AP US History

All of APUSH flashcards - includes units and time periods

Maize (1491-1607)

Unit 1. A factor that determined whether indigenous groups moved around in small groups or clumped up in larger settlements. The reason why complex societies came to be after hunter-gathering ways. Led to economic development, permanent settlements, advanced irrigation systems, and social diversification (social hierarchies + specialized labor). 

Columbian Exchange (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Refers to the transfer of diseases, plants, animals, minerals, and people between the Old and New Worlds. Diseases included smallpox and measles, both introduced by the Spanish. Food and plants include wheat, olives, and grapes (from Europe), as well as maize, potatoes, manioc, and okra (from America), and this allowed for a more diverse diet, so population boom. Animals include horses, pigs, sheep, and cattle, which were introduced to America.  **One of the most significant developments in the world.

Conquistadors (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Spanish explorers and soldiers who conquered territory in the Americas in the 16th century often sought wealth, spread Christianity, and claimed land for Spain.

Why did Europeans explore? (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Motives include Gold, God, and Glory. Gold included economic motives for the demand in eastern luxury goods, improved banking systems, and Portugal was first (Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama: establishing trading post empires). Countries used exploration as a way to show religious dominance (God). Lastly, Glory included political motives and competition (Spain vs. Portugal rivalry).

Increased Trade Causes (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Included improvements in Maritime Technology (Caravel by the Portuguese, lateen sail, magnetic compass, and astrolabe for latitude). Joint-Stock Companies also made trade/exploration easier (LLC → money came from a pool of investors).

Europe Stabilizes (1491-1607)

Unit 1. The climate warmed, there was improved agricultural productivity, more babies b/c of a surplus of food, a desire for Asian luxury goods, the Renaissance, and political unification. **All of these reasons enabled Europe to explore.

Pacific Coast (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Two distinct regions (Chinook + Chumash), they did not practice agriculture and were instead hunter/gatherers, but they built permanent settlements due to the abundance of food from the oceans

Northeast + Mississippian + Atlantic Coast (1491-1607)

Unit 1. This environment was much better for farming. Included the Hopewell people (Mississippian), the Iroquois (Northeast), and the Cherokee (Atlantic Coast).

West Coast - Great Plains + Great Basin (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Hot/dry climates (on the West Coast), nomadic, small societies, Ute people (group of 20-100, mobile shelters, men hunted, women gathered, and moved with the seasons).

Encomienda System (1491-1607)

Unit 1. A system of coerced labor in which the Spanish Crown granted tracts of land to Spanish encomenderos who forced the indigenous people within its borders into mining and plantation-based agriculture. (Forced labor.)

Hacienda System (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Came after the New Laws (1542). Encomenderos owned large tracts of land, and indigenous laborers were “not technically" enslaved, and they were tied to the land in a debt-repayment system.

New Laws 1542 (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Laws by the Spanish Crown aimed to limit the Encomienda System and aimed to protect indigenous people from abuse. Inspired by reformers like Bartolomé de las Casas, but was often resisted/ignored by colonists.

Bartolomé de las Casas (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Las Casas was previously a conquistador in the Americas, but ended up arguing that indigenous people were fully human. Advocated for them, but still saw them as uncivilized, therefore “in need” of Europeans. Las Casas was against the Encomienda System.

Juan Gines de Sepúlveda (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Argued that indigenous people were less than human and stated, “Subjugation & brutality help to transform them into full humanity.” Helped the Spanish justify their harsh treatment in the Encomienda System.

Racial Debates - Valladolid Debates (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Bartolomé de las Casas vs. Juan Gines de Sepúlveda. Las Casas argued that indigenous people were fully human and advocated for them, while de Sepulveda argued that indigenous people were less than human and helped the Spanish justify their harsh treatment.

Curse of Ham Justification (1491-1607)

Unit 1. From the book of Genesis in the bible, Ham was one of the sons of Noah. Noah cursed Ham’s son & said that he and his descendants would be servants for all their days. Bible scholars interpreted this incorrectly and falsely claimed that Africans were the descendants of Ham, so enslaving them was justified by God himself. **The argument about this became more common as Europeans interacted with more and more Africans, using it to justify their horrifying treatment in slavery.

