APUSH Semester Exam

Aristocrat

A member of the highest social class in society, often holding privileges and land.

Astrolabe

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

Aztec

A Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period before the Spanish conquest.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas and the Old World following Columbus's voyages.

Encomienda

A Spanish labor system that rewarded conquerors with the labor of particular groups of conquered non-Christian people.

Pueblo

Indigenous people native to the Southwestern United States, known for living in compact permanent settlements.

Renaissance

A period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and characterized by an interest in classical scholarship and values.

Requerimiento

A declaration by the Spanish monarchy, read to Native Americans to assert their sovereignty over the land and justify conquest.

Spanish caste system

A social hierarchy in colonial Spanish America that ranked people based on race and birthplace.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Three Sisters

The three main agricultural crops of various Indigenous peoples of North America: maize (corn), beans, and squash.

Mercantilism

An economic policy that emphasizes national wealth as a source of power, favoring a positive balance of trade and colonial expansion.

Navigation Acts

Laws that restricted the use of foreign ships for trade between Britain and its colonies.

Powhatan Confederacy

A powerful alliance of Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes in Virginia during the time of English colonization.

Protestant Reformation

A religious reform movement in the 16th century that led to the creation of Protestantism and the division from the Roman Catholic Church.

Redemptioner

European immigrants who paid for their voyage to America by working as indentured servants.

Seditious

Conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state.

Slave Code

Laws that defined the status of slaves and the rights of masters, often restricting slaves' behaviors and movements.

Stono Rebellion

A slave rebellion that commenced on September 9, 1739, in the colony of South Carolina, one of the largest slave uprisings in the British mainland colonies.

Subsistence

The action or fact of maintaining or supporting oneself, especially at a minimal level.

Veto

The constitutional right of a ruler or executive to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body.

Alien and Sedition Acts

A series of four laws passed in 1798 aimed at restricting the activities of foreign residents and limiting free speech.

Articles of Confederation

The original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.

Coercive Acts

A series of British measures passed in 1774 and designed to punish the Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party.

Continental Congress

A convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution.

Democratic-Republican

A political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the 1790s that championed states' rights and opposed the Federalist Party.

Daughters of Liberty

A group of women who supported the American Revolution through boycott efforts and producing homemade goods.

Dunmore’s Proclamation

A 1775 proclamation issued by Lord Dunmore offering freedom to slaves who joined the British Army.

Electoral College

The body of electors established by the United States Constitution to elect the president and vice president.

Naturalization

The process by which a foreign citizen becomes a citizen of a new country.

Northwest Ordinance

An act of Congress passed in 1787 to provide for the governance of the Northwest Territory and outline the process for admitting new states to the Union.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A boundary established by the British government forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Quartering Act

Laws requiring American colonists to provide housing and accommodations for British troops.

Quebec Act

A 1774 act of the British Parliament that set the procedures of governance in the province of Quebec.

Second Continental Congress

A convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that managed the colonial war effort and adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolves

Political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislature declared the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional.

Abolitionist

A person who advocated or supported the ending of slavery.

Alamo

A mission in San Antonio, Texas, famous for the 1836 battle during the Texas Revolution where Texan defenders were overrun by Mexican forces.

American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS)

An abolitionist society founded in 1833 that advocated for the immediate abolition of slavery in the United States.

American System

An economic plan championed by Henry Clay that included tariffs, a national bank, and internal improvements.

Amistad

A Spanish slave ship taken over by African captives in 1839, leading to a U.S. Supreme Court case that resulted in their freedom.

Barbary

Referring to the Barbary States (North African nations) involved in piracy and conflicts with the U.S. in the early 19th century.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia

An 1831 Supreme Court case in which the Cherokee Nation sought federal protection from Georgia's laws.

Corrupt bargain

A term referring to the alleged deal between John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay to manipulate the outcome of the 1824 presidential election.

Cult of domesticity

A prevailing value system among the upper and middle classes during the 19th century in the United States, emphasizing the role of women in the home.

Democratic Party

One of the two major political parties in the United States, founded in 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson.

Embargo Act

A law passed in 1807 that prohibited American ships from trading in foreign ports to pressure Britain and France to respect American neutrality.

Force Bill

Legislation enacted in 1833 that authorized President Andrew Jackson to use military force against states that resisted the imposition of federal tariffs.

Hudson River Movement

A mid-19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters influenced by Romanticism.

Marbury v. Madison

A landmark 1803 Supreme Court case establishing the principle of judicial review in the United States, allowing courts to declare laws unconstitutional.