AP US History Notes: Early North American Societies and European Colonization (Concepts 1.1–2.2)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, events, and concepts from the notes on early Native American societies, European exploration, colonization, and Atlantic world interactions.

Maize

A staple crop from present-day Mexico whose northward spread supported economic development and social diversification in North American societies.

Pueblo

Ancestral Southwestern people known for irrigation-based agriculture and settled villages.

Navajo (Navaho)

Native American group in the Southwest known for mobile, arid-environment adaptations.

Sioux

Plains Native American group that developed largely mobile lifestyles in response to aridity.

Apache

Native American group of the Great Basin/Plains with highly mobile hunter-gatherer practices.

Iroquois Confederacy

Northeastern alliance of tribes with a sophisticated political structure and matrilineal elements.

Creek

Southeastern Native American people with mixed agricultural and hunter-gatherer economies.

Choctaw

Southeastern tribe with settled villages and agricultural practices.

Cherokee

Southeastern Native American group known for a mixed economy and permanent settlements.

Chinook

Northwest Coast group that relied on abundant sea resources and developed settled communities.

Nez Perce

Northwest tribe known for fishing and hunting, with eventually settled communities.

Shoshone

Great Basin group practicing hunting and gathering, with some settled sites.

Great Basin

Arid region where many groups developed mobile lifestyles in response to environment.

Northwest Passage

A hypothetical sea route across North America sought by explorers for faster trade with Asia.

Roanoke Island

Early English colony (1585–1587) that disappeared, often called the Lost Colony.

St. Augustine (1565)

Oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in what is now the United States; Spanish.

Columbian Exchange

Widespread transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Gold, God, and Glory

Motivations for European exploration: wealth, religious expansion, and national prestige.

Caravel

A highly maneuverable sailing ship developed by the Portuguese/Spanish for long ocean voyages.

Sextant

Navigational instrument used to determine latitude and longitude at sea.

Joint-stock company

Investment company funding exploration/colonization by pooling multiple investors’ resources.

Columbian Exchange (Europe to Americas)

Intro of crops like corn, potatoes, and tomatoes to Europe from the Americas.

New Spain

Spanish colonial territory in the Americas including the viceroyalty that became the pattern for conquest and settlement.

Santa Fe (1610)

One of the earliest Spanish colonial settlements in present-day New Mexico.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors (e.g., Cortés, Pizarro) who subjugated Indigenous peoples.

Encomienda system

Spanish labor system forcing Indigenous labor and conversion to Christianity under colonial control.

Mission system

Church-led network to convert and govern Indigenous populations in Spanish territories.

Mestizo

Person of mixed European and Native American ancestry.

Zambo

Person of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry.

Mulatto

Person of mixed European and African ancestry.

Line of Demarcation

Imagined boundary dividing Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence in the Americas.

Middle Passage

Forced transatlantic voyage of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Triangular trade

Atlantic network exchanging goods, enslaved people, and commodities among Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Sugar plantations

Large-scale plantations in the Caribbean and Americas that depended on enslaved labor.

Gullah

African American cultural group along the Sea Islands known for unique language and traditions.

Ring shout

Religious African American ritual dance/spiritual tradition in the Southeast.

Spirituals

Religious songs created by enslaved Africans in the Americas.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in Virginia (1607) with early hardships and tobacco cultivation.

Head-right system

Policy granting land to settlers or those paying for passage to colonies.

Indentured servitude

Labor system where migrants worked for a set period in exchange for passage.👇

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 Virginia revolt highlighting frontier settlers’ grievances and colonial policy tensions.

Puritans

Protestant group seeking to reform the Church of England, founding colonies in New England.

City upon a Hill

Winthrop's famous phrase describing a virtuous, exemplary Puritan community.

Harvard College (1636)

Oldest higher education institution established by English settlers in Massachusetts.

Roger Williams

Puritan dissenter who founded Rhode Island and advocated religious liberty.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter banished for challenging gender roles and church authority.

Blue laws

Puritan regulations enforcing Sabbath observance and moral behavior.

Quakers

Religious group advocating religious tolerance and fair dealings with Indigenous peoples; settled Pennsylvania.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania; Quaker leader promoting religious toleration and fair relations with Native Americans.

Breadbasket colonies

Middle colonies known for cereal crops and ethnic/religious diversity.

Rice (Georgia/Carolinas)

Rice as a cash crop, especially in the South, supported by enslaved labor.

Sugar (Barbados)

Caribbean plantation crop reliant on enslaved labor; source of wealth in the Atlantic world.

Slave codes

Laws defining slavery and restricting enslaved people's rights.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

Largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the Revolution.

New Netherland

Dutch colonial settlement that became New York; trade-oriented and diverse.

Coureurs de bois

French fur traders who conducted extensive trade with Indigenous nations.

Jesuit missionaries

Catholic priests who worked to convert Indigenous peoples in New France.

Chickasaw Wars

Conflicts in the 18th century involving Chickasaw alliances and European powers.

Beaver Wars

Mid-17th-century series of battles over control of the fur trade in the Northeast.

King William’s War

Conflict (1688–97) between English and French colonial forces in North America.

Queen Anne’s War

War (1702–13) between English and French alliances in North America.

King George’s War

Conflict (1744–48) extending European rivalries into North America.

Pueblo Revolt (1680)

Native uprising in present-day New Mexico against Spanish rule and mission system.

Caste system (Spanish colonies)

Racial hierarchy in Spanish America classifying people as Mestizo, Zambo, Mulatto, etc.

Enlightenment (John Locke)

Philosophical movement stressing reason, rights, and government by consent influencing colonial thought.

First Great Awakening

Religious revival in the 1730s–1740s shaping colonial religious life and dissent.

Anglicization

Process by which American colonies developed English political culture and institutions.

Mercantilism

Economic theory emphasizing state control of trade to boost national wealth.

Navigation Acts

British laws regulating colonial trade to favor England and control colonial commerce.

Dominion of New England

Administrative union (1686–88) aimed at tightening imperial control over New England.

John Locke

Philosopher whose ideas about liberty and government influenced colonial political thought.

Zenger Trial

New York printer John Peter Zenger’s 1734–35 trial influencing freedom of the press.