APUSH Chapters 1-8 Terms

Glossary, Simple IDs, and Miscellaneous Terms

Nation-state

The form of political society that combines centralized government with a high degree of ethnic and cultural unity.

Matrilinear

The form of society in which family line, power, and wealth are passed primarily through the female side.

Confederacy

An alliance or league of nations or peoples looser than a federation.

Primeval

Concerning the earliest origin of things.

Saga

A lengthy story or poem recounting the great deeds and adventures of a people and their heroes.

Middlemen

In trading systems, those dealers who operate between the original buyers and the retail merchants who sell to consumers.

Caravel

A small vessel with a high deck and three triangular sails.

Plantation

A large-scale agricultural enterprise growing commercial crops and usually employing coerced or slave labor.

Ecosystem

A naturally evolved network of relations among organisms in a stable environment.

Demographic

Concerning the general characteristics of a given population, including such factors as numbers, age, gender, birth and death rates, and so on.

Conquistador(es)

A Spanish conqueror or adventurer in the Americas.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private property, free trade, and open and accessible markets.

Encomienda

The Spanish labor system in which persons were held to unpaid service under the permanent control of their masters, though not legally owned by them.

Mestizo

A person of mixed Native American and European ancestry.

Province

A medium-sized subunit of territory and governmental administration within a larger nation or empire.

The Great Ice Age

A period of extensive glaciation that occurred over the past two million years, where large ice sheets covered much of North America, shaping its geography.

Bering Ice Bridge

A land bridge that once connected Siberia in Asia to Alaska in North America, allowing the migration of humans and animals between the continents during the Ice Age.

Three Sisters

The three main crops of many Native American groups: maize (corn), beans, and squash. These were often grown together as companion plants.

Maize

A type of corn that was domesticated in Mexico and became a staple crop in many Native American civilizations, providing a reliable food source.

Beans

One of the "Three Sisters" crops, beans were an essential part of the diet in Native American agriculture and helped replenish the soil by fixing nitrogen.

Squash

Another of the "Three Sisters," squash was grown alongside maize and beans and provided a rich source of nutrients for Native American diets.

Potatoes

A tuber that was domesticated in the Andean region of South America, it became a staple crop for many indigenous peoples and was later introduced to Europe.

Tomatoes

Native to South America, these crops were cultivated by indigenous peoples and became a crucial ingredient in many global cuisines after being introduced to Europe.

Iroquois

A powerful and influential confederation of Native American tribes in the northeastern United States, known for their sophisticated political and social organization.

Leif Erikson

A Norse explorer who is believed to have been the first European to reach North America, around 1000 A.D., long before Columbus.

L'Anse aux Meadows

An archaeological site in Newfoundland, Canada, where evidence of a Norse settlement was discovered, confirming Viking presence in North America.

Newfoundland

A large island off the east coast of Canada, where the Norse, including Leif Erikson, are believed to have established temporary settlements.

East Indies

A term used by Europeans to refer to the islands of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and the Philippines, which were rich in spices and other trade goods.

Amerigo Vespucci

An Italian explorer whose voyages to the New World helped Europeans understand that the Americas were separate continents, not part of Asia. The continents are named after him.

Smallpox

A deadly infectious disease brought to the Americas by Europeans, which caused massive population declines among Native American peoples.

Measles

Another Old World disease that devastated indigenous populations in the Americas after being introduced by European explorers and settlers.

Influenza

A highly contagious viral infection that was also brought to the Americas by Europeans, contributing to the decline in Native American populations.

Malaria

A disease transmitted by mosquitoes that was introduced to the Americas by Europeans, causing significant illness and death among indigenous and African populations.

Syphilis

A sexually transmitted disease that is believed to have originated in the Americas and was spread to Europe by returning explorers.

Aztec Empire

A powerful Mesoamerican civilization that was based in the city of Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City) and was conquered by the Spanish in the early 16th century.

St. Augustine

The oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the continental United States, founded by the Spanish in Florida in 1565.

Appalachians

A mountain range in the eastern United States that is one of the oldest in the world, formed hundreds of millions of years ago.

