American History CH 1-3

Land Bridge

How the first people entered the Americas across the Bering Strait

Mound Builders

built mounds for burial or religious purposes

Inca

South America, Andes mountains, farmers (potatoes, maze), terrace farming, Their most important city was Mach Picchu (had temples and palaces)

Aztec

greatest empire of Mesoamerican, polytheistic (multiple gods), blood thirsty, ruled by conquest, human sacrifice; capital city - Tenochtitlan

Mayans

deeply religious, worshiped many gods, ruled by king, practiced human sacrifice, 365 day calendar; killed by overpopulation, over use of land, warfare, drought

Joint Stock Company

allowed investors to pool resources and share profits because financing a colony was expensive

Renaissance

a time of scientific discoveries, technological advancements, and population growth; rebirth of culture and learning

Protestant Reformation

the movement to reform the Catholic Church

Indulgences

extra blessings in return for good work (money), promised time off from punishment and purgatory

Martin Luther

wanted to end corruption in the church and restore people's faith

John Calvin

Calvinism, rejected Catholic rituals, stressed importance of the Bible, religiously strict

Henry VII

King of England, wants a son but his wife gave him a daughter, he wants a divorce but the pope says no; Henry forms the church of England

Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary)

Henry's first daughter, makes England Catholic again; those who do not conform to Catholicism were executed

Puritanism

group of Calvinist demanded purification of the Church of England

How was slavery introduced to the Americas?

slow of English immigration, distrust of indentured servants

Hernan Cortes

conquistador - Spanish soldier who destroyed the Aztec

Columbian Exchange

the exchange of products between the old world (Europe) and the new world (Americas)

How did new technology allow for more exploration?

farther explorations and more trade opportunities

Europeans were looking for a water route to?

Asia

reasons for exploration

more wealth, spread Christianity, expand trade, territory

CHristopher Columbus

Italian explorer that sailed for Spain, wanted to reach Asia, landed in the Bahamas

Where did the French first settle?

Canada and the St. Lawrence River Valley

Why did England want American colonies?

seeking religious freedom and profit

Roanoke

110 colonists with the goal of English, Indian, and Blacks all living together

Virginia: Jamestown

looking for wealth; joint stock company; 1607; harsh weather, disease, starvation, Native American attacks

John Smith

the leader of Jamestown, used harsh discipline; required sellers to build houses and plant food; saved Jamestown

John Rolfe

learned how to cultivate tobacco and turned it into a cash crop for Virginia

Indentured servants

a person who agreed to work for a term of seven years in exchange for passage to America

Mayflower Compact

foundation for Plymouth's colony; established order, settlers agreed to follow laws they created

House of Burgess

first representative government in North America, purpose was to pass laws and maintain order

Maryland

Lord Baltimore was given land by the king, named it after the king's Catholic wife, refuge for Catholics

Explain the relationship between tobacco, rice, and slaves

Tobacco was labor intensive and hard to cultivate so slaves were used. Slaves knew how to grow rice.

Bacon's Rebellion

Governor Berkley of Jamestown favored elites, farmers began to demand more land, Berkley had an agreement to stay out of Native American land, a fight breaks out between farmers and native Americans, Nathanial Bacon leads a rebellion on Native Americans, Bacon burns Jamestown, Bacon suddenly dies

Why did the Native American population decline so dramatically?

disease wiped out 90% of Native Americans

John Winthrop

named governor after puritans settled around Boston in 1630

City on a Hill

Winthrop's speech given on the voyage to North America; said puritans would be the model of Christian charity

King Philips war

King Philip (Chief of Wampanoags) resented the English and their efforts to expand and spread christianity. Fight breaks out between King Philip's forces and the Puritans, at first Indians were successful but the Puritans turn the tide and defeat them

Salem witch trials

Salem girls were told stories of fortune telling by African slave (Tituba), girls behaved strangely and accused people as witches which led to a colony wide panic

Characteristics of the Middle Colonies

Breadbasket colony, diverse ethnic groups, shipping and trade, ethnically and religiously diverse, were tolerant of one another

William Penn

given land by the King, called it Pennsylvania, wanted to put his quacker ideals into practice

Quakers

believed everyone was equal, pacifists (they refused to fight)