APUSH Unit 1 Notes

Native American clash

Conflicts between Native American tribes and European settlers during early contact.

Columbus’s Discovery of America

The event in 1492 when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, mistakenly believing he had reached India.

Coming of English to America

The arrival of English settlers in North America, marking the beginning of English colonization.

Effect of Europeans on Native Americans

The significant impact of European colonization on Native American populations, cultures, and societies.

Relationship between Spanish and Native Americans

The complex interactions, often exploitative, between Spanish colonizers and Native American tribes.

Native American resettlement after conquistadores

The forced relocation of Native American tribes following the conquests by Spanish explorers.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of goods, crops, and diseases between the New World and the Old World, including items like gold, silver, and tobacco.

Three sister farming

An agricultural practice involving the rotation of corn, beans, and squash to maintain soil fertility.

Encomienda

A system that granted Spanish colonizers the right to enslave Native Americans for labor and Christianization.

Terrace farming

An agricultural method that creates stepped fields on hillsides to maximize arable land and water collection.

Suspension bridges

Innovative structures first developed by the Incas for transportation across difficult terrains.

Anglicism

The establishment of the Protestant Church of England by Henry VIII, influencing religious practices in America.

Silk route

The trade route in Asia that, when closed, led Europeans to seek new paths to India.

The Black Legend

A narrative that falsely accused Spanish conquistadores of extreme cruelty towards Native Americans.

Ecological imperialism

The introduction of non-native species into new ecosystems, often leading to ecological disruption.

Mestizos

Individuals of mixed Native American and European ancestry, reflecting cultural blending.

Noche Triste

The event in 1520 when Aztecs attacked Spanish conquistadores, leading to a significant Spanish retaliation.

Battle of Acoma

A violent confrontation between Spanish forces and Pueblo Indians, resulting in brutal punishment for survivors.

Pope’s Rebellion

A revolt by Native Americans against Spanish colonial rule and Catholicism in the late 17th century.

Incas

A powerful civilization in South America known for advanced engineering and social organization, ultimately destroyed by Spanish conquistadores.

Mayans

An advanced Mesoamerican civilization known for its achievements in agriculture, mathematics, and astronomy.

Aztecs

A formidable empire in present-day Mexico, known for its military prowess and human sacrifices, conquered by Hernán Cortés.

Iroquois Confederacy

A political alliance of several Native American tribes that sought to resist European encroachment.

Christopher Columbus

An Italian explorer credited with the European discovery of the Americas in 1492.

Juan Gines de Sepulveda

A Renaissance thinker who viewed Native Americans as inferior and justified Spanish domination.

Bartolome de las Casas

A Spanish monk who advocated for the rights of Native Americans, despite his own prejudices.

Vasco Nunez Balboa

The first European to see the Pacific Ocean, expanding European knowledge of the Americas.

Ferdinand Magellan

The captain of the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe, though he died during the journey.

Juan Ponce de Leon

An explorer known for his discovery of Florida while searching for the Fountain of Youth.

Francisco Coronado

An explorer who searched for legendary cities of gold in the American Southwest but found diverse landscapes.

Hernando de Soto

An explorer credited with the discovery of the Mississippi River while seeking wealth.

Francisco Pizarro

The conquistador responsible for the fall of the Inca Empire in South America.

Cortez

The Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that resulted in the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Treaty of Tordesillas

An agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided newly discovered lands between the two nations.

Bartholome DeLas Casas, The Destruction of the Indes

A critical account of Spanish atrocities against Native Americans.

Juan Gines de Sepulveda, The Second Democrates

A work defending Spanish colonial rule over Native peoples.