Christianity and integrate the indigenous population into Spanish society.
Encomienda System: A labor system introduced by the Spanish in the New World, which allowed Spanish colonizers to enslave and exploit Native American labor in exchange for Spanish "protection" and "education.".
"...and subsequently published his findings in Mundus Novus, a Latin language pamphlet."
"...European geographers, who had thought until then that the world only included Africa, Europe, and Asia, which was collectively referred to as the Old World or Afro-Eurasia."
"This realization expanded the geographical horizon of classical European geographers..."
"The Americas were then referred to as 'the fourth part of the world'..."
"The term gained prominence in the early 16th century during Europe's Age of Discovery..."
"...published his findings in Mundus Novus, a Latin language pamphlet."
"...concluded that America, now often called the Americas, represented a new continent..."
"...who had thought until then that the world only included Africa, Europe, and Asia..."
"...shortly after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci concluded that America... represented a new continent..."
"...the Old World or Afro-Eurasia."
"...published his findings in Mundus Novus, a Latin language pamphlet."
"This realization expanded the geographical horizon of classical European geographers..."
"The term gained prominence in the early 16th century during Europe's Age of Discovery..."
"The Americas were then referred to as 'the fourth part of the world'..."
"...America, now often called the Americas..."
"...published his findings in Mundus Novus, a Latin language pamphlet."
"...in the early 16th century during Europe's Age of Discovery..."
"...Africa, Europe, and Asia, which was collectively referred to as the Old World or Afro-Eurasia."
"...concluded that America, now often called the Americas, represented a new continent and subsequently published his findings."