APUSH Notes Flashcards: Unit One Concepts (Native Cultures, Exploration, and Early America)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key Unit One concepts from Olinda Fabian's notes (Pages 1–3).

New World

The Americas—the western hemisphere—known to Europeans during the Age of Exploration.

13 Colonies

was the first original states in the new world, discovered by the British.

American Revolution

War (1775–1783) for independence from Britain by the 13 colonies.

US Constitution

Foundational document outlining the structure, powers of the federal government, and basic rights.

Jeffersonian Republic

Era when Thomas Jefferson’s ideals dominated, emphasizing limited government and agrarianism.

Mass democracy

Period when voting rights expanded to more white men, including some without property.

Manifest Destiny

19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent.

States’ rights

Doctrine that political power should be held by state governments rather than the federal government.

US Civil War

Four-year conflict (1861–1865) between the Union and Confederate states over slavery and secession.

Reconstruction

Post-Civil War era focused on reintegrating the South and defining rights for freed African Americans.

Aztecs

Mesoamerican empire known for Tenochtitlan and a centralized, powerful state.

Tenochtitlan

Aztec capital city on an island in Lake Texcoco, approx. 300,000 inhabitants.

Maya

Mesoamerican civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula with large cities and irrigation systems.

Yucatan Peninsula

Region in present-day Mexico where the Maya civilization flourished.

Inca

South American empire in the Andes, with up to ~16 million people and terrace farming.

Andes

Mountain range along the western edge of South America, home to the Inca.

Pueblo

Native American group known for cliff-side masonry homes and religious centers.

Hopewell

Native American culture with towns of 4–6 thousand and extensive trade networks.

Cahokia

Largest prehistoric Mississippian settlement with regional trade from the Great Lakes to the Gulf.

Maize

Corn; a staple crop that supported large populations in pre-Columbian Americas.

Caravel

A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship used by Iberian explorers.

Astrolabe

Navigational instrument to determine latitude by measuring celestial altitude.

Stern-post rudder

Rudder mounted at the stern to improve steering on ships.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese patron who promoted Atlantic exploration and maritime tech.

Columbian Exchange

Widespread transfer of crops, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds after Columbus.

Isabella and Ferdinand

Catholic monarchs who sponsored overseas exploration and expansion of Christianity.

Columbus

Explorer who sailed west to Asia and reached the Americas, initiating colonization.

Reasons for European exploration

Population growth, political unification, and desire for luxury goods; seeking new trade routes.

Muslims controlled land trade routes

Muslim powers dominated traditional overland routes to Asia, prompting sea-route exploration.

Mission system

Spanish strategy of spreading Christianity through missions led by religious figures.

Hegemony

Domination of one nation or group over others.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 uprising by Pueblo peoples against Spanish rule, resulting in significant losses for auxiliaries.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish priest and advocate for Indigenous rights who argued for humane treatment.

Religious syncretism

Blending of Indigenous beliefs with Catholicism, leading to hybrid practices and secrecy in worship.