apush unit 1 n 2 rvw

Algonquian

A group of Native American tribes along the Atlantic coast; interacted with English settlers in Virginia and New England.

Aztecs (Cortes)

Powerful Mesoamerican empire conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521.

Bartolome de las Casas

Spanish priest who criticized Spanish treatment of Native Americans and advocated for their rights.

Bering land bridge

Ice Age land connection between Siberia and Alaska used by first migrants to the Americas.

caravel

Portuguese ship design with triangular sails; made exploration more efficient.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer funded by Spain; “discovered” the New World in 1492.

Columbian Exchange

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

conquistadores

Spanish conquerors of the Americas, such as Cortés and Pizarro.

encomienda system

Spanish labor system granting colonists the right to native labor in return for “protection.”

Incas (Pizarro)

Advanced civilization in the Andes; conquered by Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

joint-stock company

Business structure where investors share profits/losses; funded colonies like Jamestown.

maize

Corn; staple crop of Native Americans that supported population growth.

Maya

Mesoamerican civilization noted for math, writing, and cities; declined before Spanish arrival.

Protestant Reformation

Religious movement beginning in 1517 that led to new Christian denominations; fueled colonization.

Pueblo

Southwestern Native Americans known for adobe dwellings and farming.

Roanoke

First English colony (1587); “lost colony” that mysteriously disappeared.

slavery

Forced labor system using Africans, central to Southern colonies’ economies.

Spanish caste system

Rigid racial hierarchy in Spanish America based on race and heritage.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing New World lands between Spain and Portugal.

Act of Toleration

1649 Maryland law granting religious freedom to all Christians.

Anne Hutchinson

Religious dissenter banished from Massachusetts Bay for challenging Puritan leaders.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 Virginia uprising against Native Americans and elites; led by Nathaniel Bacon.

Benjamin Franklin

Colonial leader, inventor, Enlightenment thinker, and diplomat.

Chesapeake

Region of Virginia and Maryland; tobacco economy, indentured servants, and slavery.

corporate colonies

Colonies operated by joint-stock companies for profit (e.g., Jamestown initially).

Cotton Mather

Puritan minister involved in Salem Witch Trials; promoted smallpox inoculation.

Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and natural rights.

George Whitefield

Great Awakening preacher known for emotional sermons.

Great Awakening (1st)

Religious revival of the 1730s–40s that emphasized emotion and equality.

Halfway Covenant

Allowed partial church membership for descendants of Puritans.

headright system

Granted land to colonists who paid for their own or others’ passage to Virginia.

House of Burgesses

1619 Virginia legislature; first elected assembly in America.

indentured servants

Colonists who worked for a set term in exchange for passage to America.

Jamestown

Founded in 1607; first permanent English settlement in America.

John Rolfe

Introduced tobacco cultivation to Virginia; married Pocahontas.

John Winthrop

Governor of Massachusetts Bay; envisioned “city upon a hill.”

Jonathan Edwards

Preacher of the First Great Awakening; famous for “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”

King Philip’s War

1675–76 Native uprising against New England colonists; devastating to both sides.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan colony founded in 1630; emphasized religion and community.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement by Pilgrims for self-government in Plymouth.

mercantilism

Economic policy where colonies exist to benefit the mother country.

Middle Passage

Brutal voyage transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Navigation Acts

English trade laws enforcing mercantilism in the colonies.

Pequot War

1637 conflict between New England colonists and Pequot tribe; colonists allied with rivals to defeat them.

Pilgrims

Separatists who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Plymouth Colony

Founded by Pilgrims; merged with Massachusetts Bay in 1691.

proprietary colonies

Colonies owned by individuals granted authority by the crown (e.g., Maryland, Pennsylvania).

Pueblo Revolt

1680 Native American uprising in New Mexico against Spanish rule; temporarily successful.

Puritans

English Protestants seeking to “purify” the Church of England; many settled in New England.

Quakers

Religious group promoting equality, pacifism, and tolerance; led by William Penn in Pennsylvania.

Roger Williams

Founded Rhode Island; advocated religious freedom and separation of church/state.

royal colonies

Colonies controlled directly by the king through appointed governors.

Salem Witch Trials

1692 series of trials and executions for alleged witchcraft in Massachusetts.

tobacco

Cash crop central to Chesapeake economy; created demand for labor.

triangular trade

Trade system linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that funded the founding of Jamestown.

Wampanoags

Native group that fought against colonists in King Philip’s War.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; promoted Quaker ideals and religious tolerance.

Connecticut

New England colony; founded by Thomas Hooker; Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

Delaware

Middle colony; originally part of Pennsylvania; diverse and tolerant.

Georgia

Last of 13 colonies; founded as a debtor colony and buffer against Spanish Florida.

Maryland

Founded as a haven for Catholics; passed Act of Toleration (1649).

Massachusetts (Plymouth + Mass Bay)

Plymouth founded by Pilgrims; Mass Bay by Puritans; later merged.

New Hampshire

New England colony; separated from Massachusetts in 1679.

New Jersey

Middle colony; diverse population; founded as proprietary then became royal.

New York

Originally Dutch (New Amsterdam); taken by English in 1664.

North Carolina

Southern colony; small farms, fewer slaves than South Carolina.

Pennsylvania

Founded by William Penn for Quakers; religious tolerance and good relations with Natives.

Rhode Island

Founded by Roger Williams; most tolerant and democratic of colonies.

South Carolina

Southern colony; large plantations, enslaved Africans, rice cultivation.

Virginia

First permanent English colony (Jamestown, 1607); tobacco and House of Burgesses.