APUSH all key terms

Algonquian

pre-1600s Indigenous peoples of the Atlantic coast who lived in farming

Anasazi

c. 1000–1300 Ancient Southwest culture known for cliff dwellings and irrigation systems. Their decline helped form later Pueblo societies in the region.

Asiento system

1500s–1700s Spanish contract system granting rights to supply enslaved Africans. It expanded the Atlantic slave trade and increased European involvement in slavery.

Aztecs

1300s–1521 Powerful Mesoamerican empire centered in Tenochtitlán. Their conquest by Cortés led to Spanish domination of Mexico.

Bartolomé de las Casas

1500s Spanish priest who criticized Native American mistreatment. His activism led to limited reforms like the New Laws but did not end exploitation.

Casta system

1600s Spanish colonial racial hierarchy based on ancestry. It reinforced racial inequality and structured colonial society.

Chumash

pre-1600s California Native group known for fishing and trade. Spanish colonization disrupted their economy and way of life.

Conquistadores

1500s Spanish conquerors of Native empires in the Americas. Their actions led to Spanish territorial expansion and Indigenous population collapse.

Hernán Cortés

1519–1521 Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec Empire. His victory led to Spanish control of Mexico.

Iroquois Confederation

pre-1600s Alliance of Native tribes in the Northeast. It influenced colonial diplomacy and regional power balances.

Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda

1500s Spanish thinker who justified Native subjugation. His ideas supported colonization and fueled the Valladolid Debate.

Lakota Sioux

pre-1800s Plains Native group dependent on buffalo hunting. Their resistance later led to conflicts with U.S. expansion.

New Laws of 1542

1542 Spanish laws meant to protect Native Americans from exploitation. They were weakly enforced and led to colonial resistance.

Pueblos (Indigenous people)

pre-1600s Southwest farming societies living in villages. Spanish oppression led them to organize the Pueblo Revolt.

Roanoke Island

1587 Failed English colony that disappeared mysteriously. Its failure delayed English settlement until Jamestown.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 Agreement dividing New World lands between Spain and Portugal. It shaped early European colonization patterns.

Valladolid Debate

1550–1551 Debate over treatment of Native Americans. It raised moral questions but did not stop Spanish conquest.

Woodland Mound Builders

pre-1500 Native cultures that built ceremonial earth mounds. Their societies showed early complex organization in North America.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 Successful Native uprising against Spanish rule in New Mexico. It temporarily expelled the Spanish before they later returned.

Mercantilism

1600s–1700s Economic system where colonies existed to benefit the mother country. It led to restrictive trade laws and colonial resentment.

Joint-stock company

1600s Investment system funding colonies for profit. It enabled colonization like Jamestown by spreading financial risk.

Proprietary and royal colonies

1600s Colonies governed by individuals or the British crown. This system increased British control over colonial administration.

House of Burgesses

1619 First elected colonial legislature in Virginia. It established early representative government in America.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 Failed uprising of frontier settlers against colonial government. It exposed class tensions and increased reliance on enslaved labor.

William Bradford

1620s Leader of Plymouth Colony. He helped establish early self-government and survival of settlers.

Mayflower Compact

1620 Agreement creating self-government among Pilgrims. It became an early foundation for democracy in America.

John Winthrop

1630s Puritan leader of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He promoted the idea of a “city upon a hill.”

Massachusetts Bay Colony

1630 Puritan settlement in New England. It became a model for religiously centered colonial society.

Puritans

1600s English religious group seeking church reform. Their migration shaped New England’s strict religious society.

Cod lumber rum trade

1600s–1700s New England trade system involving fish

Town meeting

1600s Local democratic assemblies in New England towns. They promoted direct participation in government.

Anne Hutchinson

1630s Religious dissenter who challenged Puritan leaders. She was banished

Act of Toleration

1649 Maryland law granting religious freedom to Christians. It was a response to religious conflict and promoted limited tolerance.

Quakers

1600s Religious group promoting equality and pacifism. They founded Pennsylvania as a tolerant colony.

Great Migration (Puritans)

1630s–1640s Large migration of Puritans to New England. It strengthened Puritan dominance in the region.

German Scotch-Irish Dutch Swedes Huguenots

1600s–1700s Diverse European immigrant groups in colonies. Their arrival increased cultural diversity and westward settlement.

Jamestown

1607 First permanent English colony in North America. It survived early struggles and launched English colonization.

Indentured servants

1600s Workers who traded labor for passage to America. Their system declined as slavery expanded.

Headright system

1618 Land system rewarding settlers for bringing workers. It encouraged immigration and plantation growth.

Tobacco rice

1600s–1700s Cash crops of the Southern colonies. Their profitability drove the expansion of slavery.

Pequot War

1636–1638 Conflict between English settlers and Pequot tribe. It resulted in English dominance in New England.

Powhatan War

1610–1646 Series of conflicts between settlers and Powhatan Confederacy. It secured English control in Virginia.

The Great Awakening

1730s–1740s Religious revival movement emphasizing emotional faith. It increased religious diversity and challenged authority.

The Enlightenment

1700s Intellectual movement emphasizing reason and natural rights. It influenced revolutionary ideas in America.

Navigation Acts

1650s–1700s British laws controlling colonial trade. They caused smuggling and colonial resentment.

New England Confederation

1643 Alliance of New England colonies for defense. It promoted early colonial unity.

Middle Passage

1500s–1800s Brutal voyage of enslaved Africans to America. It was central to the Atlantic slave system.

George Whitefield / Jonathan Edwards

1730s–1740s Leaders of the Great Awakening. Their preaching spread religious revival across the colonies.

