AP US History Fabric of A Nation Vocabulary Review: Time Periods 1 - 9

aristocratic

Of an upper class; distinguished

astrolabe

An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets

capitalism

an economic system in which individuals own and operate the majority of businesses that provide goods and services

Caravel

A small, highly maneuverable three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

Conquistador

A Spanish conqueror of the Americas

Encomienda

A grant of land made by Spain to a settler in the Americas, including the right to use Native Americans as laborers on it

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

horticultural

pertaining to cultivation of gardens

Incas

Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in Peru

Maya

Mesoamerican civilization concentrated in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and in Guatemala and Honduras but never unified into a single empire. Major contributions were in mathematics, astronomy, and development of the calendar.

Mission System

The colonial system devised by the Spanish to control the Indian population, forcing them to convert to Catholicism and work the land.

Pueblos

Above ground houses made of a heavy clay called adobe.

Requerimiento

A pseudo-legal decree read to natives by Spaniards in the early period of exploration and conquest, commanding them to submit to the Christian God and the King of Spain or else be warred upon

Spanish Caste System

system based on race that was used for social control and also determined a person's role and importance in society. Peninsular, Creole, Mestizo, Indios

staple crops

crops that are continuously in demand

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.

tribute

Money paid for protection

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator who discovered the New World in the service of Spain while looking for a route to China (1451-1506)

Montezuma

Powerful Aztec monarch who fell to Spanish conquerors

Fransisco Pizarro

Spanish explorer who led the conquest of the Inca Empire of Peru in 1531-1533.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 - Nathaniel Bacon and other western Virginia settlers were angry at Virginia Governor Berkley for trying to appease the Doeg Indians after the Doegs attacked the western settlements. The frontiersmen formed an army, with Bacon as its leader, which defeated the Indians and then marched on Jamestown and burned the city. The rebellion ended suddenly when Bacon died of an illness.

Great Awakening

Religious revival in the American colonies of the eighteenth century during which a number of new Protestant churches were established.

Headright System

Headrights were parcels of land consisting of about 50 acres which were given to colonists who brought indentured servants into America. They were used by the Virginia Company to attract more colonists.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

Indentured Servants

Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years

Iriquois Confederacy

Union of Five Tribes under one government on the basis of equality. Regarded as an influential model for the foundation of the United States government on the basis of its political union and democratic methods.

Metacom's War

Native Americans battle in the New England colonies; large percentage of native Americans died, making it one of the bloodiest wars in US; severely damaged the Native American presence in the new world

Middle Passage

A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

Pilgrims

English Puritans who founded Plymouth colony in 1620

Powhatan Confederacy

Alliance of Native American tribes living in the region of the initial Virginia settlement. Powhatan, leader of this alliance, tried to live in peace with the English settlers when they arrived in 1607.

Pueblo Revolt

Native American revolt against the Spanish in late 17th century; expelled the Spanish for over 10 years; Spain began to take an accommodating approach to Natives after the revolt

Puritan migration

Many Puritans emigrated from England to America in the 1630s and 1640s. During this time, the population of the Massachusetts Bay colony grew to ten times its earlier population.

Slave Codes

Laws that controlled the lives of enslaved African Americans and denied them basic rights.

Slave Laws

A set of statutes passed throughout the colonies to keep African Americans in bondage for life. Racism was soon integral to the colonies.

Stono Rebellion

The most serious slave rebellion in the the colonial period which occurred in 1739 in South Carolina. 100 African Americans rose up, got weapons and killed several whites then tried to escape to S. Florida. The uprising was crushed and the participants executed. The main form of rebellion was running away, though there was no where to go.

subsistance farmers

People who only grew enough food for their families, none was left to sell for much-needed cash to buy other products or supplies

Walking Purchase

A fraudulent transaction in 1737 whereby Pennsylvania Governor James Logan acquired a large tract of land by hiring runners to mark land; the Lenni Lanape Indians had agreed to cede land that a man could walk in thirty-six hours.

John Calvin

1509-1564. A French theologian who developed the Christian theology known as Calvinism. Attracted Protestant followers with his teachings.

Jonathon Edwards

"Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God"

Benjamin Franklin

American intellectual, inventor, and politician who helped negotiate French support for the American Revolution.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan woman who was well learned that disagreed with the Puritan Church in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her actions resulted in her banishment from the colony, and later took part in the formation of Rhode Island. She displayed the importance of questioning authority.

Immanuel Kant

Greatest German philosopher of Enlightenment-separated science and morality into separate branches of knowledge-science could describe nature, it could not provide a guide for morality. Wrote Critique of Pure Reason

John Locke

17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.

Chief Massasoit

leader of the Wampanoags; made a treaty with the Pilgrims and shared the first Thanksgiving

Chief Opechancanough

Powhatan's successor, attacked the Jamestown area and killed more than 340 colonists

Pocahontas

A native Indian of America, daughter of Chief Powahatan, who was one of the first to marry an Englishman, John Rolfe, and return to England with him; about 1595-1617; Pocahontas' brave actions in saving an Englishman paved the way for many positive English and Native relations.

John Smith

English explorer who helped found the colony at Jamestown, Virginia

George Whitefield

Credited with starting the Great Awakening, also a leader of the "New Lights."

Voltaire

(1694-1778) French philosopher. He believed that freedom of speech was the best weapon against bad government. He also spoke out against the corruption of the French government, and the intolerance of the Catholic Church.

John Peter Zenger

Journalist who questioned the policies of the governor of New York in the 1700's. He was jailed; he sued, and this court case was the basis for our freedom of speech and press. He was found not guilty.

Albany Plan of Union

Ben Franklin's plan to unite the colonies under one government to defeat France.

