Early American Societies and Colonial Encounters Flashcards

A set of 25 vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, civilizations, and historical events of early American history and European colonization as detailed in the lecture notes.

Bering Strait

A 100-mile-wide land bridge that bridged Siberia and Alaska during the final Ice Age, facilitating the arrival of the first migrants to the Americas.

Mesoamerica

A region encompassing present-day Mexico and Guatemala where advanced empires governed millions of people before European arrival.

Maize

A highly nutritious crop (corn) domesticated in Mexico around $6000$ b.c.e. that supported population growth and the development of urban societies.

Tenochtitlán

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, founded in $1325$, which featured a sophisticated market system and a population of approximately $250,000$ by $1500$.

Cuzco

The capital of the Inca Empire, situated over $11,000$ feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains, serving as the hub for a vast network of roads and administrative centers.

Mississippian culture

A Native American culture in the Mississippi River Valley that arose around c.e. $800$, characterized by large-scale agriculture and moundbuilding.

Cahokia

The primary urban center of the Mississippian culture near present-day St. Louis, which reached a peak population of $10,000$ residents around $1000$ c.e.

Iroquois Confederacy

A political alliance formed around $1500$ by five nations (Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas) to end internal warfare and project power.

Matriarchal societies

Social systems, such as those of the Iroquois, where influence and property are passed down through female lineages.

Animism

A widespread belief system among Native Americans and early Europeans holding that the natural world is inhabited by spiritual forces.

Primogeniture

A European social practice where fathers bequeathed all their land and property to their eldest son, often leaving younger children in poverty.

Renaissance

A period of significant cultural and artistic transformation in Europe between $1300$ and $1450$, originating in Italian city-states.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement initiated by Martin Luther in $1517$ that challenged the Catholic Church and emphasized the Bible as the primary authority of faith.

Predestination

A theological doctrine popularized by John Calvin suggesting that God determines the salvation or damnation of individuals before their birth.

Ghana Empire

A West African empire that emerged around $800$ c.e. and grew powerful by controlling trans-Saharan trade routes using camels.

Mansa Musa

The tenth emperor of Mali who was famed for his immense wealth and a $1326$ pilgrimage to Mecca that devalued gold in the regions he visited.

Caravel

A small, maneuverable Portuguese ship equipped with a lateen (triangular) sail that enabled exploration of the Atlantic coast.

Encomiendas

Legal grants issued by the Spanish crown that allowed conquistadors to demand tribute and labor from Native American communities.

Columbian Exchange

The vast intercontinental transfer of plants, animals, and diseases (such as smallpox and syphilis) between the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Casta system

A complex racial hierarchy developed in Spanish colonies that categorized people based on their ancestral background and dictated legal status.

Mercantilism

A state-supported economic system that encouraged domestic manufacturing and exports to ensure a favorable balance of trade.

House of Burgesses

A representative assembly established in Virginia in $1619$ that allowed colonists to make laws and levy taxes.

Indentured servitude

A labor system in which individuals signed contracts to work for a master for a set number of years in exchange for ocean passage.

Mayflower Compact

A $1620$ document signed by the Pilgrims that established a self-governing political body based on their religious congregation.

Pueblo Revolt

A $1680$ uprising led by the religious leader Popé that successfully expelled Spanish colonizers from New Mexico for more than a decade.