Period 1 APUSH

Atlantic World

The interactions between Europe, Africa, and the Americas through trade, migration, and cultural exchange after 1492.

• Sentence: The rise of the Atlantic World was fueled by European colonization and the exchange of goods, ideas, and people across the ocean.

Aztecs

• A powerful Mesoamerican empire in central Mexico known for their capital Tenochtitlan and advanced agriculture.

• Sentence: The Aztecs built floating gardens, or chinampas, to grow food in the middle of Lake Texcoco.

Beringia

• The land bridge that once connected Asia and North America, allowing early humans to migrate.

• Sentence: Ancient peoples crossed Beringia during the Ice Age to settle the Americas.

Casta System

• A Spanish colonial social hierarchy based on race and birthplace.

• Sentence: Under the casta system, Spanish-born elites had more power than mestizos and Indigenous peoples.

Christopher Columbus

• An Italian explorer who sailed for Spain in 1492 and reached the Americas.

• Sentence: Christopher Columbus’s voyage opened the way for European colonization of the New World.

Columbian Exchange

• The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old and New Worlds after 1492.

• Sentence: The Columbian Exchange brought potatoes to Europe and horses to the Americas.

Conquistadores

• Spanish conquerors who led expeditions in the Americas.

• Sentence: Conquistadores like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro defeated major Native empires.

Bartolomé de las Casas

• A Spanish priest who spoke out against the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples.

• Sentence: Bartolomé de las Casas argued that Native Americans should be protected from slavery and violence.

Hernán Cortés

• Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire in 1521.

• Sentence: Hernán Cortés allied with local tribes to defeat the Aztecs in Tenochtitlan.

Encomienda System

• A Spanish labor system where colonists received land and Indigenous labor in exchange for Christianizing them.

• Sentence: The encomienda system often led to the forced labor and abuse of Native peoples.

Francisco Pizarro

• Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in Peru.

• Sentence: Francisco Pizarro captured and killed the Inca ruler Atahualpa, securing Spanish control of the region.

Incas

• A South American empire in the Andes known for roads, terraces, and stone architecture.

• Sentence: The Incas built Machu Picchu as a religious and political center in the mountains.

Iroquois

• A powerful Native confederacy in the Northeast made up of five (later six) nations.

• Sentence: The Iroquois formed a strong political alliance to resist outside threats.

Maya

• A Mesoamerican civilization known for writing, astronomy, and cities in present-day Mexico and Central America.

• Sentence: The Maya developed an accurate calendar based on their astronomical observations.

Tenochtitlan

• The Aztec capital city, built on Lake Texcoco in present-day Mexico City.

• Sentence: Tenochtitlan impressed Europeans with its canals, markets, and massive temples.

Three Sisters

• The staple crops of corn, beans, and squash grown together by many Native groups.

• Sentence: Native farmers planted the Three Sisters because beans enriched the soil for corn and squash.

Pueblo Revolt

• A 1680 uprising of Pueblo peoples in New Mexico against Spanish rule.

• Sentence: The Pueblo Revolt successfully drove the Spanish out of Santa Fe for over a decade.

Mission System

Spanish religious and settlement system to convert Indigenous peoples to Christianity.

• Sentence: The mission system spread Catholicism while forcing Native peoples into European ways of life.

Pueblo

• Native peoples of the Southwest who built permanent adobe and stone villages.

• Sentence: The Pueblo created irrigation systems to farm in the desert environment.

Joint-Stock Company

• A business model where investors pooled money for overseas ventures, sharing profits and risks.

• Sentence: The Virginia Company, a joint-stock company, funded the founding of Jamestown in 1607.