Honors History

Primary Source

An original document or firsthand account created during the time under study.

Secondary Source

A work that interprets or analyzes primary sources

Historical Bias

An inclination or prejudice for or against a particular historical interpretation or perspective.

Four River Valley Civilizations

The early civilizations that developed around the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Indus rivers.

Mandate of Heaven

A Chinese political and religious doctrine used to justify the rule of the Emperor of China.

Dynastic Cycle

The historical pattern of the rise, decline, and replacement of dynasties in Chinese history.

Confucianism

A philosophical and ethical system based on the teachings of Confucius, emphasizing morality, family loyalty, and social harmony.

The Silk Road

A network of trade routes connecting China with the West, facilitating cultural, commercial, and technological exchange.

The Shogunate

A form of government in Japan where the shogun held power, while the emperor was a figurehead.

The Trans Saharan Trade

Trade routes across the Sahara Desert that connected sub-Saharan Africa with North Africa and Europe.

The Indian Ocean Trade

A network of maritime trade routes connecting East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Feudalism

A social and economic system prevalent in medieval Europe, characterized by the exchange of land for military service.

The Renaissance

A cultural movement in Europe from the 14th to the 17th century

The Mexica

An indigenous people of the Valley of Mexico

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire

The Aztec Empire

A Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico from the 14th to the 16th centuries.

Chinampas

Floating gardens used by the Aztecs for agriculture

Alteptl

The term for a city-state in the Aztec Empire

Hernan Cortes

A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

The Inca Empire

A large empire in South America

Cuzco

The historic capital of the Inca Empire

Sapa Inca

The title of the emperor of the Inca Empire

Quipu

An ancient Inca device for recording information

Francisco Pizarro

A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer credited with the European discovery of the Americas in 1492.

Caravel

A small

Astrolabe

An ancient instrument used for solving problems related to time and the position of the stars.

Compass

A navigational instrument that shows direction relative to the Earth's magnetic poles.

Portolani

Charts used by sailors in the Middle Ages

The Three G's

The motivations for exploration: Gold

The Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that emphasizes the importance of accumulating wealth through trade and colonization.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production and the creation of goods or services for profit.

The Triangular Trade

A historical trade route between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, involving the exchange of goods, slaves, and raw materials.

The Encomienda System

A labor system in Spanish America that granted colonists the right to demand tribute and forced labor from indigenous people.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery where individuals are treated as personal property to be bought and sold.

The Middle Passage

The sea route taken by slave ships from West Africa to the Americas, notorious for its brutal conditions.

Geocentricism

The belief that the Earth is the center of the universe, with all celestial bodies revolving around it.

Nicolaus Copernicus

A Renaissance astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model of the universe.

Heliocentrism

The astronomical model that places the Sun at the center of the universe

Galileo Galilei

An Italian astronomer who made significant contributions to the scientific revolution

Inductive Reasoning

A method of reasoning in which general principles are derived from specific observations.

Deductive Reasoning

A logical process in which a conclusion follows necessarily from the premises.

Natural Rights

The rights that individuals are born with

Secularism

The principle of separating religion from political

Deism

The belief in a rational God who created the universe but does not intervene in human affairs.

Voltaire

A French Enlightenment writer known for his advocacy of civil liberties and criticism of the church.

Divine Right of Kings

The doctrine that kings derive their authority from God and are not accountable to their subjects.

John Locke

An Enlightenment philosopher who argued for natural rights and the social contract.

Separation of Powers

A political doctrine that divides government responsibilities into distinct branches to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power.

Thomas Hobbes

An English philosopher known for his social contract theory and the belief in absolute sovereignty.

The Social Contract

An implicit agreement among individuals to form a society and abide by its rules and norms.

Baron de Montesquieu

A French political philosopher who advocated for the separation of powers in government.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

An Enlightenment thinker who wrote about the social contract and the importance of general will.

Olympe de Gouges

A French playwright and political activist known for her writings on women's rights.

Mary Wollstonecraft

An English writer and advocate for women's rights

Denis Diderot

A French philosopher and co-founder of the Encyclopédie

Adam Smith

An economist and philosopher known for his work 'The Wealth of Nations' and the concept of free market economics.

Absolutism

A political system in which a single ruler holds absolute power over the state.

King Louis XVI

The last king of France before the French Revolution

Enlightened Absolutism

A form of absolute monarchy inspired by the Enlightenment

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.

The Estates General

A legislative assembly in France representing the three estates: clergy, nobility, and commoners.

The National Assembly

The revolutionary assembly formed by the representatives of the Third Estate in France.

The Tennis Court Oath

A pledge made by members of the Third Estate in France not to disband until a new constitution was established.

Gens de couleur

Free people of color in the French colonies, often of mixed African and European descent.

The Bastille

A fortress in Paris that was stormed on July 14, 1789, marking the start of the French Revolution.

The Great Fear

A period of panic and riot by peasants in France during the early stages of the French Revolution.

The Women's March

A protest in October 1789 where women marched to Versailles demanding bread and political reforms.

Peninsulars

Spanish-born individuals residing in the colonies of Latin America.

Marie Antoinette

The last queen of France before the French Revolution

Creoles

People of European descent born in the colonies of Latin America.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen

A fundamental document of the French Revolution that outlines individual and collective rights.

Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen

A document advocating for women's rights, written by Olympe de Gouges during the French Revolution.

Maximillian Robespierre

A key figure in the French Revolution known for his role in the Reign of Terror.

The Declaration of Pillnitz

A statement issued by Austria and Prussia threatening military action against revolutionary France.

The Jacobins

A radical political group during the French Revolution advocating for republicanism and social equality.

Napoleon Bonaparte

A French military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and became Emperor of France.

The Sans-culottes

Working-class militants in revolutionary France known for their radical politics.

The Directory

The government of France from 1795 to 1799, characterized by corruption and instability.

The Girondists

A moderate political faction during the French Revolution that opposed the radical Jacobins.

The Napoleonic Code

A civil code established by Napoleon that influenced legal systems worldwide.

The Reign of Terror

A period during the French Revolution characterized by extreme political repression and mass executions.

Concordat of 1801

An agreement between Napoleon and the Pope that reestablished the Catholic Church in France.

The Committee of Public Safety

A governing body during the French Revolution responsible for protecting the Republic from internal and external enemies.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

A leader of the Haitian Revolution who helped to abolish slavery and establish Haiti as a free republic.

Thermidorian Reaction

The period following the fall of Robespierre, leading to the relaxation of revolutionary fervor.

Miguel Hidalgo

A Mexican priest who initiated the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish rule.

Simon Bolivar

A Venezuelan military and political leader who played a key role in Latin America's successful struggle for independence from Spanish rule.