APUSH Fall Vocab Test

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of diseases, ideas, food crops, and populations between the New World and the Old World following the voyage to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Conquistadors

Any of the leaders in the Spanish conquest of America, especially of Mexico and Peru, in the 16th century.

Aztec (Mexica)

A Nahuatl-speaking people who established a powerful empire in central and southern Mexico during the 15th and early 16th centuries. The capital of the empire was called Tenochtitlan (on an island in Lake Texcoco). Their society was highly stratified, with a hereditary nobility, a class of commoners, and serfs. They were also known for their religious practices, which included human sacrifices to appease their gods, particularly the sun god Huitzilopochtli. They built chinampas.

Maya

Mesoamerican Indians occupying a nearly continuous territory in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Belize. Before Spanish conquest, they possessed one of the greatest civilizations of the Western Hemisphere. They practiced agriculture, built great stone buildings and pyramid temples, worked gold and copper, and used a form of hieroglyphic writing.

Inca

South American Indians who, at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1532, ruled an empire that extended along the Pacific coast and the Andean highlands. They had a highly stratified society (the emperor ruled with the aid of an aristocratic bureaucracy). Their economy was based on agriculture. They also built a vast network of roads throughout their empire. Their religion combined features of animism, fetishism, and the worship of nature gods.

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

A revolt against Spanish religious, economic, and political institutions imposed upon the Pueblos. It is the only successful Native uprising against a colonizing power in North America.

Encomienda System

A form of forced and unpaid labor used by Spanish authorities and settlers in the colonies of the Spanish Empire. In return, the laborers were given military protection and the opportunity to be converted to Christianity.

Protestant Reformation (1517)

A religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of a branch of Christianity called Protestantism, a name used collectively to refer to the many religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine. It began in Germany when Martin Luther published the 95 theses (contradicted the Catholic Church's teachings).

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. It is located in present-day Mexico City.

Hernan Cortes

A Spanish conquistador who overthrew the Aztec empire and won Mexico for the crown of Spain. The Aztecs gave him Marine (Malinche), who later became his interpreter, as a gift when they first saw him.

St. Jean de Brebeuf

A Roman Catholic missionary to New France and martyr who became one of the patron saints of Canada. He was the first Jesuit missionary in Huronia. He arrived in America in 1625 to evangelize Native Americans.

Asiento System

An agreement between the Spanish crown and a private person or another sovereign power by which the latter was granted a monopoly in supplying African slaves for the Spanish colonies the Americas.

Algonquin

North American tribe who lived on the Ottawa River (Canada). They fought with the French and Huron in the Beaver Wars.

Huron

Iroquoian-speaking North American Indians who were living along the St. Lawrence River when contacted by French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534. They fought with the French and Algonquin in the Beaver Wars.

Iroquois Confederacy

Made up of 5 tribes that spoke the Iroquois language: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. They were involved in the fur trade for over 200 years prior to the war. They traded beaver pelts to British settlers and merchants. They fought with the British in the Beaver Wars.

Roanoke

It would have been the first permanent English settlement in the so-called "New World." In the settlement's difficult first founding year, its mayor and founder, John White, went back to England to request more resources and people. When he returned 3 years later, the colony had vanished. The word "CROATOAN" was found carved into a tree.

Valladolid Debate

Concerned the treatment of natives of the New World. It concerned two main attitudes towards the conquest of the Americas. Bartolomé de las Casas argued Amerindians were creations of God and deserved same treatment as Christian Europeans. Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda thought that the natives should be slaves because of their crimes against nature and against God. It was the first European debate about the morality of European colonization of new lands, and how the populations in those new lands should be treated.

Bartolome de las Casas

Dominican priest who spoke out against mistreatment of Native Americans. "In Defense of the Indians." He may have been the first person in America to receive holy orders.

Juan Gines de Sepulveda

Humanist lawyer, who was an important figure in the court of Charles V where he served as the Emperor's chaplain and his official historian. He argued that natives were "natural slaves" and that the Spanish presence in the New World would benefit them.