Indigenous Resistance (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Native Americans used diplomacy and violence. Through diplomacy, Native Americans defended themselves from Europeans by allying with them against other native groups. Violence and military resistance can be seen through the Taino Rebellion, where there was success at the beginning, but then it was suppressed.

Cultural Adoption (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Indigenous peoples converted to Christianity, but they worshipped it in a different way (syncretism, where they blended Christianity to fit their culture). Europeans also adopted aspects of indigenous culture, where they learned local agriculture techniques and intermarried for trade relations.

Syncretism (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Adapting to one's own worldview. Blending two or more cultural or religious traditions into a new system.

Casta system (1491-1607)

Unit 1. A rigid hierarchical system in Spanish America that ranked people based on ancestry (raced and mixed heritage). This system had limited mobility. At the top was the Spanish minority, and at the bottom were Africans.

Middle Passage (1491-1607)

Unit 1. The passage where enslaved Africans were shipped across the Atlantic. People were crammed onto the ships like cargo, and the death rate was around 20% due to disease and malnutrition.

How did Indigenous labor (Economienda) start to break down? (1491-1607)

Reasons included frequent escapes from indigenous laborers (they knew the land much better than the Spanish), and also deaths from Spanish diseases. The importation of enslaved Africans replaced indigenous labor slowly because they had better immunity due to pre-exposure to European diseases, and were less likely to escape since they were unfamiliar with the land.

Two sources of wealth in the Americas for the Spanish (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Mining for gold and silver, and also the export of cash crops (sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton).

Spanish Empire-Requerimiento (1491-1607)

Unit 1. Legal document claiming Spanish possessed biblical authority to rule in the Americas. Threatened violence against indigenous groups that defied the order. This document was read in Spanish, so the indigenous people didn’t understand what was said. An example of the Spanish attempting to justify their right to conquer and pillage.

What were the main differences between Spanish, French/Dutch, and English colonization in the Americas (1491-1607)

Unit 1. The Spanish focused on conquest, wealth, and converting Indigenous peoples through systems like encomienda. The French/Dutch mainly focused on the fur trade and building alliances with Native Americans. English focused on permanent settlement, farming, and land ownership, often displacing Native populations.

House of Burgesses (1607-1754)

Unit 2. First representative assembly in English America (established in Virginia in 1619). Allowed landowners to elect representatives, a step toward self-government.

Mass Bay (1607-1754)

Unit 2. All members of the Puritan church, only male members, could vote.

Great Migration (1607-1754)

Unit 2. During the early years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, plenty of Puritans moved over under John Winthrop, “city on a hill,” a religious paradise for Protestants

Mayflower Compact (1607-1754)

Unit 2. New England, will of the majority; early democracy. Voting rights only extended to white male property owners.

Indentured Servitude (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Young servants under 4-7 year contracts; complete authority of the master; once done, they could do whatever, but most continued to work for wages.

Headright System (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Gave any paying immigrant 50 acres of land and 50 acres of land for every indentured servant brought in; let the rich get more power b/c more land; encouraged Englishmen to immigrate.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1607-1754)

Unit 2. After VA governor William Berkeley antagonized poor farmers and didn’t allow the people to fight back from Native attacks, Nathaniel Bacon and other poor farmers went crazy and destroyed Native villages and burned Jamestown to go against wealthy farmers. Marked long-lasting effects: (1) Resistance to royalty, (2) Major wealth difference between rich and poor.

Roger Williams (1607-1754)

Unit 2. A Puritan minister who was kicked out for believing the individual should interpret the Bible instead of the Church. Fled and eventually created Rhode Island; recognized the Natives & paid for the land and religious freedom

Anne Hutchison (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Banished for believing in antinomianism- believing faith was enough for salvation; fled to Portsmouth; eventually went to Rhode Island.

King Philip’s War/Metacom (1607-1754)

Unit 2. As English settlements expanded, tensions escalated until King Philip (a Native American) organized a coalition against the English. Many tribes ended up destroyed or forced to flee, Metacom was beheaded, and the last major Native American military threat in New England. New Englanders had to come together because England was busy with a Civil War; showed how colonies could come together.

Pequot War (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Conflict in the Connecticut Valley between English colonists and the Pequot Nation. Resulted in the near elimination of the Pequot.

