| Term | Definition |
| conquistador | any of the spanish conquerors in the Americas during the early 1500s |
| grant | a gift of money to be used for a special purpose |
| rumor | a story that has been told but has not been proved |
| dersertion | running away from duties, such as military service |
| civil war | a war between people of the same country |
| mainland | the main part of a continent, rather than an island near the continent |
| claim | to declare that you or your country owns something |
| agent | a person who does business for other people |
| armada | a fleet of warships |
| profit | in a business, money left over after everything has beeen paid for |
| pilgrim | a person who makes a journey for a religious reason |
| compact | an agreement |
| Mayflower Compact | an agreement by those on the Mayflower to make and obey laws for their colony. This was the first example of self - rule by American colonists |
| interpreter | a person who translates from one language to another |
| missionary | a person who teaches his or her religion to others |
| colony | a settlement ruled by another country |
| colonist | a person who lives in a colony |
| plantation | a huge farm |
| Columbian Exchange | the movement of plants, animals, and peole from one continent to another. It is named for Christopher Columbus, one of the first explorers to transfer items across the Atlantic Ocean |
| Northwest Passage | a water route that explorers wanted to find so that traders could cut through North America to Asia |
| trade network | a system in which trade takes place between certain groups of people |
| cardinal directions | 4 main directions |
| intermidiate directions | between the cardinal directions |
| compass rose | shows directions on a map |