New Laws of 1542

Bartolome de Las Casas convinced the King of Spain to institute these laws. It was designed to protect the Indians and restrain the encomederos. It abolished Native American slavery and began to end the encomienda system.

Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore

In 1694, he was the catholic founder of Maryland, a colony which offered religious freedom and a refuge for the persecuted Roman Catholics (CUL)

Maryland Act of Toleration of 1649

It ensured religious freedom to different dominations who settled in Maryland.

Roger Williams

A dissenter who clashed with the Massachusetts Puritans over separation of church and state and was banished in 1636, after which he founded the colony of Rhode Island.

Anne Hutchinson

She is considered one of the earliest American feminists. She was a spiritual leader in colonial Massachusetts who challenged male authority. She also indirectly challenged acceptable gender roles by preaching to both men and women and by questioning Puritan teachings about salvation. She was expelled (along with her family and 60 followers). She moved to Rhode Island and New York, where she perished in an Indian raid.

Halfway Covenant

A religious-political solution adopted by New England Congregationalists, also called Puritans. This allowed the
children of baptized but unconverted church members to be baptized and thus become church members and have political rights.

Quakers

English dissenters who broke from Church of England, preach a doctrine of pacificism, inner divinity, and social equity, under William Penn they founded Pennsylvania.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, found in East Virginia

Virginia House of Burgesses

The first legislative body in British North America. A push factor was primogeniture. Voting rights were limited to adult white men who were not indentured servants.

John Rolfe

He was one of the English settlers at Jamestown (and he married Pocahontas). He discovered how to successfully grow tobacco in Virginia and cure it for export, which made Virginia an economically successful colony.

Starving Time

1609-1610. A period of starvation endured by the Jamestown colonists. The colonists depended upon trade with the local Native Americans for their food supplies. It emphasized the importance of self-sufficient agriculture to the English, and the importance of tobacco as an export crop as a source of financial support.

Puritans

English protestants who believed that the reforms of the Church of England did not go far enough. They came to the New World around 1629-30 and there an educated, upper middle class.

Separatists

People who wanted to have a separate, or different church. Also known as Pilgrims.

Mayflower Compact

A legal agreement signed by 41 adult male passengers on 11/11/1620. It established the first governing document for the Plymouth Colony. It created a bond among the Pilgrims, adventurers, and tradesmen and introduced English concepts of law and liberty to the New World.

Plymouth

Colony settled by the Pilgrims. It eventually merged with Massachusetts Bay colony.

John Winthrop

Puritan governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Speaker of "City upon a hill"

Restoration Colonies

Colonies created as a result from the land grants in North America given by King Charles II of England in the 1660s and 1670s. The two major restoration colonies were Pennsylvania and Carolina.

English Civil War

Conflict from 1640 to 1660; featured religious disputes mixed with constitutional issues concerning the powers of the monarchy; ended with restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following execution of previous king

Oliver Cromwell

English general and statesman who led the parliamentary army in the English Civil War (1599-1658). He was particularly intolerant of Catholics and Quakers.

King James I

1566-1625 King of England who, in 1606, gave the Virginia Company of London a charter to set up a colony in Virginia

Metacom's War

Native Americans battle New England colonies; large percentage of Native Americans died, making it one of the bloodiest wars in US; severely damaged the Native American presence in the new world. Colonial encroachment led the Wampanoag to resist. The Iroquois provided aid to the colonists. It reinforced the image of Natives as "savages."

Bacon's Rebellion

A rebellion lead by Nathaniel Bacon with backcountry farmers to attack Native Americans in an attempt to gain more land. It was the last major uprising of enslaved blacks and whites in colonial Virginia. It intensified the stratification of blacks and whites (racism).

Governor Berkeley

Governor of Virginia, had a policy that favored Native Americans, refused to retaliate against Natives, led to Bacon's Rebellion.

New England Confederation

1643 - Formed to provide for the defense of the four New England colonies, and also acted as a court in disputes between colonies. If one colony is attacked, the others also respond. It was created after the Pequot War. It united its 4 members to declare war upon the Wampanoag (the Confederation won).