Alien and Sedition Acts

These consist of four laws passed by the Federalist Congress and signed by President Adams in 1798: the Naturalization Act, which increased the waiting period for an immigrant to become a citizen from 5 to 14 years; the Alien Act, which empowered the president to arrest and deport dangerous aliens; the Alien Enemy Act, which allowed for the arrest and deportation of citizens of countries at was with the US; and the Sedition Act, which made it illegal to publish defamatory statements about the federal government or its officials. The first 3 were enacted in response to the XYZ Affair, and were aimed at French and Irish immigrants, who were considered subversives. The Sedition Act was an attempt to stifle Democratic-Republican opposition, although only 25 people were ever arrested, and only 10 convicted, under the law. The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, which initiated the concept of "nullification" of federal laws were written in response to the Acts.

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Battle of Bunker Hill

First major battle of the Revolutions. It showed that the Americans could hold their own, but the British were also not easy to defeat. Ultimately, the Americans were forced to withdraw after running out of ammunition, and Bunker Hill was in British hands. However, the British suffered more deaths.

Battle of Saratoga

American victory over British troops in 1777 that was a turning point in the American Revolution.

Battle of Yorktown

1781 American victory in Virginia that forced the British to surrender

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.

Boston Massacre

The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans

Coercive Acts

This series of laws were very harsh laws that intended to make Massachusetts pay for its resistance. It also closed down the Boston Harbor until the Massachusetts colonists paid for the ruined tea. Also forced Bostonians to shelter soldiers in their own homes.

Committees of Correspondence

Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies

Continental Army

Formed in 1775 by the Second Continental Congress and led by General George Washington

Continental Congress

A body of representatives from the British North American colonies who met to respond to England's Intolerable Acts. They declared independence in July 1776 and later drafted the Articles of Confederation.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

Currency Act

1764 British act forbidding the American colonies to issue paper money as legal tender; act was repealed in 1773 by the British as an effort to ease tensions between themselves and the colonies.

Declaration of Independence

Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state.

Democratic-Republicans

Led by Thomas Jefferson, believed people should have political power, favored strong STATE governments, emphasized agriculture, strict interpretation of the Constitution, pro-French, opposed National Bank

Declaratory Act

Act passed in 1766 after the repeal of the stamp act; stated that Parliament had authority over the the colonies and the right to tax and pass legislation "in all cases whatsoever."

Dunmore's Proclamation

The decree signed by Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, which proclaimed that any slaves or indentured servants who fought on the side of the British would be rewarded with their freedom.

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

The Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers are a set of 85 essays that advocate ratification of the Constitution and provide insightful commentary on the nature of the new system of government.

Federalists

A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures.

Indian Trade and Intercourse Acts

Series of laws designed to promote better relations between Indians and whites

intolerable acts

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the growing unrest in the American Colonies, particularly in Boston, Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party.

Jay Treaty with England

Prevented war with Great Britain after the British were seizing ships and causing trade problems. The British agreed to remove troops from American territory.

Minutemen

Member of a militia during the American Revolution who could be ready to fight in sixty seconds

Naturalization

A legal process to obtain citizenship

New Jersey Plan

A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress

Northwest Ordinance

1785 act of the confederation congress that provided for the survey, sale, and eventual division into states of the Northwest Territory. A 1787 act then clarified the process by which territories could become states.

Peace of Paris

The Peace of Paris. also known as the Treaty of Paris, (1783) was the set of treaties which ended the American Revolutionary War.

Pinckney's Treaty

An agreement between the united states and Spain that changed Florida's border and made it easier for American ships to use the port of New Orleans.

Political Sovereignty

the principle that a state has authority and independence to rule without interference

Proclamation Line

Royal proclamation of 1763 designed to protect Indian tribes by setting a boundary at the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains beyond which no western white settlement was to take place

Quartering Act

1765 - Required the colonials to provide food, lodging, and supplies for the British troops in the colonies.

Republican Motherhood

Expectation that women would instill Republican values in children and be active in families; helped increase education for women

Salutary Neglect

British colonial policy during the reigns of George I and George II. Relaxed supervision of internal colonial affairs by royal bureaucrats contributed significantly to the rise of American self government

Second Continental Congress

Political authority that directed the struggle for independence beginning in 1775.

Seven Years War

(1756-1763 CE) Known also as the French and Indian war. It was the war between the French and their Indian allies and the English that proved the English to be the more dominant force of what was to be the United States both commercially and in terms of controlled regions.

Shay's Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

Sons of Liberty

A radical political organization for colonial independence which formed in 1765 after the passage of the Stamp Act. They incited riots and burned the customs houses where the stamped British paper was kept. After the repeal of the Stamp Act, many of the local chapters formed the Committees of Correspondence which continued to promote opposition to British policies towards the colonies. The Sons leaders included Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

Stamp Act

1765; law that taxed printed goods, including: playing cards, documents, newspapers, etc.

Stamp Act Congress

A meeting of delegations from many of the colonies, the congress was formed to protest the newly passed Stamp Act It adopted a declaration of rights as well as sent letters of complaints to the king and parliament, and it showed signs of colonial unity and organized resistance.

Statute of Religious Liberty

In 1786 Virginia enacted this, written by Thomas Jefferson which called for the complete separation of church and state. Many other states followed Virginia’s lead.

Tea Act

1773 act which eliminated import tariffs on tea entering England and allowed the British East India Company to sell directly to consumers rather than through merchants. Led to the Boston Tea Party.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment)

Townshend Acts

A tax that the British Parliament passed in 1767 that was placed on leads, glass, paint and tea

Treaty of Paris

An agreement signed in 1783 by British and American leaders that stated the United States of America was a free and independent country.