AP US History - Unit 1 Review

Flashcards reviewing key concepts from Unit 1 of the AP US History curriculum, focusing on Native American societies before European arrival and the impact of European colonization.

What was the societal makeup of the Americas before European arrival?

Diverse societies with varied lifestyles based on their environments.

Who were the Pueblo people?

Farming people in present-day Utah and Colorado known for advanced irrigation and cliff dwellings.

Who were the Ute people?

Nomadic hunter-gatherers in the Great Basin and Great Plains regions, organized into small kinship bands.

What were the Native American societies in the Northwest and Pacific Coast like?

Developed permanent settlements due to abundant resources; the Chumash built villages, and the Chinook built plank houses.

Who were the Iroquois people?

Farmers who lived communally in longhouses constructed from timber.

Who were the people of the Mississippi River Valley?

Farmers with a centralized government; the Cahokia civilization boasted around 40,000 people.

What major changes were European kingdoms undergoing from the 1300s to 1400s?

Growing wealthy upper class with a taste for luxury goods from Asia led to seeking sea-based trade routes.

What maritime technologies did the Portuguese deploy?

New and adapted technologies like updated astronomical charts, astrolabe, new ship designs, Latine sail, and stern post rudder.

What is the Columbian Exchange?

Transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases between the East and West Hemispheres.

What food went from the Americas to Europe?

Potatoes, tomatoes, and maize.

What food went from Europe to the Americas?

Wheat, rice, and soybeans.

What animals went from Europe to the Americas?

Cattle, pigs, and horses.

What critical disease did Europeans bring to the Americas?

Smallpox.

What is capitalism?

Economic system based on private ownership and free exchange.

What are joint stock companies?

Limited liability organizations in which investors pooled money to fund ventures.

What was the encomienda system?

Economic system where Spaniards forced natives to work on plantations and extract resources.

What was the casta system?

System of social classes based on racial ancestry introduced by the Spanish.

Who were the Peninsulares?

Spaniards born in Spain.

Who were the Criollos/Creoles?

Spaniards born in the Americas.

Who were the Mestizos?

Those born of Spanish and Native American blood.

Who were the Mulatos?

Those of Spanish and African blood.