Chesapeake Colonies

The colonies of Maryland and Virginia. Available resources: Corn, indigo, naval stores, pigs, rice, tobacco. Soil: Hot weather and flat soil (tobacco was the cash crop). There were a lot of slaves.

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth by increasing their exports and decreasing imports.

Navigation Acts

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament that imposed restrictions on colonial trade. It was based on mercantilism, which aimed to use the American colonies to bolster British state power and finances. The British did not enforce this policy as they practiced a policy of salutary neglect.

Dominion of New England

1686 - The British government combined the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut into a single province headed by a royal governor (Andros). The Dominion ended in 1692, when the colonists revolted and drove out Governor Andros.

Sir Edmund Andros

Governor of the Dominion of New England from 1686 until 1692, when the colonists rebelled and forced him to return to England

Glorious Revolution

A reference to the political events of 1688-1689, when James II abdicated his throne and was replaced by his daughter Mary and her husband, Prince William of Orange.

Indentured Servants

Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years

Triangular Trade

A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Africa sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent Guns and Rum to Africa

Headright system

Headrights were parcels of land consisting of about 50 acres which were given to colonists who brought indentured servants into America. They were used by the Virginia Company to attract more colonists.

Middle Passage

A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies

Benjamin Franklin

American intellectual, inventor, and politician He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.

Phillis Wheatley

American poet (born in Africa) who was the first recognized Black writer in America (1753-1784). She wrote to George Washington.

Great Awakening

Religious revival in the American colonies of the eighteenth century during which a number of new Protestant churches were established.

Jonathan Edwards

American theologian whose sermons and writings stimulated a period of renewed interest in religion in America (1703-1758) during the Great Awakening. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Practiced open air preaching.

George Whitefield

English clergyman who was known for his ability to convince many people through his sermons. He involved himself in the Great Awakening in 1739 preaching his belief in gaining salvation.

John Peter Zenger

The governor of New York secured an indictment of seditious libel against him for publishing articles criticizing him.

Enlightenment

A philosophical movement which started in Europe in the 1700's and spread to the colonies. It emphasized reason and the scientific method.

Patrick Henry

a leader of the American Revolution and a famous orator who spoke out against British rule of the American colonies (1736-1799). His famous quote: "Give me liberty or give me death."

Stamp Act Congress

Convened in New York City by representatives of nine of the American colonies to frame resolutions of "rights and grievances" and to petition the king of England and the British Parliament for repeal of the Stamp Act.

Sons of Liberty

Enforced the boycott on British goods and threatened retaliation against anyone who bought imported goods or used stamped paper.

Daughters of Liberty

This organization supported the boycott of British goods. They urged Americans to wear homemade fabrics and produce other goods that were previously available only from Britain (held quilting bees). They believed that way, the American colonies would become economically independent.

John Dickinson

Drafted a declaration of colonial rights and grievances, and also wrote the series of "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania" in 1767 to protest the Townshend Acts. Although an outspoken critic of British policies towards the colonies, he opposed the Revolution, and, as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, refused to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Samuel Adams

American Revolutionary leader and patriot, Founder of the Sons of Liberty and one of the most vocal patriots for independence; signed the Declaration of Independence. He wrote the Massachusetts Circular letter (says that we could not be taxed since we were not represented in the legislation).

James Otis

A colonial lawyer who defended (usually for free) colonial merchants who were accused of smuggling. Argued against the writs of assistance and the Stamp Act.

Committees of Correspondence

Used by the sons of liberty to organize resistance between cities. It promoted manufacturing in the 13 colonies and advised colonists not to buy goods imported from Britain. Its goal was to inform voters of the common threat they faced from Britain.

Intolerable Acts

Passed in 1774. They were also known as the Coercive Acts. They were a series of 4 laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the Massachusetts Bay colony for the Boston Tea Party. Included Boston Port Act (closed the Boston harbor), Massachusetts Government Act (regulation of government), Administration of Justice Act (Red coats would be tried in the mother country), and Quebec Act

King George III

King of England during the American Revolution.Issued the "Proclamation Line of 1763" (prohibited colonial expansion beyond the Appalachian mountains).

