APUSH Unit 1 Study Guide

How did pre-Colombian natives adapt to environments?

Developed farming techniques, hunting and fishing methods, irrigation systems, and housing suited to local climates and resources.

How did the Columbian Exchange alter both hemispheres?

Introduced new crops, animals, diseases, and peoples

What is Beringia?

A land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska during the Ice Age, allowing early humans to migrate into the Americas.

What was a caravel?

A small, fast European sailing ship that used advanced sails and was important for exploration and long-distance ocean travel.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

Divided newly claimed lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal along an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean.

What was the caste system?

A social hierarchy that ranked people based on their race and ancestry.

What was the encomienda system?

Gave Spanish colonists the right to demand labor from Native Americans.

How did Native Americans respond to the caste & encomienda systems?

Responded through resistance, rebellion, and adapting to Spanish rule and culture.

What where indentured servants?

They were usually poor Europeans who worked for 4–7 years in exchange for passage to America and support from a benefactor.

What where slaves?

Were forcibly brought to America, were purchased, served for life, and provided permanent labor to masters.

How did England deal with its competitors regarding mercantilism?

Used wars, trade restrictions, and colonial expansion.

What was mercantilism?

An economic system where countries sought to increase their wealth and power by controlling trade, gaining colonies, and accumulating gold and silver.

What were Spanish conquistadors?

Soldiers and explorers who conquered Indigenous civilizations in the Americas for Spain, wealth, land, and the spread of Christianity.

What was the English Reformation?

The process in which England broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England, beginning under King Henry VIII.

What were privateers?

Privately owned ships authorized by a government to attack and capture enemy ships

What was the difference between medieval and colonial labor systems?

Peasants who worked land owned by lords. Other systems relied more on indentured servants and enslaved people, often working on plantations and producing goods for trade.

What was the Counter-Reformation?

The Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation, aiming to reform the Church and stop the spread of Protestantism.

What was Bartolomé de las Casas, and what was his impact?

A Spanish priest who criticized the harsh treatment of Native Americans by Spanish colonists. His writings helped bring attention to Spanish abuses and influenced reforms such as the New Laws of 1542, which attempted to improve protections for Native peoples.

How did the New England colonies develop economically, politically, socially, culturally, and geographically?

Developed small farms, trade, and shipping. Puritan beliefs shaped a community-focused society and culture.

How did the Chesapeake colonies develop economically, politically, socially, culturally, and geographically?

Fertile land and a warm climate supported tobacco plantations. Society was rural and dominated by wealthy planters, who also held significant political power.

How did the Middle Colonies develop economically, politically, socially, culturally, and geographically?

Fertile soil and a moderate climate supported farming and trade. The colonies were religiously and culturally diverse and had representative governments.

How did the Carolina colonies develop economically, politically, socially, culturally, and geographically?

A warm climate and fertile coastal land supported plantation agriculture. Society and politics were dominated by wealthy planters, and the economy relied heavily on enslaved labor.

How did the physical geography of America impact colonization development and migration patterns?

Climate, natural resources, rivers, and fertile land influenced where Europeans settled.

How did Native Americans deal with various incursions into their lands throughout the colonial period?

Responded with resistance, alliances with European powers, migration, and adaptation

What were estuaries?

Areas where freshwater rivers meet and mix with saltwater from the ocean.

What was Jamestown?

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in Virginia in 1607.

What was Quebec?

Was a major French settlement in North America, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. It became the center of New France and the French fur trade.

What was the New England Confederation?

An alliance formed in 1643 between several New England colonies for mutual defense and cooperation

How were colleges developed in the colonies?

Were established primarily to educate ministers and religious leaders.

What caused the Great Migration?

Caused by religious persecution and economic problems in England, leading many Puritans to migrate to New England.

Why did the Great Migration stop?

It slowed and largely stopped when Puritans gained more political power in England and conditions there changed during the English Civil War.

What was the purpose of the Mayflower Compact?

Established a system of self-government in Plymouth and required settlers to follow laws created for the good of the colony.

What were the consequences for the writers and subjects of the Mayflower Compact?

Helped establish self-government and majority rule in Plymouth.

What happened during the first wave of colonization?

European powers—especially Spain and Portugal—explored and established colonies in the Americas, seeking wealth, land, resources, and the spread of Christianity.

What were the motivations of the first families of Barbados for coming to the English colonies?

Many came seeking wealth through plantation agriculture and trade.

What were the motivations of the first families of Virginia for coming to the English colonies?

Many came seeking land and wealth, especially through tobacco.

What were the motivations of the first families of New England for coming to the English colonies?

Many came seeking religious freedom and the opportunity to create Puritan communities.

What were the motivations of the first families of Carolina for coming to the English colonies?

Many came seeking land, wealth, and economic opportunities through plantation agriculture.

What was the fallacy of commission?

The mistaken belief that an action caused an outcome simply because the outcome happened afterward, without enough evidence to prove causation.

What was the fallacy of omission?

Occurs when someone leaves out important information or evidence, creating a misleading or incomplete understanding of an issue.