APUSH Period 1 ID Terms - Baker

stratification

The visible arrangement of society into a hierarchical pattern, with distinct social groups layered one on top of the other, from the richest or most socially esteemed to the poorest or least socially approved

syncretism

the blending of elements from more than one religion into a distinct system of worship

mercantilism

the economic idea that a country's wealth is measured by the amount of gold it owns. The goal is to export more goods that you import, so that you bring more money into the country than you send out to other nations.

imperial

a policy in which a strong nation seeks to dominate other countries politically, socially, and economically

context

the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed

hierarchy

social system in which groups of people are ranked ahead of or behind others based on political status, wealth, and power

refute

to prove wrong by argument or evidence.

Papal

relating to a pope or to the roman catholic church

encomienda

a system established by the Spanish crown that granted colonists the right to demand labor of native peoples in the mines and fields. The laborers were worked hard and punished severely. Conquistadors like Hernán Cortés and Francisco Pizarro brought this system to the Americas.

incentive

a reason for doing something; something that stimulates action. something that encourages people to behave in a socially valued and approved manner

assimilate

the act of bringing into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc, of a group or nation. the absorption of a culturally distinct group into the dominate culture.

Columbian exchange

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

patriarchal

A gendered power structure in which social identity and property descend through the male line and male heads of family rule over women and children.

caste

system of social stratification separating individuals by various distinctions, among them hereditary, rank, profession, wealth and race

Bartolome de Las Casas

Spanish missionary who spoke out against mistreatment of Native Americans, especially the encomienda system

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.

Tenochtitlan

largest city and capital of the Aztec empire

Meso-America

a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish Colonization of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries

Cahokia

An Indian center for trade in 1200 A.D. that was once located near present-day St. Louis. this is an example of how advanced peoples had been in the Americas well before the arrival of the colonists in the early 1600's.

Genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

Matriarchal

relating to a social system in which the mother is head of the family

Mestizo

A person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry. mostly referring to the second generation of the voyagers

conquistador

any one of a group of Spanish explorers in the New World who sought to conquer the native people, establish dominance over their lands, and prosper from their natural resources

Iroquois Confederacy

The most powerful native American group in the Ohio Valley since the 1640', that was able to remain aloof from both the British and the French. This group consisted of five Indian nations: the Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida

Sequence

a particular order in which related events, movements, or things follow each other.

Pacify

to bring peace to (a country or warring factions), especially by the use or threatened use of military force.

Montezuma II

last emperor of the Aztecs who was killed by Cortes' forces after he had surrendered to them in Tenochtitlan

Inca

South American Indian people living in the central Andes before the Spanish conquest. known for conquering a lot of Central America before being conquered by the Europeans in the 16th century

Synthesis

to bring together diverse elements to construct a new meaning or idea. the combination of parts into a whole

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials