APUSH Time period 2

Spanish Colonization

Spain established colonies focused on extracting wealth, spreading Catholicism, and controlling large territories in the Americas, especially in the Southwest and Latin America

Encomienda System

Labor system where Spanish settlers forced Native Americas to work in exchange for supposed protection and religious conversion; led to exploitation and population decline

Mission System

Religious settlements run by Catholic missionaries aimed at converting Native Americans and integrating them into Spanish culture

Spanish Caste System

Hierarchical social structure based on race (Peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Native Americans, Africans) that determined power and status

St. Augustine

First permanent European settlement in North America (founded by Spain in 1565) demonstrating early Spanish presence

Impact on Native Americans (Spain)

Disease, forced labor, and cultural suppression caused massive population decline and long-term societal disruption

Dutch West India Company

Trading company that established and ran New Netherland for profit, focusing on fur trade and commerce

New Amsterdam

Dutch settlement on Manhattan that became a major trading hub; later taken by England and renamed New York

Patroon System

System granting large estates to wealthy Dutch investors who brought settlers to the colony

French Fur Trade

Economic system based on trading animal pelts with Native Americans, central to New France’s economy

Coureurs de Bois

Independent French fur traders who lived among Native Americans and helped expand trade networks

French-Native Alliances

Cooperative relationships between French settlers and Native Americans based on trade and mutual benefit

New France

French colonial territory in North America, including Canada and the Mississippi River Valley, with a small population but vast land claims

Jamestown (1607)

First permanent English settlements in North America, founded for profit and dependent on tobacco cultivation

Chesapeake Colonies

Colonies (Virginia, Maryland) focused on cash crops like tobacco, relying on indentured servants and later enslaved Africans

Indentured Servitude

Labor system where workers exchange several years of labor for passage to America and eventual freedom

New England Colonies

Colonies founded mainly for religious reasons by Puritans, with tight-knit communities and small-scale farming

Puritans

Religious group seeking to “purify” the Church of England; settled in New England to practice their beliefs

Middle Colonies

Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey) known for diversity, religious tolerance, and mixed economies

Southern Colonies

Colonies focused on plantation agriculture (rice, indigo) and heavily dependent on enslaved labor

Triangular Trade

Transatlantic trade system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas, including the exchange of enslaved people, raw materials, and goods

Slavery in the Colonies

System of forced labor that expanded due to plantation agriculture, becoming a central part of the Southern economy

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist to benefit the mother country by supplying raw materials and serving as markets

Navigation Acts

British laws restricting colonial trade to English ships and markets to increase economic control

Enumerated Goods

Products (like tobacco, sugar) that could only be sold to Britain under the Navigation Acts

Salutary Neglect

British policy of loosely enforcing colonial laws, allowing colonies to develop self-government

Colonial Assemblies

Representative governing bodies in colonies that made local laws and developed political experience

House of Burgesses

First representative assembly in the colonies (Virginia), marking the beginning of self-government

Colonial Self-Government

Development of local political control in the colonies due to distance from Britain and lax enforcement of laws

European Competition in North America

Rivalry among Spain, France, Netherlands, and Britain for land and resources led to conflict and alliances with Native Americans

Population Growth in British Colonies

High birth rates and immigration led to rapid expansion, increased demand for land, and conflicts with Native Americans

Shift from Indentured Servants to Slavery

As demand for increased and indentured servants declined, colonies increasingly relied on enslaved Africans

Development of American Identity

Experience with self-government and economic independence led colonists to develop a sense of identity separate from Britain

Cultural Interactions

Interactions between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans led to cultural exchange, conflict, and new social systems