AP U.S. History Review Flashcards

Flashcards based on AP U.S. History review notes focusing on Colonial America and the Road to Revolution.

Encomienda and Casta Systems

Spanish system to extract wealth, trade, and spread Christianity in the colonies. It used forced labor and had a racial hierarchy.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where colonies exist to enrich the mother country by providing resources and markets.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases between the Old World and the New World.

Spanish Colonial System

System using forced native labor, transitioned to enslaved Africans, and established a racial hierarchy.

Mercantilism

Strictly regulated imperial economies to protect trade and profit from rivals, competing for finite wealth.

Indentured Servitude

Inefficient and problematic, transitioned to African-based chattel slavery.

Enlightenment Thought

Influenced colonial thinking with ideas of natural rights and social contract, affecting religious thought and prompting rejection of authority.

Albany Plan of Union

Proposal by Benjamin Franklin for an intercolonial government to recruit troops and raise taxes for common defense; set a precedent for future colonial congresses.

Parliamentary Taxes Post-French and Indian War

Economic measures enacted by Parliament to pay off war debt, placing taxes on imported goods.

Colonial Reactions to Parliamentary Measures

Colonists protested through committees, boycotts, property destruction, and violence against British officials.

Enlightenment's Effect on Colonial Political Thought

Ideas of natural rights, social contract, and separation of powers contributed to the desire for independence.

Chesapeake Religious and Social Makeup

Wealthy planters, indentured servants, enslaved Africans, Anglican, Catholic.

New England Religious and Social Makeup

Puritan/Congregationalist, family-oriented.

Caribbean/Carolinas Religious and Social Makeup

Anglican, landed gentry, enslaved Africans.

Middle Colonies Religious and Social Makeup

Pennsylvania founded by Quakers but religiously tolerant, diverse society, enslaved Africans.

Southwest Native Societies

Farmers (maize); Advanced irrigation systems; Small urban centers made of hardened clay bricks

Great Basin/Plains Native Societies

Nomadic hunter/gatherers (buffalo); Small egalitarian kinship bands

Pacific Coast Native Societies

Permanent villages of almost 1,000 people; abundance of fish, small game and plant life; Coastal trade

Northeast Native Societies

Farmers, villages with longhouses, abundant resources (timber, furs, fish)

Mississippi River Native Societies

Farmers because of the rich soil, river-based trade

Context for European Exploration

Developing strong, centralized states; increased demand for luxury goods; difficult Eurasian trade; maritime advancements; Reconquista.

Objectives of Spanish Exploration and Colonialism

Find wealth in Asian markets; extract resources and spread religion.

Effect of the Columbian Exchange

Transfer of people, animals, plants, and diseases, leading to population increase in Europe and decimation of Native Americans.