1. Sugarcane Europeans enslaved millions of Africans to plant and harvest this crop

2. Christopher Columbus Believed he could reach Asia by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean

3. Representative government System in which people elect delegates to conduct government

4. Hernan Cortes Destroyed the Aztec empire

5. Marco Polo Spent 17 years in China working for Kublai Khan

6. astrolabe Measured the position of the stars

7. Thomas Hobbes Argued absolute monarchy was the best form of government

8. Thomas Aquinas Believed reason should be used to explore questions of faith

9. Mercantilism Theory that a nation becomes powerful by building up a supply of gold and silver

10. Capitalism System in which money is invested in business to make more money

11. Martin Luther Criticized Catholic teachings and practices

12. Vasco da Gama Portuguese explorer who completed the eastern sea route to Asia

13. circumnavigate Sail around the world

14. Scientific method An orderly way of collecting and analyzing evidence

15. Crusades Series of holy wars that increased trade

16. Joint-stock companies Organizations of stockholders formed to share profits and risks of ventures

17. Missions Religious communities that included a town, farmland, and a church

18. Charles de Montesquieu Argued governments needed separation of powers

19. Columbian Exchange Global exchange of people, goods, technology, ideas, and diseases

20. Ten Commandments Influenced the moral laws of many nations