Navigation Acts (1607-1754)

Unit 2. British control mechanism. Required colonial goods to be shipped on English vessels, and many products to be sent only to England.

Trade Restrictions (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Colonists were prohibited from manufacturing certain goods that competed with British industries.

“Salutary Neglect” (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Period when Britain loosely enforced trade regulations. Ended after 1763.

Pennsylvania and Quaker Relations (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Pennsylvania, under William Penn, established more peaceful relations with Native Americans. Penn purchased land from Lenni Lanape rather than simply claiming it, and Quaker beliefs encouraged fair treatment and peaceful conflict resolution. **These peaceful relations began to deteriorate by the 1740s when non-Quakers settled into the region.

Iroquois Confederacy (1607-1754)

Unit 2. During this time, the Iroquois Confederacy (alliances of many Iriquoian-speaking Native Americans) prevailed compared to many other Native groups because they allied with rival European powers and controlled the fur trade, gaining firearms.

What caused the demand for slavery during the 1600s? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Reduced migration from England for labor, plantations got bigger, and the people couldn’t rely on small farmers or indentured servants after Bacon’s Rebellion, so they needed cheap labor b/c prices fell. In 1619, the first West African slave arrived in America by Dutchmen.

Slave Laws (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Colonies started to create laws holding slaves to permanent bondage, and began what slavery is known for today.

The First Great Awakening (1607-1754)

Unit 2. A 1730s–1740s religious revival in the British colonies that emphasized emotional preaching, personal faith, and salvation through belief rather than church authority. It led to religious divisions (Old Lights vs New Lights) and encouraged ideas of questioning authority, helping build a shared colonial identity. Led to schisms and the birth of new churches in the colonies. However, it occurred within the larger trans-Atlantic world that connected the colonies and Britain. Also highlighted the shared cultural and political values that made up the British Empire.

What was the primary goal of the Puritans regarding the Church of England? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. To purify the Church of England from within rather than separate from it.

Which group of Puritans were the Pilgrims? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Separatists who broke completely from the Church of England.

Where did the Pilgrims live before coming to America? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The Netherlands.

Why did the Pilgrims leave for America in 1620? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Where did the Pilgrims land in 1620? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Cape Cod eventually settled at Plymouth in New England (modern-day Massachusetts).

What ship brought the Pilgrims to America? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The Mayflower

What was the Mayflower Compact? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. A written agreement to form a self-government based on the consent of the governed.

What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. It established early self-rule and consent-based government in the colonies.

Who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Non-Separatist Puritans led by John Winthrop.

What was John Winthrop’s “city upon a hill”? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The idea that the colony should be a moral model for the world.

What was the Great Puritan Migration? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Mass migration of Puritans to New England between 1630 and 1642.

What ship did Winthrop sail on? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The Arabella.

What belief system influenced Puritan life? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Calvinism.

What is the Protestant work ethic? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The belief that hard work and success reflect religious virtue.

How did New England settlements differ from Chesapeake? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. New England had more towns and families, while Chesapeake had more plantations & scattered farms.

What was Chesapeake’s main cash crop? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Tobacco.

Why did New Englanders live longer than Chesapeake settlers? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Healthier climate, stable families, and fewer diseases.

Why was slavery less common in New England? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Smaller farms and less need for plantation labor.

Which region relied heavily on plantation agriculture? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Chesapeake (and later the Southern colonies).

Who taught the Pilgrims farming techniques? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Squanto.

Who was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England for Antinomianism? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Anne Hutchinson, she taught that salvation comes through faith alone, not moral law or good works.

Who founded Rhode Island? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Roger Williams, a Puritan minister, who was banished from the Massachusetts Bay due to his beliefs in the separation of church and state, as well as religious freedom.

Which colony was founded for Catholic refuge? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Maryland, and allowed freedom of worship for all Christians.

Which colony created the Fundamental Orders? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Connecticut.

What are the Fundamental Orders (1639)? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. First written constitution in North America.

What were the Barbados Slave Codes? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Colonial laws defined enslaved people as property and controlled their behavior. A set of laws passed in the 1660s. Stripped enslaved Africans of all rights and gave white planters absolute control over labor. Served as a model for Virginia’s slave laws

What did Virginia’s 1662 law establish about slavery? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The status of slavery was inherited through the mother (hereditary slavery).

