1. European Conquest of
Latin America and the
Caribbean

2. Latin America
A term used to identify the areas
of South of the US whose official
languages are
Spanish, Portuguese, or French
(derived from Latin):
Mexico, South America, Central
America, and certain islands in
the Caribbean.

4. Common Usage in the US
In the US, when people
use the term “Latin
America,” they are
often only talking
about countries where
people speak Spanish
or Portuguese (i.e.
Mexico, Brazil, etc.)
and not French
speaking areas (Haiti).

5. European Conquests
Starting in the late 1400’s, various
European countries, including
Portugal, Spain, and
France, began claiming land and
establishing settlements
throughout Latin America and the
Caribbean.

6. Colonies
These
settlements, whic
h stayed under the
control of the
mother country
(the country that
claimed the
land), are known
as colonies.

7. Why colonize?
European nations wanted colonies
for many reasons.
3Gs:
-God
-Glory
-Gold

8. Hispaniola
-The island of Hispaniola (modern day Haiti
and Dominican Republic) is located in the
Caribbean.

9. Settlement of the Island
● In 1492, Columbus, working for
Spain, landed on the island of
Hispaniola. He set up the first
European establishment in this
part of the world.
● Later, the island was colonized
by both the French and Spanish.
● The Spanish part was called
Santo Domingo. The French
part, Saint-Domingue.

10. What’s Next
Over the course of the next
several days, we are going to
explore the reasons for and
impact of the Haitian
Revolution (1791-1804).

11. Homework
Read “The Creation of Saint
Domingue (P1)”, pages 1-10.
Highlight/Underline any key
points in the reading.
Answer study guide questions 1-11.

12. Unfamiliar Terms
Abolition: putting something to end by law
(most often used to refer to the end of slavery)
Indigenous Population: the people who are
originally from an area; native inhabitants
Subsistence agriculture: crops that are grown
to meet people’s basic needs (compared to
growing crops to make a profit.)

13. Unfamiliar Terms (Cont’d)
Fugitive slaves: runaway slaves
Deforestation: to cut down or clear
away trees (often used when people are
concerned about the number of trees
that have been cut down)