The Incas

A sophisticated and powerful civilization in South America, centered in the Andes Mountains of Peru, known for their advanced architecture and road system.

The Pueblos

Native American peoples in the Southwestern United States known for their unique adobe dwellings and complex societies.

The Anasazis

An ancient Native American culture that lived in the Four Corners region of the United States and built cliff dwellings and pueblos.

The Mississippian culture (Cahokia)

A Native American culture known for its large earthen mounds and urban centers, with Cahokia being the largest and most complex of these settlements.

The Mound Builders

Native American cultures that constructed various styles of earthen mounds for religious, ceremonial, and burial purposes, especially in the Mississippi River Valley.

Tenochtitlán

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco, where Mexico City now stands.

Crusades

A series of religious wars in the Middle Ages, primarily aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and other holy sites from Muslim control, which also increased European interest in trade with Asia.

The sugar islands off the coast of Africa

Refers to islands like Madeira and the Canary Islands, where the Portuguese and Spanish established sugar plantations that were worked by enslaved Africans, setting a precedent for the Atlantic slave trade.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, profit-seeking, and competitive markets, which began to rise in Europe during the Age of Exploration.

Moctezuma II

The last emperor of the Aztec Empire, who was captured and killed by Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

Hernán Cortés

A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large parts of Mexico under Spanish control.

Black Legend

A historical narrative that portrays the Spanish conquest and colonization of the Americas as uniquely brutal and exploitative, emphasizing the negative aspects of Spanish rule.

Chaco Canyon

A significant Anasazi cultural center in present-day New Mexico, known for its large multi-storied stone buildings (pueblos) and kivas (ceremonial structures).

Aragon and Castile

Two powerful kingdoms in what is now Spain that were united through the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, leading to the formation of modern Spain.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal, mediated by the Pope, that divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between them along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands.

Pope's Rebellion (Pueblo Revolt)

A 1680 uprising of Pueblo Indians in present-day New Mexico against Spanish colonization, which successfully expelled the Spanish for 12 years.

Noche Triste

The "Sad Night," June 30, 1520, when the Aztecs drove Hernán Cortés and his forces out of Tenochtitlán, resulting in significant Spanish losses.

Franciscans

A Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi, known for their missionary work in the Americas, particularly in California.

Ferdinand and Isabella

The Catholic monarchs who united Spain and funded Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New World, leading to the European discovery of the Americas.

Hernán Cortés

The Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Francisco Pizarro

A Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire in South America.

Lake Bonneville

An ancient lake that once covered much of present-day Utah, leaving behind the Great Salt Lake and other remnants as it dried up.

Bartolomeu Dias

A Portuguese explorer who was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope), opening the way for a sea route to Asia.

Vasco da Gama

A Portuguese explorer who was the first to sail directly from Europe to India, establishing a sea route that connected Europe to the Indian Ocean.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer who completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, opening the way for the widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

Malinche

A Native American woman who served as an interpreter, advisor, and intermediary for Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Hiawatha

A legendary leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, known for uniting the Five Nations into a powerful alliance.

Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)

An Italian explorer who sailed under the English flag and was one of the first Europeans to explore the coast of North America after the Norse.

Junipero Serra

A Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the first nine of the 21 Spanish missions in California, playing a key role in the colonization of the region.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

A Spanish Dominican friar who advocated for the rights of Native Americans and criticized the brutality of Spanish colonization.

The Middle Passage

Refers to a segment of the transatlantic slave trade route, where enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic to the Americas.

The Southern Route

A trade route that involved southern European countries and Mediterranean ports, often connected to African and Asian trade.

da Gama's Sea Route

Refers to the sea route established by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, who sailed from Europe around the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope) to reach India. This route became a crucial link between Europe and the spice trade of Asia.

Juan Ponce de León

A Spanish explorer and conquistador who is traditionally associated with the legend of the Fountain of Youth. He led the first European expedition to Florida and is credited with the discovery of the area.

Hernando de Soto

A Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern United States, and was the first European to cross the Mississippi River.

