Early Native American Cultures and Colonial Conflicts

Paleoindians

Early hunter-gatherers, oldest cultural tradition in the Americas.

Archaic People

Followed Paleoindians, lived in larger settlements, and developed distinct cultures.

Hohokam/Anasazi

Built cities and irrigation systems; Hohokam focused on canals, Anasazi created Chaco Canyon.

Cahokia

Largest pre-Columbian city north of Mexico, located near modern-day St. Louis.

The Taino

Indigenous people Columbus encountered in the Caribbean.

The Aztecs

A powerful empire in central Mexico, eventually conquered by Spain.

Cabeza de Vaca

Spanish explorer shipwrecked in Texas, lived with Native Americans, and wrote about his experiences.

Acoma Rebellion

Native resistance against Spanish conquest in New Mexico.

Pueblo Revolt

Native revolt against Spanish rule in 1680; temporarily drove Spaniards out.

Virginia Company

Chartered to establish Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.

Indentured Servitude

People worked for a set time in exchange for passage to the colonies.

Bacon's Rebellion

A 1676 uprising in Virginia against Governor Berkeley's policies, leading to the decline of indentured servitude and the rise of slavery.

Puritans

Sought to purify the Church of England and establish strict religious communities in New England.

Anne Hutchinson

Religious dissenter, challenged Puritan authority in Massachusetts, banished to Rhode Island.

Pequot War

A conflict between English settlers and the Pequot tribe over trade control.

Praying Towns

Established by Puritans to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

King Philip's War

Native Americans, led by Metacom (King Philip), resisted English expansion in New England, but were defeated.

Beaver Wars

Fought between Iroquois and other tribes over control of fur trade, with European powers taking sides.

Yamasee War

Conflict in South Carolina between Native tribes and British settlers, leading to the end of the Native slave trade.

Stono Rebellion

A large slave revolt in South Carolina in 1739, aimed at escaping to Spanish Florida.

Task System/Gang System

Two types of labor systems on plantations; Task system allowed more free time, while the Gang system was harsher.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of goods, diseases, and cultures between the Old World (Europe) and New World (Americas).

War of Jenkins' Ear

A small conflict between Britain and Spain over trade and territory in the Caribbean.

French and Indian War

A conflict between Britain and France over North American territory, with Native American tribes allied mostly with the French.

Pontiac's Rebellion

Native American uprisings against British rule after the French and Indian War.

Proclamation of 1763

A British law that restricted American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Boston Massacre

British soldiers killed five colonists, escalating tensions leading to the American Revolution.

Boston Tea Party

Colonial protest against British tea taxes; tea was dumped into Boston Harbor.

Lexington and Concord

First military clashes of the American Revolution, signaling the start of the war.

Olaudah Equiano

Former enslaved African who wrote a famous autobiography that contributed to the abolition of the slave trade.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania, a Quaker colony that promoted religious freedom and fair treatment of Native Americans.

Great Awakening

A religious revival in the American colonies, leading to the growth of new denominations like Baptists and Methodists.

Baptists

A Christian denomination that emphasized adult baptism and personal faith.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colony on Manhattan Island, later taken by the English and renamed New York.

San Diego de Alcalá

First Spanish mission in California, aimed at converting Native Americans to Christianity.

Horse/Buffalo

Central to the culture of Plains Indians, with horses introduced by Europeans and buffalo being a primary resource.