Apush Period 1

A comprehensive set of question-and-answer flashcards covering key concepts from AMSCO Period 1 notes (1491–1607).

What is the Columbian Exchange?

The trans-Atlantic transfer of plants, animals, germs, and ideas between Europe, Africa, and the Americas; it reshaped societies on both sides of the Atlantic, and introduced deadly diseases to Native Americans.

Why did the American Indian population decline after 1492?

Because of the Columbian Exchange: germs and diseases brought by Europeans to which Indigenous peoples had no immunity.

Why is the year 1607 a major turning point in United States history?

It marks the establishment of Jamestown, the first permanent British settlement in North America, initiating English colonization and later the use (and enslavement) of African labor.

Name the three major civilizations of Central & South America and where they were located.

Maya – Yucatan peninsula (Guatemala, Belize, southern Mexico); Aztec – central Mexico; Inca – Peru.

What were two key achievements of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations?

Advanced calendars and irrigation/ agricultural systems; maize (Maya/Aztec) and potatoes (Inca) supported large populations and complex societies.

How did cultures of North America compare to those of Central & South America before European contact?

North American societies were generally less centralized/organized and many languages (over 400) existed; several populations declined or disappeared by European arrival.

What was the Iroquois Confederation?

A political union of five Northeast tribes—Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk—located in the Mohawk Valley of New York.

Southwest settlements: who were the major groups and what were their living patterns?

Hohokam, Anasazi, and Pueblos; dry region with advanced irrigation; dwellings often in caves or under cliffs.

Northwest settlements: where did they live and how did they structure housing?

Along the Pacific coast; lived in permanent longhouses or plank houses.

Great Plains: contrast between nomadic and sedentary groups.

Nomadic tribes hunted buffalo and used tepees; sedentary groups farmed maize, beans, and squash and traded with others.

Midwest settlements: what were Adena and Hopewell known for?

Permanent settlements in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys; famous for large mound-building and populations up to about 30,000.

Northeast settlements: what is the Iroquois Confederation and its significance?

A political union of five tribes in New York that engaged in intertribal and European conflicts; demonstrated regional cooperation.

Atlantic Seaboard Settlements: where were they located and what's notable?

From modern New Jersey to Florida; descendants of Midwest settlements; wood settlements along rivers with access to Atlantic resources.

What is the key difference between Viking voyages of the 12th century and Columbus’s voyages in the 15th century?

Viking voyages left no lasting impact; Columbus opened sustained European contact and colonization in the Americas.

How did new technology enable Columbus to reach the New World?

Advances such as the compass, caravel ships with lateen sails, improved mapmaking, and gunpowder aided navigation, travel, and conquest.

What was the Line of Demarcation and how was it adjusted by the Treaty of Tordesillas?

A papal boundary dividing newly claimed lands between Spain (west) and Portugal (east); the line was later adjusted to give Portugal rights to Brazil.

Name three chief features of the Spanish empire in the Americas.

Spread of Catholicism, accumulation of wealth and power, and expansion of the Spanish empire through conquest and colonization.

What were the Encomienda and Asiento systems?

Encomienda granted land and native labor to Spaniards; Asiento was a tax system for each enslaved African imported to the Americas.

Pueblo Revolt (1680): what caused it?

Spanish attempts to convert Pueblo peoples to Christianity and enforce labor led to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

What is the legacy of Bartolomé de Las Casas and the Valladolid Debate about Native rights?

Las Casas advocated for Native rights; the Valladolid Debate debated whether Indians were morally equal to Spaniards and whether they should be enslaved.

How did English policy toward Native Americans evolve in this period?

Initially cooperative (trade, knowledge exchange); over time relations deteriorated as colonists viewed natives as savages and displaced many tribes.

How did French policy toward Native Americans differ from English and Spanish policies?

The French maintained relatively good relations with Native Americans, built trading posts, and formed alliances, due to smaller numbers and economic interests in fur and trade.

What were the three main motives behind European exploration in the 15th century?

Wealth and economic gain, religious expansion (Catholicism), and national competition/power (prestige and strategic advantage).

What were three main effects of Europe’s expanding trade in the 15th century?

New routes to the Americas and East Asia; slave trading began; development of centralized nation-states across Europe.

Columbus's legacy: summarize both positives and negatives.

Positives: connected continents, spurred global exchange and later exploration. Negatives: led to massive Native displacement, devastation from disease, and conquest.