APUSH - Unit 1 Review

The major stuff for Unit 1 of APUSH.

African Slavery

System of forced labor in the Americas; Africans transported via the Middle Passage, hereditary and race-based, became dominant after decline of indentured servitude.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter in Massachusetts Bay; challenged clergy and gender roles; banished and helped found Rhode Island.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley; exposed tensions between frontier farmers and elites; accelerated shift to African slavery.

Characteristics of English Colonies

Varied by region: Chesapeake (tobacco, plantations, slavery), New England (Puritan religion, towns, mixed economy), Middle Colonies (diverse, wheat, commerce), Southern/Caribbean (rice, indigo, harsh slave codes).

Columbian Exchange

Transatlantic transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old and New Worlds after 1492; caused Native demographic collapse and European population growth.

Crops

Tobacco (Chesapeake), rice/indigo (Carolinas/Georgia), wheat (Middle Colonies), maize (Native societies, New England sustenance).

Dutch/Netherlands

Established New Netherland (New York area); focused on fur trade, commercial alliances, and smaller settler population.

Economies of Colonial Regions

Chesapeake relied on tobacco plantations; Southern on rice/indigo; New England on trade, shipbuilding, small farms; Middle Colonies on wheat, ports, commerce.

England

Mother country; practiced mercantilism, imposed Navigation Acts, attempted Dominion of New England, but mostly allowed “salutary neglect.”

Extractive Economy

Spanish model of colonization extracting silver, gold, and other resources from colonies for the benefit of the crown.

Gender Ratios in Colonial Regions

Chesapeake had more men than women; New England had more balanced ratios, supporting family growth and stability.

Georgia as a Buffer Colony

Founded 1732 by James Oglethorpe; protected English colonies from Spanish Florida; initially banned slavery and liquor, later became plantation economy.

Great Awakening

Religious revival in 1730s

Headright System

Land grant policy in VA/MD; 50 acres awarded for paying one’s passage or sponsoring indentured servants; encouraged immigration and plantation growth.

Henry VIII

English king who broke from the Catholic Church, creating the Church of England; his actions set stage for Puritan dissent and later migration.

Henry Hudson

English explorer for the Dutch; explored the Hudson River Valley and laid claim to New Netherland.

Huguenots

French Protestants who fled persecution; many migrated to colonies, especially in South Carolina and New York.

Indentured Servants

Workers contracted to labor 4

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia; envisioned a debtor refuge and military buffer against Spanish Florida; initially opposed slavery.

Jamestown

First permanent English colony in North America (1607); survived hardships through tobacco cultivation (John Rolfe) and alliances/conflict with Natives (Powhatan Confederacy).

John Rolfe

Introduced tobacco cultivation in Virginia, making it profitable; married Pocahontas, briefly easing Anglo-Powhatan tensions.

John Smith

Leader at Jamestown; imposed discipline and trade with Powhatan, helping colony survive “Starving Time.”

King Philip’s War

1675

Life Expectancy in the Colonies

Higher in New England due to healthier climate and family structure; lower in Chesapeake due to disease and harsh conditions.

Martin Luther

German monk who initiated Protestant Reformation (1517) with his 95 Theses; challenged Catholic authority and inspired religious dissent in Europe.

Maryland Toleration Act

1649 law in Maryland granting religious freedom to all Christians (esp. Catholics and Protestants); one of the first laws on religious toleration in the colonies.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement signed by Pilgrims before landing at Plymouth; established self-government based on majority rule.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Founded 1630 by Puritans under John Winthrop; intended as a “city upon a hill”; theocratic government where only church members could vote.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies exist to benefit the mother country by providing raw materials and serving as markets; reinforced by Navigation Acts.

Metacom

Also known as King Philip, Native leader of Wampanoags; led King Philip’s War (1675

Middle Grounds

Regions on the frontier where Europeans and Native Americans negotiated, traded, and sometimes coexisted; especially in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes.

Pilgrims

English Separatists who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620; sought religious freedom and established the Mayflower Compact.

Pocahontas

Daughter of Powhatan; mediated between Natives and English at Jamestown; married John Rolfe, symbolizing temporary Anglo-Native peace.

Political System in Each Colony

Varied by charter: Virginia had House of Burgesses (first assembly); New England had town meetings; Middle Colonies had diverse representative assemblies; overall trend toward self-government.

Portugal

Early leader in exploration; controlled African slave trade; colonized Brazil; rival of Spain in early Atlantic expansion.

Puritans/Puritan Families

Wanted to “purify” the Anglican Church; migrated to Massachusetts Bay; emphasized covenant communities, patriarchal families, religious conformity.

Quakers

Radical Protestant sect; believed in equality, inner light, and pacifism; founded Pennsylvania under William Penn.

Representative Government

Colonial practice of elected assemblies (e.g., House of Burgesses, town meetings); established traditions of self-rule.

Roanoke

First attempted English colony (1587); disappeared mysteriously with only “Croatoan” carved into a post.

Roger Williams

Dissenter from Massachusetts Bay; advocated separation of church and state and fair treatment of Natives; founded Rhode Island with religious freedom.

Royal African Company

English company that held a monopoly on the slave trade until 1697; loss of monopoly expanded slave imports to colonies.

Salem Witchcraft Trials

1692 hysteria in Massachusetts; mostly targeted women; reflected social tensions, fear, and decline of Puritan authority.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of loose enforcement of Navigation Acts; allowed colonies to govern themselves and trade more freely.

Slavery

System of permanent, race-based forced labor; codified by slave codes; expanded after Bacon’s Rebellion reduced reliance on indentured servitude.

Smallpox, etc.

European diseases (smallpox, measles, influenza) decimated Native populations; key factor in European conquest.

Spain

Dominant colonial power in early Americas; controlled much of South/Central America; used encomienda, missions, and caste system; sought gold and conversion.

Tobacco

Cash crop introduced by John Rolfe; became basis of Chesapeake economy; drove expansion and demand for labor.

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that funded Jamestown in 1607; sought profit from colonization.

William Bradford

Governor of Plymouth Colony; helped Pilgrims survive early hardships; emphasized religious mission.

William Penn

Quaker founder of Pennsylvania; established religious tolerance, good relations with Natives, and thriving port economy.

Starving Time

Winter of 1609

Encomienda System

Spanish colonial labor system granting settlers the right to Native labor/tribute in return for “protection” and Christianization; early form of slavery.

Slave Codes

Colonial laws defining slavery as permanent, hereditary, and race-based; restricted enslaved people’s rights (movement, marriage, literacy).

Slave Culture

Distinct traditions developed by enslaved Africans in the Americas, blending African music, religion, kinship, and resistance with colonial life.

Westward Expansion and Native Conflict

Colonists pushed westward seeking land for crops like tobacco; angered Native Americans, sparking wars such as Bacon’s Rebellion and King Philip’s War.

Spanish

Native Relations

Colonial Charters (Corporate, Proprietary, Royal)

Corporate/joint-stock colonies run by investors for profit; proprietary colonies governed by individual owners; royal colonies under direct control of the crown.

Colonial Social Hierarchy

Wealthy planters/merchants at the top, small farmers/artisans in the middle, indentured servants/slaves at the bottom; more mobility than Europe but still unequal.

Broken Treaties with Natives

Colonists repeatedly made land treaties with Native Americans, then violated them as expansion continued, fueling distrust and conflict.

Old Lights

Traditional clergy and followers during the Great Awakening; opposed emotional revivalism and defended established church authority.

New Lights

Revivalist preachers and followers during the Great Awakening; emphasized emotional conversion experiences, challenged traditional authority, and founded new denominations.