Glossary
Atlantic Slave Trade
The forced migration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas, primarily for labor on plantations and in mines, from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Example:
The Atlantic Slave Trade profoundly reshaped the demographics and economies of both Africa and the Americas, leading to the development of new racial hierarchies and the brutal exploitation of human beings.
Candomble
A syncretic religion developed in Brazil by enslaved Africans, primarily from the Bantu ethnic group, blending African spiritual traditions with Roman Catholicism.
Example:
In Brazil, followers of Candomble maintain a rich tradition of rituals, music, and dance that honor their African deities, often disguised under the names of Catholic saints.
Commercial Revolution
A period of European economic expansion, colonialism, and mercantilism that lasted from approximately the late 13th century to the early 18th century, characterized by the rise of a trade-based economy using gold and silver.
Example:
The influx of silver from the Americas during the Commercial Revolution fueled new global trade networks, transforming European economies and leading to the growth of powerful merchant classes.
Creoles
People of European descent born in the Americas, who held significant economic power but were generally excluded from the highest political offices.
Example:
Despite owning vast haciendas and mines, a Creole landowner would often resent the political dominance of Peninsulares, a tension that later fueled independence movements.
Economic Disputes
Conflicts or rivalries between states arising from competition over trade, resources, or economic policies.
Example:
The Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century were largely driven by Economic Disputes over control of global trade routes and colonial possessions.
Intensified Labor
An increase in the amount or intensity of work required from existing labor forces, often due to growing demand for goods.
Example:
The rising demand for sugar in Europe led to Intensified Labor on Caribbean plantations, forcing enslaved Africans to work longer and harder under brutal conditions.
Joint-Stock Companies
Businesses where investors pool their money to finance large-scale ventures, sharing both the risks and potential profits.
Example:
The Dutch East India Company, a prominent Joint-Stock Company, funded ambitious voyages to Asia, allowing many investors to profit from the lucrative spice trade without one person bearing all the financial risk.
Mercantilism
An economic theory and practice dominant in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century that promoted governmental regulation of a nation's economy for the purpose of augmenting state power at the expense of rival national powers.
Example:
Under Mercantilism, England restricted its American colonies from trading with other European powers, ensuring that raw materials like timber and tobacco flowed exclusively to the mother country.
Native American Depopulation
The drastic decline in the indigenous populations of the Americas following European arrival, primarily due to diseases, violence, and forced labor.
Example:
Within decades of Columbus's arrival, Native American Depopulation reached catastrophic levels, with diseases like smallpox wiping out up to 90% of some populations, fundamentally altering the continent's social and ecological landscape.
Peninsulares
Individuals born in Spain or Portugal who migrated to the Americas, holding the highest positions of power and prestige in colonial society.
Example:
A Peninsular would typically serve as a viceroy or a high-ranking church official, wielding immense authority over the colonial administration and economy.
Price Revolution
A period of high inflation across Western Europe during the late 15th to mid-17th centuries, primarily caused by the massive influx of silver from the Americas.
Example:
During the Price Revolution, the cost of basic goods soared, leading to widespread social unrest among peasants and urban workers who struggled to afford necessities.
Santeria
A syncretic religion developed in Cuba among descendants of West African Yoruba people, blending elements of Yoruba traditions with Roman Catholicism.
Example:
Practitioners of Santeria might venerate Catholic saints, seeing them as manifestations of their traditional Yoruba deities, or orishas.
Social Hierarchy in the Americas
A rigid system of social stratification established in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies, based largely on race and place of birth.
Example:
The Social Hierarchy in the Americas placed Peninsulares at the top, followed by Creoles, and then various mixed-race groups, with indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans at the very bottom.
Syncretic Religions
New religious practices that emerge from the blending of different belief systems, often occurring when indigenous or enslaved populations adapt their traditional faiths to incorporate elements of a dominant religion.
Example:
The vibrant festivals of Vodun in Haiti are a powerful example of Syncretic Religions, combining West African spiritual traditions with elements of Roman Catholicism.
Triangular Trade
A transatlantic trade network that operated from the late 16th to early 19th centuries, connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas in a three-legged journey of goods and enslaved people.
Example:
The Triangular Trade saw European manufactured goods sent to Africa, enslaved Africans transported to the Americas, and raw materials like sugar and tobacco shipped back to Europe, forming a brutal but highly profitable system.
Virgin of Guadalupe
A revered Catholic image in Mexico, representing a syncretic blend of indigenous beliefs and Catholicism, symbolizing Mexican identity.
Example:
The apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe to an indigenous man, Juan Diego, became a powerful symbol of faith and cultural blending, resonating deeply with the native population and facilitating their conversion to Catholicism.
Vodun
A syncretic religion originating in West Africa and practiced in the Caribbean, particularly Haiti, combining African spiritualism with Roman Catholicism.
Example:
During the Haitian Revolution, the spiritual practices of Vodun played a crucial role in uniting enslaved people and inspiring their fight for freedom.