HOTA: Unit 1 Indigenous History, Nation-Building and Expansion

Colonialism

Attempt by one country to establish settlements and to impose its political, economic, and cultural principles in another territory.

Settler Colonialism

A type of colonialism that functions through the replacement of indigenous populations with an invasive settler society that, over time, develops a distinctive identity and sovereignty.

Manifest Destiny

An idea held by some nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific.

Assimilation

The social process of absorbing one cultural group into a (usually) dominant group

Genocide

The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation.

Mestizo

A person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry.

Missionary

A person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country.

Haciendas

Large Spanish colonial estates usually owned by wealthy families but worked by many peasants.

Treaty

A formal agreement between two or more sovereign states

Trail of Tears

The forced removal of Cherokees and other indigenous groups and their transportation to Oklahoma

Reservations

An area of land designated by the U.S. government that Native American tribes live(d) on.

Blood Quantum

Fraction of a person's ancestry (or "blood") that is Native American

Indian Boarding Schools

Indian Boarding schools assimilated indigenous youth into White American culture and attempted to strip them of their original beliefs and culture.

Aztec/Mexica

(1200-1521) Settled in the valley of Mexico. Grew corn. Engaged in frequent warfare to conquer others of the region. Worshipped many gods (polytheistic). Conquered by Hernan Cortes in 1521.

New Spain

After the defeat of the Aztecs, it was a Spanish colony. Its capital was Mexico City.

Criollos

Spaniards born in the Americas; second highest social class.

Peninsulares

Spanish-born, came to Latin America; ruled, highest social class.

Miguel Hidalgo

Priest who began the revolt against Spanish rule in Mexico

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

Mexican president who led an army against Texas as a General

Republic of Texas

Independent nation that was created after Texans defeated Mexico in the Texas Revolution

Mexican-American War

(1846-1848) The war between the United States and Mexico in which the United States acquired one half of the Mexican territory.

Andrew Jackson

Seventh president of the US who championed the Indian Removal Act

Five Civilized Tribes

Cherokees, Choctaws, Creeks, Chickasaws, and Seminoles; "civilized" due to their intermarriage with whites, forced out of their homelands by expansion

Indian Wars

1850 to 1890; series of conflicts between the US Army / settlers and different Native American tribes

Dawes Act

An act signed by president Grover Cleveland that removed Indian land from tribal possession, redivided it, and distributed it among individual Indian families. Designed to break "tribal mentalities" and promote individualism.

Carlisle Indian School

In 1879 this school in Pennsylvania was funded by the federal government where Native American children were separated from their tribes to be taught English and white ideals.

Bureau (Office) of Indian Affairs

A government agency created in the 1800s to oversee federal policy toward Native Americans

Transcontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah, it linked the eastern railroad system with California's railroad system, revolutionizing transportation in the west.