Unit 1 + 2- APUSH

Vocabulary flashcards covering key people, events, and concepts from human origins, migration, and early North American colonization.

Homo sapiens sapiens

Fully modern humans; a subspecies that emerged in Africa and later spread to other regions.

Bering Land Bridge

A land connection that linked Asia and North America during Ice Age low sea levels, enabling migration.

Neolithic Revolution

Transition from hunting and gathering to settled agriculture, leading to village life and civilizations.

Mound Builders (Cahokia)

Pre-Columbian Native American cultures in the Midwest known for large earthwork mounds; Cahokia was a major urban center.

Aztecs

Mesoamerican empire centered in central Mexico known for large urban centers and complex society.

Incas

Pre-Columbian empire in the Andes with sophisticated roads, terraces, and administration.

Anthropologists’ view on modern humans

Fully modern Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens sapiens) emerged later than earliest ancestors.

Pristine Myth

Belief that the Americas were a pristine wilderness before Europeans; in reality, complex societies and cities existed.

East African trade networks

Active commerce along East African ports before European colonization, influencing global exchange.

Lower Guinea dual-sex principle

System where men and women held separate but balanced political authority.

Feudalism

Decentralized medieval European political system with lords, vassals, and serfs.

Commercial Revolution

Expansion of trade, banking, and urbanization in Europe (roughly 1000–1300).

Crusades

Religious wars that opened contact between Europe and the Islamic world, boosting exchange and ideas.

Silk Road

Long-distance trade routes connecting Europe and Asia; routes became expensive and intermediated by others.

Bartolomeu Dias

Portuguese explorer who sailed around the southern tip of Africa (around 1488).

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who reached India (1498), boosting spice trade profits.

Printing press

Invention that spread maps, navigation, and travel accounts, aiding exploration.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and New World after 1492.

Sugarcane plantation slavery

Large-scale plantation system in the Atlantic world that used enslaved labor to grow sugar.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Papal agreement dividing the non-European world between Spain (west) and Portugal (east).

Renaissance

Cultural rebirth emphasizing human potential and individualism during Europe’s early modern period.

Protestant Christianity

Religious movement encouraging direct relationship with God, literacy, and faith outside clergy.

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers and soldiers seeking wealth and empire in the Americas (e.g., Cortés).

Encomienda system

Spanish labor system granting colonists the right to forced Native labor in exchange for protection and Christianization.

Smallpox

devastating European disease that contributed to Native American population decline after contact.

Cortes

Hernán Cortés, the conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Teotihuacan

Major ancient city in central Mexico; one of the largest urban centers in the ancient world.

Spanish colonization model

Core features: strong crown control, organized settlement, and Catholic orthodoxy.

Jamestown (1607)

First permanent English settlement in North America, located in Virginia.

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that funded Jamestown with hopes of gold, trade, and crops.

Indentured servant

Contracted labor system where people worked for passage to America, often with promised rewards.

Powhatan Confederacy

Native American alliance led by Chief Powhatan near the James River; interacted with settlers.

Headright System

Grant of 50 acres of land to attract settlers to Virginia; encouraged immigration.

Starving Time (1609–1610)

Severe famine period in Jamestown when many colonists died or resorted to hardship acts.

Powhatan Uprising (1622)

Native rebellion against English settlers; led to loss of lands and escalation of conflict.

Royal colony

Colony governed directly by the English crown rather than a corporate charter.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of colonial trade laws, fostering self-rule in colonies.

House of Burgesses (1619)

First representative assembly in English America, established in Virginia.

Tobacco economy (Virginia)

Economic foundation of Virginia; tobacco cultivation drove settlement and labor demand.

Indigenous labor transition to slavery

shift from reliance on indentured servants to enslaved Africans over time.

Act of Toleration (Maryland, 1649)

Religious tolerance for Christians in Maryland; early step toward religious pluralism.

Puritans

Religious reformers within the Church of England seeking to purify practices and beliefs.

Predestination

Belief that God has already chosen who will be saved, a core Puritan doctrine.

Signs of Grace

Visible experiences indicating an individual may be among the elect in Puritan theology.

Total depravity

Doctrinal view that human beings are inherently sinful and cannot achieve salvation alone.

Congregationalists

Puritans advocating church governance by congregations within a town or community.

Separatists/Pilgrims

Puritans who urged separating from the Church of England; Pilgrims settled Plymouth (1620).

Wampanoag and Pokanoket

Native groups near the Plymouth area that assisted and interacted with the Pilgrims.

John Winthrop

Leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; promoter of a model Puritan community.

Deeds (land ownership)

Legal instruments that define land ownership and boundaries in colonial contexts.

Militia vs Standing Army

Militia: part-time local defense; Standing army: professional, full-time soldiers.

Predestination vs Signs of Grace vs Elect

Puritan concepts describing salvation (elect) and the signs indicating that status.

Two groups of Puritans (Congregationalists vs Separatists)

Congregationalists sought reform within the Church of England; Separatists pursued separate congregations; Pilgrims were Separatists.

New England colonies (Calvinism)

Colonies built around Puritan Calvinism, focusing on religious devotion and community discipline.

Wampanoag assistance to Pilgrims

Native alliance that aided the Pilgrims at Plymouth and affected early colonial relations.