APUSH Week 1 Pre Columbus

Continental Drift

The movement of the Earth's crust that created rivers and mountains, such as the Appalachian Mountains.

Canadian Shield

A large rock formation that serves as the anchor for the North American continent.

Ice Age

A period that consolidated glaciers and lowered sea levels, creating a land bridge known as the Bering Straits.

Land Bridge

A connection between Siberia and Alaska that allowed migration of peoples into America.

Indigenous Peoples

The original inhabitants of America, including Indians, Asians, and Vikings, who migrated before Europeans.

Maize

A type of corn that was crucial for the development of advanced civilizations in early America.

Advanced Civilizations

Societies like the Aztecs and Incans that relied on agriculture, particularly maize, for their advancement.

Pueblos

Indigenous people who depended on corn for subsistence and had a low social structure.

Mound Builders

A group of early Americans known for their earthwork mounds, primarily located in the Ohio Valley.

Three Sisters Farming

An agricultural method involving the cultivation of maize, beans, and squash, which supported each other's growth.

Matrilineal Culture

A social system where lineage and inheritance are traced through the female line, common among many North American Indians.

Christian Crusades

Military campaigns aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land, which inadvertently led to the discovery of trade routes.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of goods, diseases, and cultures between the Old World and the New World following European exploration.

Reconquista

The campaign to drive Muslims out of Spain, which fostered unity and military glory for the Spanish.

Encomienda System

A labor system that granted Spanish settlers control over indigenous people in exchange for Christianizing them.

Bartolome de Las Casas

A Spanish missionary who opposed the encomienda system and advocated for the rights of indigenous peoples.

Hernan Cortes

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

Montezuma

The Aztec chief who initially welcomed Cortes, believing him to be a god.

Pope Rebellion

A revolt by Pueblo Indians against Spanish rule and forced Christianity in 1680.

St Augustine

The first Spanish colony in America, established to protect against other European powers and secure trade routes.

Black Legend

Blame on Spanish that they were responsible for the many deaths and tragedies during the early Americas.

Encomienda System

A experiment from Europeans on the West Indies that they become their subject in exchange for teaching them Christianity