AP World History Unit 4 Review Notes

Overview

• Unit Theme: Trans-oceanic interconnections (1450-1750)
• Focus: Development and expansion of maritime empires, primarily led by Europe.

Key Concepts

Technological Advancements

• Maritime Technology Advances:
  • Development of new ship types: Flute, Caravel, Carrack.
  • Ships designed specifically for trade (merchant ships), leading to lower costs and increased speed.
  • Introduction of the Latin sail (triangular sail) allowed better wind utilization.

Navigational Technologies

• Improved astronomical charts.
• Use of astrolabe and magnetic compass for accurate positioning.

European Exploration

• Europeans sought new sea routes to Asia due to Muslim control over land trade routes.
• Christopher Columbus: Discovered the Americas in 1492, initiating the Colombian Exchange.

The Colombian Exchange

• Biological Exchange: Animals, plants, people, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
• Significant Exchanges:
  • Diseases: Europeans brought smallpox to the Americas, devastating native populations (50-90% death rate).
  • Food: Introduction of sugar and horses to the Americas; potatoes, maize, and guinea pigs sent to Europe.
  • Syphilis: Debated origins, but often credited as returning with Europeans.

Atlantic Slave Trade

• Chattel Slavery: Enslaved Africans treated as property; largely introduced for agricultural labor in the Americas.
• Previous systems attempted:
  • Encomienda System: Spanish conquistadors protected natives in exchange for labor.
  • Hacienda System: Larger plantations developed from encomiendas.
  • Mita System: Adapted from the Incans for coerced labor, but for private gain in Spanish use.
  • Indentured Servitude in North America: Limited time labor for freedom after seven years.

Economic Impact

Mercantilism

• Dominant economic system (fixed wealth model).
• Competition for resources led to rivalries among European powers.
• Colonization was driven by a desire for raw materials and wealth accumulation.
• Joint Stock Companies: Innovated funding of exploration by sharing financial risks among investors.

Social Changes

New Social Hierarchy in the Americas

• Castas System: Racial and ancestral classification.
  • Peninsulares: Born in Europe (top tier).
  • Criollos (Creoles): Europeans born in the Americas.
  • Mestizos: Mixed European and Indigenous ancestry.
  • Mulattos: Mixed European and African ancestry.
  • Zambos: Mixed Indigenous and African ancestry.
  • Indigenous and African peoples at the bottom.

Conclusion

• This review covers the major themes and events of Unit 4.
• For detailed study, refer to individual topic videos linked in the description.