AP U.S. History Unit 1 Vocabulary (1491–1607) Exploration & Early Contact

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Unit 1 notes (1491–1607).

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer whose 1492 voyage, sponsored by Spain, opened sustained European contact with the Americas.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and cultures between the Old World and the New World after Columbus's voyages.

Conquistadors

Spanish conquerors who claimed large parts of the Americas for Spain.

Great Ice Age / Pre-Columbian America

Great Ice Age refers to Pleistocene glaciations; Pre-Columbian America denotes civilizations in the Americas before European contact.

Roanoke (Lost Colony)

English colony established on Roanoke Island that disappeared by the end of the 16th century.

Jamestown (Virginia Company)

First permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 by the Virginia Company.

Joint-stock Company

Business organization where investors pool capital to fund ventures and share profits or losses.

Virginia Company

English company that sponsored and financed the Jamestown settlement.

Captain John Smith

Jamestown leader who enforced discipline and helped save the colony through leadership.

John Rolfe

Jamestown settler who popularized tobacco cultivation and married Pocahontas, aiding economic stability.

Tobacco (cash crop)

Profit-driven crop that became Virginia’s economic mainstay in the early colony.

Headright System

Land grant of 50 acres given to settlers who paid for their own or others’ passage.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who worked for a fixed period in exchange for passage to America.

House of Burgesses

First representative assembly in the English colonies (in Virginia).

Plymouth Colony (Pilgrims/Separatists)

New England colony founded by Separatists seeking religious freedom.

Separatists vs. Puritans

Separatists wanted to break from the Church of England; Puritans sought to reform it from within.

Mayflower Compact

Social contract signed by the Pilgrims establishing self-government for their community.

John Winthrop

Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who called for a city upon a hill.

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island; advocate for religious liberty and separation of church and state.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter banished for challenging church authority and preaching antinomian ideas.

Halfway Covenant

Policy allowing partial church membership for grandchildren of church members.

Proprietary Colony vs. Royal Colony

Proprietary colonies were granted to individuals; royal colonies were governed by the Crown.

Powhatan Confederacy

Network of Native American tribes in Virginia led by Powhatan who interacted with colonists.

Pequot War

1636–1638 conflict between Puritans and the Pequot in Connecticut; ended with the Mystic Massacre.

King Philip’s War (Metacom/ Wampanoag)

1675–1676 conflict between New England colonists and Native peoples led by Metacom.

Iroquois Confederacy

Alliance of six Iroquoian nations in the Northeast with strong political and military influence.

Pope's Rebellion (Pueblo Revolt)

1680 uprising of Pueblo peoples against Spanish rule in New Mexico; temporarily expelled settlers.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist for the benefit of the mother country through trade gains.

Navigation Acts

Mercantilist laws restricting colonial trade to English ships and ports.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of trade laws, allowing colonial self-government.

Encomienda System

Spanish labor system granting colonists control over native labor in exchange for protection and conversion (often abusive).

Black Legend

Narrative portraying Spain as especially brutal in its colonization, used to justify other powers.

Quakers (William Penn)

Religious group promoting equality and pacifism; founded Pennsylvania under William Penn.

Great Migration

Mass movement of English Puritans to New England in the 1630s–1640s.

Stono Rebellion

1739 slave rebellion in South Carolina that led to tighter slave codes.

Slave Codes

Laws restricting enslaved people's rights and status.

Middle Passage

Forced sea voyage of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Triangular Trade

Atlantic trade network linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas with goods and enslaved people.

Enlightenment (John Locke, natural rights)

Philosophical movement emphasizing reason and natural rights; John Locke argued for life, liberty, and property.

Great Awakening (Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield)

Religious revival in the 1730s–40s stressing personal faith and emotional preaching.

John Locke

English philosopher who argued for natural rights and government by consent.

Jonathan Edwards

Puritan preacher known for fiery sermons during the Great Awakening.

Albany Plan of Union

1754 proposal by Benjamin Franklin for colonial unity during the Seven Years' War; rejected.

Trial of John Peter Zenger

1734–35 case that supported freedom of the press by promoting truthful reporting.