AP US History - Key Figures and Terms (Three Continents & Transatlantic Encounters)

A set of vocabulary flashcards featuring major historical figures, social structures, religious concepts, and trade networks from the lecture notes.

Hiawatha

A leader associated with the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy, which united several eastern woodland peoples for mutual defense and cooperation.

Martin Luther

German religious reformer who criticized corruption in the Catholic Church in 1517. His ideas helped begin the Protestant Reformation and emphasized the Bible as the ultimate authority in matters of faith.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of the Mali Empire whose wealth demonstrated the importance of West African gold and trans-Saharan trade.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who reached India by sailing around Africa in 1497–1498, opening a direct European sea route to Asian trade.

Christopher Columbus

Genoese navigator sponsored by Spain who sailed west in 1492 seeking Asia but reached the Caribbean. His voyages initiated sustained European-American contact.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Aztec Empire. He used Native American allies and captured Tenochtitlán in 1521.

Moctezuma

Ruler of the Aztec Empire when Cortés arrived. Cortés eventually captured him.

Pedro Álvares Cabral

Portuguese explorer whose voyage accidentally reached the coast of Brazil in 1500, helping establish Portugal's claim there.

Tribute

Payment or goods demanded by a stronger government from conquered peoples. Empires used tribute to support their governments and armies.

Matriarchy

A social system in which women have significant political, economic, or family authority.

Animism

The belief that spirits inhabit the natural world, including animals, plants, and physical features such as rivers or mountains.

Patriarchy

A social system in which men hold primary authority in family, political, and economic life.

Primogeniture

The practice of passing family property, especially land, to the eldest son.

Peasants

Poor or small-scale agricultural workers who depended primarily on farming.

Republic

A government in which political authority is exercised through citizens and their representatives rather than a monarch.

Civic Humanism

A Renaissance belief emphasizing education, public service, and participation in civic life.

Renaissance

A European cultural and intellectual movement that revived interest in classical Greek and Roman ideas and emphasized human potential.

Guilds

Associations of merchants or craftspeople that regulated their occupations, training, prices, and working conditions.

Christianity

A monotheistic religion centered on the teachings of Jesus Christ. In this period, Christianity strongly influenced European politics, culture, and exploration.

Heresy

Beliefs or practices considered contrary to the official teachings of a religion.

Islam

A monotheistic religion founded on the teachings of Muhammad. Islam was particularly influential in North and West Africa and connected regions through religious and commercial networks.

Crusades

Medieval Christian military campaigns, especially those directed toward Muslim-controlled territories in the eastern Mediterranean. They expanded European contact with Asian and Middle Eastern trade networks.

Predestination

The Calvinist belief that God determines before birth who will receive salvation and who will be condemned.

Protestant Reformation

Sixteenth-century movement challenging the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther was one of its most important early leaders.

Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church's response to Protestantism, involving internal reforms and new missionary organizations such as the Jesuits.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade across the Sahara Desert connecting West Africa with North Africa and the Mediterranean. Gold and other valuable goods were especially important.

Reconquista

The centuries-long campaign by Spanish Christians to drive Muslim rulers from the Iberian Peninsula, ending with the capture of Granada in 1492.