What was the purpose of the Slave Codes/Laws? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. To control enslaved people and legally protect slavery as an institution.

How did slavery develop in the Chesapeake? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Shift from indentured servitude to lifelong hereditary slavery based on race.

How did the New England and Chesapeake differences affect US history? (1607-1754)

Unit 2. They created regional economic and cultural differences that later contributed to sectional conflict.

Pueblo Revolt (1680) (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Native revolt led by Popé against Spanish rule in New Mexico. Caused by forced labor + forced conversion to Christianity. Successfully drove out the Spanish for 12 years, but they returned later.

French/Dutch Colonization (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The goal was wealth through the fur trade and commerce. They built alliances with Native groups, had intermarriages, and the French missionaries were less aggressive. Compared to the Spanish, they were less authoritarian, relied on trade networks and diplomacy, and believed in partnership.

British/England Colonization (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The goal was economic prosperity (land, trade, joint-stock companies), social mobility, and religious freedom (Puritans, Separatists/Pilgrims). They partitioned themselves from Native Americans, established permanent colonies, and migrated mostly as families. Rapid population growth fueled by enclosure laws and land shortages in England. Relations with Natives included mostly separation, but sometimes conflict. They weren’t focused on conversion like the Spanish, but the expansion of land was a priority.

Spanish Colonization (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The goal was to extract wealth (gold/silver), expand the empire, and spread Christianity. The labor systems they used included the Encomienda (enforced labor) and the Hacienda system (large estates). The methods of expansion used were conquest & subjugation (conquistadors) and the mission system to convert Natives. They enforced a strict caste system, based on race and ancestry (Casta System).

Puritans vs Separatists/Pilgrims (1607-1754)

Unit 2. They were both Calvinist Protestants and sought religious freedom + economic opportunities in the New World. However, the Puritans thought the Church of England was salvageable and had the ability to be “purified,” while Separatists thought the Church of England was beyond saving. They believed the only way to have a “true” Protestant Church was to leave it entirely and form a new one, independent of the Old Church.

New England colonies (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Included the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Church-centered communities led by Puritans who emphasized a strict moral code. Rocky soil, short growing season, relied on small farms, fishing, and timber.

Middle Colonies (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Very diverse population (Dutch, English, German, Quakers) and known for religious tolerance. Fertile soil, known as the “breadbasket,” grew wheat and other grains, and also had a fur trade.

Chesapeake Colonies & North Caroline (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Included Jamestown, Virginia (established in 1607). Early settlers were single men who faced starvation, but eventually grew wealthy through tobacco production (John Rolfe). The economy was based on tobacco and, later, other cash crops.

Southern Colonies & British West Indies (1607-1754)

Unit 2. Included the Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, and South Carolina. Included a rigid racial hierarchy, and enslaved Africans outnumbered whites in BWI (4:1 ratio). Large plantation, BWI focused on sugar, while South Carolina focused on rice & indigo.

Quakers (1607-1754)

Unit 2. The Society of Friends emphasized religious experience and pacifism (pacifists = no military). Supported democracy, no clergy, and opposed taxes for churches. Pennsylvania was a refuge for religious dissenters, and they treated Native Americans with respect. William Penn founded Pennsylvania.

William Penn (1607-1754)

Unit 2. An English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania in 1681. Pennsylvania was established in the Middle Colonies and was a refuge for Quakers and other religious dissenters. Promoted religious tolerance, equality, and good relations with Native Americans.

John Rolfe (1607-1754)

Unit 2. English settler in Jamestown (Chesapeake, Virginia colony). Introduced tobacco cultivation, which became the colony’s cash crop. Married Pocahontas, which briefly improved relations with Native Americans.

Mercantilism (1607-1754)

Unit 2. An economic system that emphasized a favorable balance of trade (exports > imports). **In the mercantilist system, the whole purpose of establishing colonies was to enrich the mother state.

Casta system (1607-1754)

Unit 2. A rigid hierarchical system in Spanish America that ranked people based on ancestry (raced and mixed heritage). This system had limited mobility. At the top was the Spanish minority, and at the bottom were Africans.