AMSTUD Periods 1+2 Must-Know Terms

Anasazi

Native Americans living in the Southwest who developed irrigation systems for maize.

Pueblos

Native Americans living in the Southwest who built dwellings in caves and under cliffs.

Adena-Hopewell

Mound-building cultures of the Ohio River and Mississippi River valleys; precursors to Cahokia.

Woodland Mound Builders

Ancestors of the Cherokee and Lumbee on the Atlantic coast; built mounds; descendants later built wood houses.

Mayas

Civilization on the Yucatan Peninsula from 200–800 CE; developed calendars and complex societies.

Aztecs

Powerful empire in central Mexico (1200–1500 CE); capital Tenochtitlan; resisted Europeans.

Incas

Largest empire in South America; introduced potatoes to Europe, contributing to population growth.

Maize (corn)

First cultivated by Mayas, Aztecs, and North American populations; enabled large agricultural societies.

Algonquin

Language family of Northeast Native Americans.

Longhouses

Large houses in the Pacific Northwest where multiple Native American families lived.

Iroquois Confederation

Confederation of six Northeast tribes that fought against Europeans.

Gunpowder

Powder used by Europeans as a powerful weapon to overpower Native Americans.

Printing Press

Device that could print books rapidly, spreading knowledge across Europe.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Portugal and Spain moved the pope's demarcation line west in 1494. This gave Portugal Brazil and Spain the rest of the Americas.

Roanoke

First attempt at English settlement by Sir Walter Raleigh in Virginia in 1587. It failed.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches. Religious motivation to colonize the Americas.

Horses

Transported to the Americas by the Spanish. Changed the migration of the Plains Natives.

Diseases

Introduced to the Americas by the Europeans. Natives died in large numbers from Smallpox due to lack of immunity.

Encomienda

Spanish Crown gave a grant of land to settlers, and natives were forced to work the land.

Slavery

Used by Spanish (and later, other Europeans) to replace the native population for labor.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors who took over lots of America for Spain and established viceroyalties.

Hernan Cortes

Took over the Aztecs in Mexicos, established one of the wealthiest Spanish strongholds in the Americas, sending over gold.

Slave Trade

The trade of African slaves across the Atlantic for labor.

Middle Passage

A deadly Atlantic Slave Trade route from the African coast to the Americas.

Bartolome de las Casas

A Spanish friar who protested the encomienda system. Advocated for the New law of 1542 to end forced Native Labor, but failed.

Valladolid Debate

A debate between de Las Casas and Juan de Sepulveda over forced Native labor. Neither side fully won, but the idea of human rights was established.

Juan Gines de Sepulveda

Argued that natives were less than human and deserved the encomienda system.

Joint Stock Company

Investors sponsor voyages to the Americas; profits shared; risk limited to invested capital.

Roger Williams

Minister expelled by Puritans; founded Providence; later merged with Portsmouth to form Rhode Island; Rhode Island was religiously tolerant.

Providence

Colony founded by people kicked out of Massachusetts Bay; established religiously diverse tradition in New England.

Halfway Covenant

Church policy allowing partial membership for grandchildren of existing members to maintain church membership.

Quakers

Society of Friends; promoted equality of men and women; persecuted; settled in Pennsylvania.

William Penn

A Quaker who founded and governed Pennsylvania; proprietor.

Tobacco Farms

Large plantations that grew tobacco; main cash crop; key part of Virginian and Southern economy.

Jamestown

Earliest English settlement in the Americas, in Virginia; established by the Virginia Company.

John Smith

Led Jamestown for the first five years.

John Rolfe

Succeeded John Smith; developed tobacco as a profitable crop.

Virginia

First English colony in the Americas; site of early farming settlements.

Plymouth Colony

Colony established by Pilgrims in 1621 in Massachusetts; established Protestant religious tradition.

Pilgrims

English separatists who left England seeking to practice a separate church; founded Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Mayflower Compact

Plymouth Pilgrims’ agreement on governance and self-rule.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Founded in 1630 by Puritans in Massachusetts.

Puritans

Wanted to reform the Church of England, who were persecuted and founded the Mass. Bay colony.

John Winthrop

Lead the Puritans to Massachusetts Bay in 1630s.

Great Migration

Lots of people moved to Massachusetts Bay colony to escape persecution, made the settlement huge.

New York

English King Charles 2 got land from the Dutch in the Hudson River valley, put harsh taxes on settlers. Eventually, the colony had a representative government.

New Jersey

Charles 2's brother James split New York, since it was getting too big, into East and West New Jersey. It eventually merged into New Jersey, and had religious freedom.

Delaware

William Penn made a colony of the lower 3 districts of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania

A colony that King James gave to William Penn and his son.

Georgia

the last colony, created by James Oglethorpe. It failed because of the threat of Spanish attack, eventually taken over by the King. Created as a buffer zone against Spanish Attack.

Virginia House of Burgesses

First representative assembly in the colonies; settlers were encouraged to elect representatives in 1619.

Corporate Colonies

Colonies owned by Joint Stock Companies.

Royal Colonies

Colonies owned by the King of England; typically autocratic (e.g., New York).

Proprietary Colonies

Colonies granted by the King to individuals or groups (e.g., Georgia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the Carolinas).

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that financed the Jamestown expedition; funded early colonization.

Chesapeake colonies

Maryland and Virginia; Maryland granted to Lord Baltimore.

Triangular trade

A three-way system of trade: Africa to Americas (slaves), Americas to Europe (raw materials), Europe to Africa (guns and rum).

Mercantilism

Economic policy emphasizing exports; colonies existed to provide raw materials and markets for the mother country.

Navigation Act

British regulations to protect shipping; colonies could import only on British ships with at least 3/4 British crew.

Bacon's Rebellion

1675–76; Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion in Virginia against the colonial government for failing to support poor farmers against Native lands.

Indentured Servants

Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for 4–7 years.

Ben Franklin

Wrote the Poor Man’s Almanac; a key figure in colonial America.

Religious Toleration

Colonies generally tolerated multiple religions, from Protestants to Catholics.

George Whitefield

Credited with starting the Great Awakening; emphasized personal experience with God and challenged church hierarchy.

Jonathan Edwards

Lead the Great awakening, said that people sin and God can only save a few people if they get baptized, wrote Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

John Peter Zenger

Journalist who questioned the policies of the governor of New York in the 1700's. He was jailed; he sued, and this court case was the basis for our freedom of speech and press. He was found not guilty.

Metacom

Native king, Indian name for “King Philip” in “King Philip’s War”. His leadership unified several Native American tribes against increasing settler encroachment on their lands and sovereignty

Christopher Columbus

italian navigator, sailed for Spain, 1492, Sparked sustained contact between Europe & Americas

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan woman, challenged church leaders in Massachusetts, founded settlement Portsmouth, Believed in sola fide (salvation thru faith alone, no need for ministers) (great awakening)

King Philip’s War

Natives took a stand ish for themselves against english mistreatment, conflict between natives and british over british mistreatment of natives

Rhode Island

Advocated for religious tolerance, separation of church/state; unique in Colonial America for these qualities, Colony founded by Roger Williams + Anne Hutchinson (Portsmouth)