APUSH early colonization

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire; conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521.

Aztec

Powerful Indigenous empire centered in Mexico; conquered by the Spanish.

Great League of Peace

Iroquois Confederacy; alliance of Native nations that created political and military strength in the Northeast.

Caravel

Small, fast, maneuverable European sailing ship used during exploration.

Astrolabe

Navigation tool used to determine latitude by measuring the position of stars.

Reconquista

Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslims; completed in 1492 and encouraged Spanish exploration.

Conquistadores

Spanish explorers/conquerors who claimed territory and wealth in the Americas.

Hacienda

Large Spanish-owned estate that relied on Indigenous or other forced labor.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Creoles

People of European ancestry born in the Americas in Spanish colonies.

Ninety-Five Theses

Martin Luther's 1517 criticisms of the Catholic Church; helped begin the Protestant Reformation.

Bartolomé de las Casas

Spanish priest who defended Indigenous peoples and criticized Spanish mistreatment of them.

Repartimiento System

Spanish system that forced Indigenous people to provide labor for colonists.

Black Legend

Anti-Spanish idea that portrayed Spain as especially cruel and brutal toward Indigenous peoples.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 Indigenous uprising against Spanish rule in New Mexico; temporarily drove the Spanish out.

Indentured Servant

Person who worked for several years in exchange for transportation, food, and shelter.

Métis

People of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry, especially in French-controlled North America.

Borderland

Area where different cultures, peoples, and empires interacted and competed.

Virginia Company

English joint-stock company that founded Jamestown in 1607.

Anglican Church

Church of England; became an important established church in the English colonies.

Roanoke Colony

Failed English settlement known as the 'Lost Colony.'

Enclosure Movement

Process of fencing off common farmland in England; displaced some farmers and encouraged migration.

John Smith

Jamestown leader who emphasized discipline, farming, and trade.

Headright

Land grant given to settlers who paid for the passage of immigrants to Virginia.

House of Burgesses

First representative legislative assembly in the English colonies; established in Virginia in 1619.

Uprising of 1622

Powhatan attack on English settlements in Virginia; increased English resistance to Native peoples.

Dower Rights

A widow's legal right to receive part of her husband's property after his death.

Puritans

Protestants who wanted to reform the Church of England; founded Massachusetts Bay.

John Winthrop

Puritan leader of Massachusetts Bay; promoted the idea of a 'city upon a hill.'

Pilgrims

Separatists who left England and established Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Mayflower Compact

Agreement establishing self-government and majority rule at Plymouth.

Great Migration

Large migration of Puritans to New England during the 1630s.

Dissenters

People who disagreed with established religious or political beliefs.

Captivity Narratives

Stories written by colonists who had been captured by Native Americans; often portrayed Native peoples negatively.

Pequot War

1636–1638 conflict between English colonists/allies and the Pequot; English victory weakened the Pequot.

Half-Way Covenant

1662 policy allowing partial church membership to some Puritan descendants.

English Liberty

Belief that English subjects had traditional rights and freedoms protected by English law.

Maryland Toleration Act

1649 law protecting religious freedom for Christians, especially Catholics.

Metacom

Wampanoag leader who led resistance against English expansion.

King Philip's War

1675–1676 conflict between Native peoples and English colonists; English victory expanded colonial control.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies supplied resources and markets to benefit the mother country.

Navigation Acts

British laws regulating colonial trade to benefit England.

Covenant Chain

Series of diplomatic agreements between the English and Native nations, especially the Iroquois.

Yamasee Uprising

1715–1717 Native rebellion against English settlers and traders in the Carolinas.

Society of Friends

Quakers; religious group emphasizing equality and direct personal experience with God.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 Virginia rebellion against colonial leadership; exposed class tensions and contributed to the increased use of enslaved African labor.

Glorious Revolution

1688–1689 overthrow of King James II; strengthened Parliament and limited royal power.

English Bill of Rights

1689 document limiting the monarchy and protecting certain rights of English subjects.

Lords of Trade

British officials who supervised colonial affairs and trade.

Dominion of New England

James II's attempt to combine several New England colonies under centralized royal control.

English Toleration Act

1689 law allowing certain Protestant dissenters to worship legally.

Salem Witch Trials

1692–1693 trials caused by accusations of witchcraft in Massachusetts; reflected religious and social tensions.

Walking Purchase

1737 Pennsylvania land deal in which colonists used a disputed 'walking' measurement to claim large amounts of Lenape land.

Atlantic Slave Trade

Forced transportation and sale of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.

Middle Passage

Voyage across the Atlantic that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas under horrific conditions.

Stono Rebellion

1739 slave rebellion in South Carolina; led to stricter slave laws.

Republicanism

Political belief in representative government, civic virtue, and serving the common good.

Liberalism

Belief in individual rights, liberty, consent of the governed, and limited government.

Salutary Neglect

Britain's loose enforcement of colonial regulations, allowing colonies greater self-government.

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, natural rights, and rational government.

Great Awakening

1730s–1740s religious revival that emphasized personal faith and challenged traditional religious authority.

Seven Years' War

Global war from 1756–1763 involving Britain and France; changed the balance of power in North America.

French and Indian War

North American portion of the Seven Years' War; Britain defeated France, increasing British territory and debt.

Pontiac's Rebellion

1763 Native resistance to British control in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley.

Neolin

Delaware religious prophet who encouraged Native peoples to reject European influence and return to traditional ways.

Proclamation of 1763

British law banning colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Albany Plan of Union

Benjamin Franklin's 1754 proposal for colonies to unite for defense and cooperation; it was rejected.