APUSH Period 1

stratification

A structured ranking of entire groups of people based on factors such as race, wealth, and education that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society.

syncretism

A blending of beliefs and practices from different cultures to make something new.

mercantilism

An economic policy in which a country's strength is determined by trade, colonies, and accumulation of wealth; colonies should only exist to enrich the mother country;a government should be able to control trade and production to become self-sufficient.

imperial

relating to an empire, emperor, or empress

context

The information about the period, the place, and the events that created, influenced, or formed the backdrop to a historic event.

hierarchy

A system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority that implies a clear chain of command or power structure.

refute

disprove

papal

of or relating to a pope or to the papacy.

encomienda

A coerced labor system created by the Spanish which exploited the Native Americans.

incentive

A reason for doing something; something that stimulates action.

assimilate

Fully taking on the traits of a dominant culture.

Columbian Exchange

The mutual transfer of material goods, commodities, animals, and diseases between the New and Old Worlds

patriarchal

Dominated by men

caste

A social class

Bartolome De Las Casas

A Spanish priest who advocated for better treatment of the natives; he persuaded the Spanish king to institute the New Laws of 1542 which significantly improved the treatment of the natives.

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

Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins.

Meso-America

Middle America; it was populated by groups such as the Olmec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec..birthplace of history

Cahokia

The dominant center of an important Mississippi valley mound-building culture, located near present-day St. Louis, Missouri; flourished from about 900 to 1250 C.E.

genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group.

matriarchal

Dominated by women

Mestizo

A person of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry.

conquistador

A Spanish conqueror of the Americas

Iroquois Confederacy

An alliance of five northeastern Amerindian peoples that made decisions on military and diplomatic issues through a council of representatives.

sequence

the order of events

pacify

To bring peace to a place or ending war in a place, often using military force.

Montezuma II

The last Aztec emperor in Mexico who was overthrown and killed by Hernan Cortes.

Inca

A South American tribe mainly located in Peru; they built extravagant architecture like the Machu Pichu and also built a great road network (Carpa Nan) to help with trade and diplomacy.

synthesis

combination OR deductive reasoning

bureaucracy

A specific form of organization that is impersonal and rational and based on rules rather than ties of kinship, friendship, or patrimonial or charismatic authority.