Salutary Neglect

The unofficial British policy where parliamentary rules and laws were loosely or not enforced on the American colonies and trade.

Pontiac's Rebellion

A 1763 conflict between Native Americans and the British over settlement of Indian lands in the Great Lakes area.

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalacian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Albany Plan of Union

A plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the colonies and the Crown turned the plan down. Its goal was to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government.

Peace of Paris (1763)

Signed between Britain, France, and Spain. It formally marked the end of the 7 years war. France renounced to Britain all the mainland of North America east of the Mississippi. Spain recovered Havana and Manila, ceded East and West Florida to the British, and received Louisiana in compensation from the French.

Stamp Act

An act of the British Parliament in 1765 that exacted revenue from the American colonies by imposing a stamp duty on newspapers and legal and commercial documents.

Declaratory Act

Act passed in 1766 (the same day the Stamp Act was repealed). It stated that Parliament could make laws binding the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever."

Townshend Acts

1767; Imposed duties on British china, glass, lead, paint, paper and tea imported to the colonies.

Tea Act

1773; Granted the British East India Company Tea a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies

Boston Tea Party

1773; Members of the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. They did this in secret because this action would not have been well received in Boston. In retaliation, the Mother Country issued the Intolerable Acts.

Coercive Acts

This series of laws were very harsh laws that intended to make Massachusetts pay for its resistance. It also closed down the Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined tea. It was also known as the Intolerable Acts.

Enlightenment

A movement in the 18th century that advocated the use of reason in the reappraisal of accepted ideas and social institutions.

John Locke

17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.

John Adams

America's first Vice-President and second President. Sponsor of the American Revolution in Massachusetts, and wrote the Massachusetts guarantee that freedom of press "ought not to be restrained."

First Continental Congress

1774; Prompted by the Coercive (Intolerable) acts. It was held in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Delegates from 12 of Britain's 13 colonies met to discuss America's future under growing British aggression.

Second Continental Congress

1775; Assembled after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. They established the Continental Army and elected George Washington as Commander-in-Chief, but the delegates also drafted the Olive Branch Petition and sent it to King George III.

Olive Branch Petition

Written by John Dickinson on July 5, 1775, in which the colonies made a final offer of peace to Britain, agreeing to be loyal to the British government if it addressed their grievances (repealed the Coercive Acts, ended the taxation without representation policies). It was rejected by Parliament.

Thomas Jefferson

Wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was the nation's first secretary of state and second vice president and third president. He was also the statesman responsible for the Louisiana Purchase.

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

George Washington

1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Charters a government fir the Northwest territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory.

Paul Revere and William Dawes

They rode through the countryside warning local militias of the approach of the British troops prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Thanks to the advance warning, the militias were able to take the British by surprise.

Battle of Saratoga

1777; it included 2 crucial battles and was a decisive victory for the Continental Army and a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War.

Valley Forge

(1777-1778) Encampment where George Washington's poorly equipped army spent a wretched, freezing winter. Hundreds of men died and more than a thousand deserted. The plight of the starving, shivering soldiers reflected the main weakness of the American army - a lack of stable supplies and munitions.

Battle of Bunker Hill

1775; First major battle of the Revolutions. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. However, the British suffered more deaths.

Yorktown

1781; last battle of the revolution; Benedict Arnold Cornwallis and his army surrendered to General George Washington's American force and its French allies. The battle marked the conclusion of the last major battle of the American Revolution and the start of a new nation's independence. It also cemented Washington's reputation as a great leader and eventual election as the first president of the US.

Ticonderoga

American revolutionary troops captured Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775 and gained 50 cannons; raised morale and made French join war

James Madison

"Father of the Constitution," Federalist leader, and fourth President of the United States. He left the Federalist Party because of the issue over the 1st BUS.

Alexander Hamilton's Financial Plan

1. federal "assumption" of state debts left from the Revolutionary War.
2. creation of the Bank of the United States.
3. Excise Tax (imposed on certain goods, services and activities) to pay the cost of the war. Led to the Whiskey Rebellion.

Federalists

A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures. They wanted a loose interpretation of the US Constitution.