Essay
Imperial Rivalries
When Christopher Columbus made his plans to sail westward across the Atlantic, he first set off across Europe to find sponsors. His brother Bartholomew went to the court of the English King Henry VII (who turned him down,...
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Showing results 1 – 10 of 16
Essay
Iberian Roots of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1440–1640
In its broadest sense, African American history predates the history of the United...
Essay
Avast! How the US Built a Navy, Sent in the Marines, and Faced Down the Barbary Pirates
In October 1784, an American merchant vessel, the Betsey, was on a trade run from her home port of Boston to Tenerife in the Canary Islands when she was approached by an un-flagged vessel. Suddenly, “...
Essay
Magellan: Missing in Action
Ferdinand Magellan, celebrated as the first circumnavigator, has long been the orphan of history. Although he...
Glossary Term – Event
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 moved the boundary between Spanish and Portuguese lands in the New World. The line of demarcation established a year earlier by the pope’s papal bull Inter Caetera shifted 1,000 miles westward, with the result that Brazil (when it was discovered) came under Portuguese control.
Glossary Term – Event
Portugal united
Portugal’s King John I united the country’s various principalities.
Glossary Term – Event
Reconquista completed
The Reconquista was the campaign undertaken by Christians in what would become Portugal and Spain to capture, or reconquer, the Iberian Peninsula from North African Muslims called Moors. This effort began in the mid-twelfth century and was successfully concluded in 1492. The struggle helped lead to unified kingdoms in both nations and in Spain provided the model for the conquest of America.
Glossary Term – Event
Modern slave trade began
The modern slave trade originated as the Portuguese began importing slaves from West Africa to Europe and the Canary Islands.
Glossary Term – Event
Nine-Power Pact
At the Washington Naval Conference, the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Japan, China, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Belgium signed an agreement recognizing China’s sovereignty and maintaining the Open Door policy.