U.S History Unit 1 Definitions

Nomad

people who move from place to place

Hunter-Gatherer

people who hunt animals and gather wild plants to provide for their needs, when animals moved so did they, never in one place for very long

Beringian Land Bridge

The bridge that was used during the last Ice Age to go from Asia to North America

Clans

a group of people related by blood

Middle Ages

period of European History from the of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance

Crusades

(1091-1295) a series of holy wars led by Christian kings to reign parts of the Middle East from the Muslum Turks

Magna Carta

a character of liberties agreed to by king John of England, it made the king obey same laws as citizens

Renaissance

an era of learning and creativity that began in Italy in the 1300's and spread throughout Europe

Protestant Reformation

a religious movement within the catholic church in the 1500's; led to the establishment of the protestant church

Martin Luther

(1517) German Monk who stroll to a Church in Wittenberg and mailed a list of arguments to the door

Isabella and Ferdinand

King and Queen of Spain, endorsed Columbus' 1492 journey

Prince Henry the Navigator

(1419) set up a school and naval observatory in order to find African Gold

Dar al Islam

The Land of Islam

Caravel

a vessel both sturdy and swift, enabled European explorers to sail across huge oceans and up small rivers

Lateen Sail

Triangular sail that was developed in Indian Ocean trade that allowed a ship to sail against the wind.

Astrolabe

instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars

Compass

navigational instrument for finding directions

Vikings

sea raiders from Scandinavia

Leif Eriksson

headed to Greenland, he and his group missed their destination and sailed further west than intended; landed on eastern Canada and he named it Vineland because of all its grapevines

Taino

The people Columbus encountered when he arrived in the New Land

Colonization

the establishment of colonies, regions governed by a former power

Columbian Exchange

the transfer of plants, animals and diseases between the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa

Amerigo Vespucci

The person America was named after

Roanoke Island

The failed colony that disappeared in North Carolina

Joint Stock Company

a company whose stock is owned jointly by the shareholders

John Smith

English colonist to the Americas who helped found Jamestown colony

Jamestown

The first colony to survive (permanent); John Smith was the leader

Powhatan

Algonquin Indian chief who was the head of the Powhatan Confederacy of Algonquin Peoples; father of Pocahontas

Pocahontas

Algonquin princess, saved the life of John Smith when he was captured and sentenced to death by the Powhatan; later taken prisoner by the English, converted to Christianity and married colonist John Rolfe

John Rolfe

English colonist who was the first tobacco grower in Virginia, he helped make tobacco a profitable export to England; he married Pocahontas

Headrights

50-acre grants of land offered by the Virginia Company beginning in 1618 in order to attract settlers to the New World

House of Burgesses

America's first law-making body, formed in July 1619 by representatives from the different communities in Virginia

Indentured Servants

People whose employers pay for passage to the country they wish to emigrate to, food, and shelter; in return they agree to work for the employer for a certain number of years

Mayflower Compact

A document written by the Pilgrims establishing themselves as a political society and setting guidelines for self-government

Puritans

A group of English Protestants who wanted to 'purify' the Church of England through reforms

William Bradford

Leader of the Pilgrims who came to New England aboard the Mayflower and established a colony at Plymouth; served as the governor of Plymouth from 1621 - 1656

The First Great Migration

The movement of nearly 16,000 Europeans from Europe to New England from 1620-1643

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan leader who angered the other Puritans by claiming that people's relationship to God did not need guidance from ministers; she was tried and convicted of undermining church authorities and was banished from Massachusetts colony; later established the colony of Portsmouth

Salem Witch Trials

1629 outbreak of witchcraft accusations in a Massachusetts Bay Puritan village marked by an atmosphere of fear, hysteria and stress

Royal Colony

A colony under direct control of the king

William Penn

Quaker leader who founded the colony in Pennsylvania; the colony provided an important example of representative self-government and became a model of freedom and tolerance

Quakers

Member of a Protestant sect founded in the 1640s in England

Proprietary Colonies

Grants of lands given by the king to his loyal friends

The Dutch West India Company

Trading company chartered by the Dutch government to conduct its merchants' trade in the Americas and Africa.

Toleration Act

A Maryland law that made restricting the religious rights of Christians a crime

Lord Baltimore

Requested land to establish a colony for Catholics in America, but died before it was granted; his son later founded a settlement in Maryland