APUSH Final

Inca

The largest empire in the Americas, began as a small tribe in the mountainous region of Cuzco.

Pachacuti

The powerful leader of the Incas, whose name means "world shaker." He promoted the benefits of the Inca empire.

Mexica

A group from the Meso-American tribes, known for forming a powerful civilization and establishing Tenochtitlan.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city established by the Mexica on a large island in a lake in central Mexico.

Cahokia

A major city that emerged due to trade, located near the Mississippi River.

Prince Henry the Navigator

A Portuguese royal interested in exploring the western coast of Africa and establishing a Christian empire.

Bartholomeu Dias

Sailed around the southern tip of Africa, known as the Cape of Good Hope, in 1488.

Vasco da Gama

First to successfully sail around the Cape of Good Hope to reach India.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer who sought support from Spain for westward trade routes to Asia.

Ferdinand of Aragon

His marriage to Isabella of Castile created a powerful monarchy in Europe.

Isabella of Castile

Queen whose marriage to Ferdinand strengthened the Spanish monarchy.

Hernando Cortes

Led an expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire in Mexico.

Aztecs

A powerful civilization in Mexico that faced defeat at the hands of Hernando Cortes.

Montezuma

Emperor of the Aztecs during Cortes' expedition.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors who sought wealth in the Americas, often related to the conquests in Mexico and Peru.

Francisco Pizarro

Conqueror of Peru who revealed the wealth of the Incas.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of various items between the New World and the Old World, including crops and diseases.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement beginning in 1517 when Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther

An Augustinian monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation by challenging Catholic doctrines.

Predestination

The doctrine introduced by John Calvin that stated God predetermines who will be saved or condemned.

Puritans

English Protestants who wanted to further reform the Church of England.

English Reformation

A religious reform that led to England's break from the Roman Catholic Church.

King Henry VIII

Broke with the Catholic Church to annul his marriage, leading to the English Reformation.

Church of England

The Protestant Church established by Henry VIII.

Separatists

Radical Puritans who sought independent congregations.

King James I

The first Stuart king of England, opposed by Puritans.

Jamestown

The first permanent English colony in America, established in Virginia.

Sea Dogs

English pirates authorized to attack Spanish ships.

Sir Francis Drake

A Sea Dog who plundered Spanish ships and increased English confidence.

King Philip II

The Spanish king who sought to reassert Catholic control over England.

Spanish Armada

A massive fleet sent by Philip II to invade England.

Captain John Smith

A leader in Jamestown credited with its survival in the early years.

Virginia Company

A joint-stock company chartered to establish a colony in North America.

Starving Time

A harsh winter in 1609-1610 when many settlers in Jamestown died of starvation.

Headright System

A land-grant policy to attract settlers by offering land.

Indentured servants

Individuals contracted to work for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to America.

Sir William Berkeley

The governor of Virginia who encouraged exploration and trade.

Nathaniel Bacon

Led a rebellion against colonial authorities in Virginia.

Green Spring

A group of elite planters in Virginia with political influence.

Bacon's Rebellion

An uprising in Virginia that highlighted tensions between settlers and Native Americans.

William Bradford

Governor of the Plymouth Colony for 30 years.

Mayflower

The ship that transported the Pilgrims to America.

Mayflower Compact

The first governing document of Plymouth Colony.

John Winthrop

The leader of the Puritan migration to New England.

Congregational Church

A church organization that emphasized autonomy of individual congregations.

Navigation Acts

British laws aimed at regulating trade with the colonies.

Dominion of New England

An administrative union of New England colonies created by James II.

Sir Edmund Andros

Royal governor of the Dominion of New England, disliked for enforcing navigation laws.

Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason and science.

Enslaved Africans

Individuals forcibly taken from Africa for labor in the Americas.

Middle passage

The brutal sea journey of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Royal African Company

A trading company involved in the English slave trade.

Slave codes

Laws regulating the behavior of enslaved people.

Stono Rebellion

The first major enslaved people's uprising in the colonies.

Primogeniture

An English law granting inheritance rights to the eldest son.

Salem Witch Trials

A series of witchcraft hearings in colonial Massachusetts.

Great Awakening

A religious revival in the American colonies during the 1730s-1740s.

George Whitefield

A prominent preacher of the Great Awakening.

Jonathan Edwards

A preacher who emphasized personal faith during the Great Awakening.

Libel

Publishing false statements damaging to someone's reputation.

John Peter Zenger

A printer whose trial helped establish freedom of the press.

Navigation Acts

British laws governing colonial trade.

Mercantilism

An economic policy aimed at increasing a nation's wealth by regulating trade.

Salutary neglect

British policy of relaxed enforcement of trade regulations in the colonies.

Colonial legislatures

Legislative bodies governing the American colonies.

Albany Plan

A proposal for the unification of American colonies for common defense.

Seven Years’ War

Global conflict involving major world powers, known in America as the French and Indian War.

French and Indian War

A conflict between Britain and France in North America.

Fort Necessity

The site of George Washington's first military defeat.

Fort Duquesne

A French fort where a significant battle occurred in the French and Indian War.

General Edward Braddock

A British general defeated during the French and Indian War.

William Pitt

British statesman who played a key role in the French and Indian War.

James Wolfe

British general who captured Quebec, marking a turning point in the war.

King George III

King of Britain during the American Revolution.

Peace of Paris of 1763

Treaty ending the French and Indian War, favoring Britain.

Proclamation of 1763

A British declaration prohibiting settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Sugar Act of 1764

An act raising taxes on sugar and molasses to reduce smuggling.

Vice-admiralty courts

Courts established to handle maritime disputes without juries.

Stamp Act of 1765

A tax imposed on printed documents in the colonies.

Sons of Liberty

Colonial protestors against British taxation.

Declaratory Act

An act asserting Parliament's authority over the colonies in all matters.

Charles Townshend

British politician known for the Townshend Acts.

Townshend Duties

Taxes on imported goods to the colonies imposed by the British Parliament.

Nonimportation agreement

Colonial agreement to boycott British goods.

Boston Massacre

A deadly confrontation between British troops and colonists.

British East India Company

A trading company whose fate heavily influenced colonial politics.

Tea Act of 1773

An act granting the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales.

Boston Tea Party

A protest against British taxation where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

Coercive Acts

Also known as the Intolerable Acts, punitive laws against Massachusetts.

First Continental Congress

A gathering of delegates from the colonies in response to the Coercive Acts.

Continental Association

An agreement to boycott British goods formed by the First Continental Congress.

Lexington

The site of the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War.

Concord

A significant battle site marking an early confrontation in the Revolutionary War.

Olive Branch Petition

A final appeal to King George III for reconciliation.

Common Sense

Pamphlet by Thomas Paine promoting independence from Britain.

Thomas Paine

A political activist and author who encouraged revolutionary ideas in America.

Declaration of Independence

The document declaring American colonies free from British rule.

Thomas Jefferson

The principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

American Advantages/ Disadvantages

Factors affecting the American struggle for independence from Britain.

Evacuation Day

The day British troops withdrew from Boston in 1776.