APUSH Chapter 1 Reading

Pangea

The supercontinent that began forming 225 million years ago.

Canadian Shield

A zone of ancient rock that was the first part of North America to emerge from sea level.

Glaciers

Two-mile thick ice sheets that melted about 10,000 years ago, forming North America and bodies of water like the Great Lakes.

Bering Land Bridge

The land bridge that connected Asia and North America, allowing the first humans to reach the Americas.

Nomadic Asian Hunters

The ancestors of Native Americans who migrated to the Americas.

European Arrival

In 1492, Europeans arrived in the Americas, where about 54 million people lived, leading to diverse languages and cultures.

Incas, Mayans, Aztecs

Major civilizations in Peru, Central America, and Mexico, respectively.

Maize

Also known as Indian corn, it was the primary food source in Mexico.

Three Sisters Farming

An agricultural method involving maize, beans, and squash that supported high populations.

Pueblo Peoples

Indigenous people in the Rio Grande who developed irrigation systems for agriculture.

Cahokia

A Mississippian settlement near present-day East St. Louis, home to 25,000 people.

Iroquois

A group in the northeastern woodlands known for their political and military alliances.

Encomienda System

A system that allowed colonists to enslave Native Americans for labor in exchange for Christian conversion.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

A Spanish missionary who opposed the encomienda system.

Hernán Cortés

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

Noche Triste

The "sad night" when the Spanish laid siege to Tenochtitlán, resulting in significant loss of life.

Francisco Pizarro

The conqueror who defeated the Incas in Peru in 1532.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of people, diseases, food, and goods between the New World, Old World, and Africa.

Treaty of Tordesillas

The 1494 agreement that divided the New World between Spain and Portugal.

Mesitzos

The mixed heritage of Europeans and Native Americans resulting from intermarriage.

Vasco Núñez Balboa

The European discoverer of the Pacific Ocean.

Juan Ponce de León

The explorer who sought gold and the mythical "fountain of youth" in Florida.

Battle of Acoma

A 1599 conflict where Spanish forces brutally punished surviving Native Americans.

Pueblo Revolt

The 1680 uprising against Spanish suppression of Native religious customs.

Black Legend

The concept that Spanish conquerors only tortured and murdered Native Americans while also building a vast empire.