AP US History Midterm Vocab

Mercantilism

Economic theory where colonies exist to enrich the mother country by supplying raw materials and serving as markets for finished goods. Historical significance: Drove European colonization of the Americas and created trade restrictions (like Navigation Acts) that later angered American colonists and contributed to revolutionary sentiment.

Columbian Exchange

The widespread transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, culture, and ideas between the Old World (Europe, Africa, Asia) and the New World (Americas) after 1492. Historical significance: Transformed diets, populations, and ecosystems worldwide but devastated Native American populations through disease (smallpox, measles) and introduced the African slave trade to the Americas.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer sailing for Spain who landed in the Caribbean in 1492, believing he had reached Asia. His four voyages opened the Americas to European colonization. Historical significance: Columbus's voyages initiated the Columbian Exchange and sparked widespread European exploration and conquest of the Americas, fundamentally transforming world history despite his brutal treatment of indigenous peoples.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 uprising of Pueblo Indians against Spanish colonizers in New Mexico, led by Popé. The Pueblos killed 400 Spanish settlers and drove the rest out for 12 years. Historical significance: Most successful Native American revolt against European colonization; demonstrated indigenous resistance to Spanish religious and cultural oppression and temporarily halted Spanish expansion in the Southwest.

Anasazi

Ancient Native American civilization (also called Ancestral Puebloans) that lived in the Four Corners region from c. 100-1300 CE. They built cliff dwellings and pueblos. Historical significance: Demonstrated sophisticated pre-Columbian Native American societies and urban development in the Southwest; their descendants are modern Pueblo peoples.

Encomienda System

Spanish labor system granting colonists the right to demand labor or tribute from Native Americans in specific regions. In exchange, encomenderos were supposed to protect and Christianize them. Historical significance: Led to severe exploitation and death of indigenous peoples through forced labor; justified later importation of African slaves and exemplified Spanish colonial brutality.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish Dominican friar who criticized the mistreatment of Native Americans and wrote accounts condemning Spanish brutality (A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, 1542). Historical significance: His advocacy helped end the encomienda system for natives and reform colonial policy; shaped the "Black Legend" of Spanish cruelty and influenced European debates about indigenous rights and human dignity.

Iroquois Confederacy

Political alliance of five (later six) Native American nations in the Northeast (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later Tuscarora), formed c. 1570. They maintained peace among member nations through the Great Law of Peace. Historical significance: Created one of the most powerful Native American political entities; their democratic governance structure may have influenced the U.S. Constitution; played crucial role in colonial French and Indian conflicts.

Spanish/Dutch/French/English Settlement

Different European colonial patterns in North America: Spanish (conquest, missions, extracting wealth in Southwest/Florida); Dutch (fur trade in New Netherland/Hudson Valley); French (fur trading, alliances with natives in Canada/Mississippi); English (permanent agricultural settlements along Atlantic coast). Historical significance: Created distinct regional economies, cultures, and relationships with Native Americans; English colonies eventually dominated due to larger populations and agricultural focus; set foundation for regional American differences.

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company chartered by King James I in 1606 to establish English colonies in North America. Founded Jamestown in 1607. Historical significance: Established England's first permanent North American settlement; introduced private enterprise model to colonization; financial struggles led Virginia to become a royal colony in 1624.

Chesapeake Colonies

Virginia and Maryland colonies in the Chesapeake Bay region, founded early 1600s. Characterized by tobacco cultivation, plantation agriculture, and harsh conditions. Historical significance: Developed labor-intensive tobacco economy that drove demand for indentured servants and later African slavery; high mortality rates and gender imbalance shaped unique social structure; established southern plantation economy model.

Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Known as the "breadbasket colonies" for grain production; ethnically and religiously diverse. Historical significance: Exhibited greatest religious tolerance and ethnic diversity; thriving commercial economy with mixed agriculture; model of pluralism that influenced American identity; Philadelphia became major colonial city.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America, founded in Virginia in 1607 by the Virginia Company. Struggled with starvation, disease, and conflicts with Native Americans. Historical significance: Established English presence in Americas; survival depended on tobacco cultivation and eventually imported African slaves; set precedent for English colonization despite early hardships.

Powhatan

Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy of Algonquian-speaking tribes in Virginia. Father of Pocahontas. Initially helped Jamestown colonists but later engaged in conflicts (First Anglo-Powhatan War). Historical significance: His interactions with English colonists shaped early Virginia colonial relations; his daughter's marriage to John Rolfe temporarily eased tensions; his confederacy's eventual defeat opened Virginia to English expansion.

Cash Crops (tobacco, etc.)

Agricultural products grown primarily for sale rather than personal consumption. Tobacco was the dominant cash crop in the Chesapeake; rice and indigo in the Low Country South; later cotton in the Deep South. Historical significance: Drove colonial economies and shaped regional development; created demand for large-scale labor (indentured servants, then enslaved Africans); made colonies valuable to Britain and integrated them into Atlantic trade networks.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who agreed to work for a set period (typically 4-7 years) in exchange for passage to America, room, and board. Upon completion, received "freedom dues." Historical significance: Provided majority of colonial labor in 17th century, especially in Chesapeake; as supply decreased and conditions worsened, colonists increasingly turned to African slavery; many former servants struggled to acquire land and became part of a restless lower class.

New England Colonies

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Founded primarily by Puritans seeking religious freedom; characterized by town meetings, small farms, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade. Historical significance: Developed strong community values, public education, and town-meeting democracy; relatively homogeneous and religiously motivated; lower reliance on slavery; intellectual center with Harvard College (1636).

John Winthrop

First governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630). Delivered "A Model of Christian Charity" sermon with "city upon a hill" phrase. Historical significance: Established Puritan theocracy; shaped New England's religious and political culture; his leadership made Massachusetts Bay the most successful early colony; his vision of America as a moral example influenced American identity for centuries.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement signed by Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower before landing at Plymouth. Established a self-governing colony based on majority rule. Historical significance: First written framework for self-government in North America; became foundation for colonial democracy; demonstrated idea of government by consent of the governed; influenced later American political development.

William Bradford

Leader and governor of Plymouth Colony for over 30 years. Wrote "Of Plymouth Plantation," a detailed history of the Pilgrims. Historical significance: Guided colony through early hardships; established stable government; his writings provide invaluable firsthand account of early Pilgrim experience; helped maintain peace with Native Americans; exemplified Puritan dedication and perseverance."City upon a hill"

Phrase from John Winthrop's 1630 sermon describing Massachusetts Bay as a model Christian community that the world would watch. Historical significance: Expressed Puritan mission and sense of exceptionalism; became enduring metaphor for American identity and sense of moral example to the world; frequently invoked by later American leaders.