Unit 1: Migration and Colonization Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Unit 1: Migration and Colonization, including key definitions, Indigenous cultural regions of North America, European motives for colonization (Gold, God, Glory), and interaction models of European colonizers.

Migrate

To move from one place to another.

Beringia

A land bridge between Asia and North America.

Age of Exploration

A period during which European countries explored new lands to gain gold, glory, and spread religion.

Colonize

When countries claimed and took control over lands in America in order to gain wealth, power, and glory.

Columbian Exchange

The movement of people, plants, and goods across the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and the Americas.

Triangular Trade

An arrangement of trade routes between Europe, Africa, and the Americas where European manufactured goods went to Africa, enslaved Africans were sent to the Americas for labor, and American natural resources were sent to Europe.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

The forced transportation of millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas from 1514 to 1866, where they were forced to work without freedom or pay.

Eastern Woodlands

An Indigenous region characterized by snowy winters, rainy summers, plentiful forests, rich soil, long wooden houses, deer skin clothing, and the use of wampum belts to symbolize cooperation among nations such as the Haudenosaunee.

Three Sisters

A combination of corn, beans, and squash cultivated by Eastern Woodlands Indigenous groups because the crops grew well together.

Southwest (Indigenous Region)

An arid region of mountains, canyons, deserts, and flat-topped mesas where Indigenous people built clay adobe homes, grew corn and peppers, and made clay pottery for religious ceremonies.

Great Plains (Indigenous Region)

A grassland region of small hills and creeks with warm summers and cold winters, where Indigenous people relied on bison for clothing and food, performed sun dances, used beadwork designs, and maintained sociopolitical organization.

Pacific Northwest (Indigenous Region)

A cold, rainy coastal region with rugged mountains and thick forests along the Pacific Ocean, where Indigenous groups used special canoes to harvest salmon, shellfish, and seaweed.

Southeast (Indigenous Region)

A warm region of coastal plains, river valleys, mountains, and swamps, where Indigenous societies such as the Cherokee built mounds, hunted, cultivated variants of corn, and crafted shell gorgets.

Great Basin (Indigenous Region)

A harsh desert region where mountains blocked rain, resulting in extreme heat and cold winter drops; Indigenous groups hunted small animals like rabbits and held beliefs centered on individual spirits and shaman healing rituals.

Gold (Motives for Colonization)

A European colonization motive driven by the money and profits earned or expected from extracting natural resources in new territories.

God (Motives for Colonization)

A European colonization motive centered on escaping religious persecution in Europe and bringing priests along to convert Indigenous populations to Christianity.

Glory (Motives for Colonization)

A European colonization motive based on gaining bragging rights for kings and queens and notoriety for explorers by claiming as much land as possible.

French Colonization

An example of cooperation between European colonists and Indigenous groups, marked by trade, intermarriage, and cultural blending, including language sharing.

Spanish Colonization

An example of conflict between European colonists and Indigenous peoples, characterized by mistreatment and the use of power to seize Indigenous land.

Dutch Colonization

An initial example of cooperation where colonists sought land and trade routes without violence using gifts and agreements, which ultimately deteriorated into conflict over land disputes.