AP World History Unit 5 study guide

Scientific Revolution

An intellectual and cultural transformation between the 16th and 18th centuries that emphasized rational knowledge over traditional authorities.

Nicolaus Copernicus

An astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system in his work On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres.

European Enlightenment

An intellectual movement that applied the principles of the Scientific Revolution to human affairs, promoting open-mindedness and inquiry.

John Locke

A philosopher who proposed the concept of a constitutional government based on a social contract between rulers and the ruled.

Declaration of Independence

The document that formally declared the American colonies' independence from British rule in 1776.

French Revolution

A period of radical social and political upheaval in France from 1789 to 1799 that resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy and the rise of the republic.

National Assembly

The revolutionary assembly formed by the representatives of the Third Estate in France that ended legal privileges and eliminated feudalism.

Toussaint Louverture

A former slave who led the Haitian Revolution and played a key role in establishing Haiti as an independent state.

Haitian Revolution

The only fully successful slave rebellion in world history that led to the establishment of Haiti as an independent nation.

Creoles

Native-born elites in Spanish colonies who resented the Spanish monarchy's control and sought independence.

Nativism

A political strategy that unified different groups born in the Americas against European-born elites during Latin American revolutions.

Bastille

A fortress prison in Paris that symbolized the oppressive old regime and was stormed during the French Revolution.

Civil equality

A legal principle upheld during the French Revolution that asserted equal rights for all citizens, regardless of class.