Slave codes

1600s–1700s Laws controlling enslaved Africans. They legalized racial slavery and increased restrictions.

Stono Rebellion

1739 Successful slave uprising in South Carolina. It led to stricter slave codes and fear of rebellion.

Salutary neglect

1700s British policy of relaxed colonial enforcement. It allowed colonial self-government to grow.

Judiciary Act of 1789

1789 Law creating the federal court system. It strengthened the new U.S. government under the Constitution.

French Revolution begins

1789 Revolution overthrowing French monarchy. It divided American political opinion and foreign policy.

First official census

1790 First U.S. population count. It determined representation in Congress.

Report on Public Credit

1790 Hamilton plan to manage national debt. It strengthened federal financial power.

Report on Manufactures

1791 Proposal to promote industry. It encouraged economic development and debate over federal power.

1st Bank of the United States

1791 National bank stabilizing finances. It strengthened federal authority.

Bill of Rights

1791 First ten constitutional amendments. It protected individual liberties and ensured ratification.

Formation of political parties

1790s Emergence of Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. It created the U.S. two-party system.

Cotton Gin

1793 Machine that sped up cotton processing. It dramatically expanded slavery in the South.

Proclamation of Neutrality

1793 Washington’s policy of avoiding foreign wars. It established U.S. neutrality tradition.

Citizen Genet affair

1793 Diplomatic conflict with French envoy. It strengthened neutrality policy.

Chisholm v. Georgia

1793 Supreme Court case allowing lawsuits against states. It led to the 11th Amendment.

Whiskey Rebellion

1794 Tax protest by western farmers. It proved federal power could enforce laws.

Jay’s Treaty

1794 Agreement resolving issues with Britain. It avoided war but was controversial.

Battle of Fallen Timbers

1794 U.S. victory over Native forces. It led to land cessions in the Northwest Territory.

Treaty of Greenville

1795 Native land cession agreement. It opened the Northwest Territory to settlement.

Pinckney’s Treaty

1795 Agreement with Spain over navigation rights. It boosted western trade.

Vermont Kentucky Tennessee admitted

1791–1796 Expansion of U.S. states. It reflected national growth.

Farewell Address warnings

1796 Washington’s warning against foreign alliances and political parties. It shaped future U.S. foreign policy.

XYZ Affair

1797 French diplomatic bribery scandal. It led to increased tensions with France.

Sedition Acts

1798 Laws punishing criticism of government. It sparked debate over free speech.

11th Amendment

1795 Limits lawsuits against states. It strengthened state sovereignty.

Eli Whitney’s Interchangeable parts

1798 Manufacturing system using standardized parts. It advanced industrial production.

Quasi-War with France

1798–1800 Undeclared naval conflict with France. It increased U.S. military strength.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

1798 Response to Alien and Sedition Acts arguing states could nullify unconstitutional laws. It introduced nullification theory and later influenced sectional conflict.

Gabriel Prosser Rebellion

1800 Failed slave rebellion in Virginia. It led to harsher slave laws and increased fear of uprisings.

Treaty of San Ildefonso

1800 Spain transfers Louisiana to France. It set the stage for the Louisiana Purchase.

Judiciary Act (1801)

1801 Law passed by Federalists expanding federal courts before Jefferson took office. It strengthened the judiciary branch and triggered political conflict that led to Marbury v. Madison.

Midnight Appointees (John Marshall as Chief Justice)

1801 Federalist judges appointed last minute by Adams. This led to Marbury v. Madison and strengthened judicial review in the Supreme Court.

Sugar Act

1764 British tax on sugar and molasses in the colonies. It was a response to British debt and increased colonial resentment toward taxation without representation.

Vice-Admiralty Courts

1760s British courts without juries used to enforce trade laws. They angered colonists and contributed to revolutionary resistance.

Stamp Act

1765 Tax on printed materials in the colonies. It triggered widespread protest and united colonists against British taxation.

Virtual Representation

1760s British idea that colonists were represented in Parliament. Colonists rejected it and it increased revolutionary ideology.

Quartering Act

1765 Law requiring colonists to house British soldiers. It increased colonial resentment toward British rule.

Stamp Act Congress

1765 Meeting of colonial delegates opposing the Stamp Act. It was an early step toward unified colonial resistance.

Sons of Liberty

1760s Colonial protest group resisting British taxes. They organized protests and helped escalate revolutionary activity.

English Common Law

colonial era Legal system based on tradition and court precedent. It shaped American legal principles and rights.

Natural Rights

Enlightenment era Idea that people have rights to life

Declaratory Act

1766 British law asserting Parliament’s authority over colonies. It intensified colonial resistance to British control.

Townshend Acts

1767 Taxes on imported goods like tea and paper. They led to boycotts and increased colonial protest.

Nonimportation Movement

1760s–1770s Colonial boycott of British goods. It pressured Britain economically and increased unity among colonies.

Committees of Correspondence

1770s Colonial communication networks. They coordinated resistance and helped unify the colonies politically.

Tea Act

1773 Law giving British East India Company tea monopoly in colonies. It led directly to the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive Acts

1774 Punitive laws after Boston Tea Party. They increased colonial unity and led to the First Continental Congress.

Continental Congress

1774–1789 Colonial governing body coordinating resistance. It led the colonies toward independence.

Continental Association

1774 Agreement to boycott British goods. It strengthened colonial economic resistance.

Dunmore’s War

1774 Conflict between Virginia settlers and Native Americans. It expanded western settlement and increased tensions.

Minutemen

1770s Colonial militia ready to fight quickly. They played a key role in early battles of the Revolution.

Second Continental Congress

1775–1781 Revolutionary governing body. It managed the war effort and declared independence.