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

A Spanish explorer who led an expedition from Mexico to the present-day southwestern United States in search of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. His expedition marked the first European sightings of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

Nationalism

Fervent belief and loyalty given to the political unit of the nation-state. "Indeed England now had…a vibrant sense of [this] and national destiny."

Primogeniture

The legal principle that the oldest son inherits all family property or land.

Joint-Stock Companies

An economic arrangement by which a number of investors pool their capital for investment.

Charter

A legal document granted by a government to some group or agency to implement a stated purpose, and spelling out the attending rights and obligations.

Census

An official count of population, often also including other information about the population.

Feudal

Concerning the hierarchical, decentralized medieval social system of personal obligations between rulers and ruled.

Indentured Servant

A poor person obligated to a fixed term of unpaid labor, often in exchange for a benefit such as transportation, protection, or training.

Toleration

Originally, religious freedom granted by an established church to a religious minority.

Squatter

A frontier farmer who illegally occupied land owned by others, or land not yet officially opened for settlement.

Buffer

In politics, a small territory or state between two larger, antagonistic powers, established to minimize the possibility of conflict between them.

Melting Pot

Popular American term for an ethnically diverse population that is presumed to be moving toward some common homogeneous national identity.

Lord Baltimore

Title held by the Calvert family, founders of the Maryland colony. George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, sought to create a refuge for Catholics in the New World. His son, Cecilius Calvert, established Maryland in 1634 as a haven for persecuted English Catholics.

Roanoke

The first English settlement in North America, established by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1585 in present-day North Carolina. It became known as the "Lost Colony" after all its inhabitants mysteriously disappeared by 1590.

Spanish Armada

A fleet of Spanish ships launched in 1588 by King Philip II of Spain to invade England. It was defeated by the English navy and bad weather, marking a turning point in European history and solidifying England's naval dominance.

Slave codes

Laws established in the American colonies and later in the United States to define the status of slaves and the rights of masters. These codes restricted the freedom of slaves and granted owners absolute power over their slaves.

Rice

A staple crop in the southern colonies, particularly South Carolina. The cultivation of this crop required extensive labor, leading to the reliance on enslaved Africans who had knowledge of farming techniques.

Silk

An attempted but largely unsuccessful cash crop in the southern colonies. South Carolina's early planters tried to cultivate this crop before turning to rice and indigo as more profitable crops.

Queen Elizabeth I

The Queen of England from 1558 to 1603. She established Protestantism in England and supported the early English colonization efforts in North America, including the failed Roanoke Colony.

King James I

The King of England from 1603 to 1625, after Elizabeth I. He granted the charter to the Virginia Company, which established Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, in 1607.

Newfoundland (failed colony)

The site of England's first attempt at colonization in the New World, led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert in 1583. The colony failed due to harsh conditions, lack of supplies, and Gilbert's death during the return voyage.

Humphrey Gilbert

An English explorer who attempted to establish the first English colony in North America at Newfoundland in 1583. The colony failed, and he perished at sea during the return journey.

Enclosure movement

A process in England during the 16th and 17th centuries where common land was fenced off by landlords, forcing many small farmers off their land. This led to a surplus population in England, many of whom sought new opportunities in the colonies.

Puritan

A member of a Protestant group in England and later in the American colonies, who sought to "purify" the Church of England from all Roman Catholic practices. Many of these people migrated to the New World to escape religious persecution and establish a society based on their religious principles.

John Smith

An English soldier and explorer who played a crucial role in the survival of the Jamestown colony. His leadership and interactions with Native American tribes, particularly with Powhatan and Pocahontas, helped sustain the colony through its early years.

John Rolfe

An early English settler of Jamestown known for introducing tobacco cultivation to the colony, which became Virginia's economic foundation. He also married Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, which helped ease relations between the settlers and the Native Americans.

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia in 1619. It marked the beginning of self-government in colonial America.

Act of Toleration (1649)

A law passed in Maryland that granted religious freedom to all Christians, including Catholics and Protestants. However, it also imposed penalties on anyone who denied the divinity of Jesus.