APUSH unit 1

The Crusades

Series of European religious wars (1095-1291) in the Middle East; exposed Europeans to new goods/ideas and increased demand for Asian trade.

The Renaissance

Cultural/intellectual revival (1300s-1500s) in Europe; advanced art, science, and curiosity about the world.

The Age of Exploration

Period when Europeans explored and colonized overseas lands for wealth, religious expansion, and power.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who promoted navigation schools, mapmaking, and early voyages along Africa (1400s).

Amerigo Vespucci

Explorer who argued 'New World' was a separate continent; Americas named after him.

Compass

Navigational tool that allows sailors to find direction at sea.

Astrolabe

Device used to measure stars and latitude at sea.

Caravel

Small, fast Portuguese ship designed for long voyages.

Lateen sail

Triangular sail that allowed sailing against the wind.

Reconquista

Christian armies reconquering Spain from Muslims (completed 1492); created militant Catholic identity.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer, sailing for Spain, who reached Caribbean islands in 1492 while seeking a western route to Asia.

American geography and climate

Vast diversity (deserts, forests, plains, coasts) shaped Native societies' economies, housing, and culture.

Aztec Empire

Powerful Central Mexico empire (1325-1521), ruled from Tenochtitlán, based on tribute and warfare.

Montezuma

Last powerful Aztec emperor, captured by Spanish.

Mexica

The people who founded/ruled the Aztec Empire.

Tenochtitlán

Aztec capital city; advanced with canals, temples, and large population.

Triple Alliance

Coalition of three Nahua city-states forming the core of the Aztec Empire.

Mayan Empire

Mesoamerican civilization (250-900 CE); advanced math, writing, calendars.

Incan Empire

South American empire in Andes; terrace farming, roads, centralized rule.

Maize cultivation

Corn farming, spread from Mesoamerica; foundation of population growth.

Fremont culture

Early Great Basin society, practiced hunting/gathering, limited farming.

Pueblo culture

Southwest farmers who lived in adobe houses, irrigation agriculture.

Navajo

Nomadic then semi-settled; adapted sheep herding and farming later.

Anasazi/Ancient Puebloans

Constructed cliff dwellings and irrigation in the arid Southwest.

Buffalo jump

Hunting technique driving herds off cliffs for food/tools.

Cherokee

Largest southeastern tribe; farmers with towns.

Seminole

Florida tribes (later formed from Creek + escaped African slaves).

Mississippian River Valley culture

Mound-building agricultural societies.

Cahokia

Largest Mississippian city (30,000 pop.); advanced trade and culture.

Iroquois Confederacy

Powerful alliance of five tribes in NY; matrilineal, political unity.

Matrilineal

Inheritance and descent through the mother's line.

Longhouses

Communal dwellings for multiple families (Iroquois).

Chinook

Coastal NW tribe; fishing, totem poles, long plank houses.

Salmon

Basis of NW diet and trade.

Ohlone

A group of Native American tribes that traditionally inhabited the central coast of California,

Chumash

Coastal hunters/fishers with plank canoes.

Animism

Belief that animals, plants, nature have spiritual power.

Semi-nomadic

Tribes moved seasonally but returned to similar places.

Semi-settled

Groups with farming villages but still some seasonal movement.

3 Gs

God (spread Christianity), Gold (wealth), Glory (national prestige).

Ferdinand and Isabella

Spanish monarchs who funded Columbus.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors of Americas, seeking wealth and Christian converts.

Northwest Passage

Mythical direct route to Asia through North America.

Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)

Spain/Portugal division of New World, mediated by Pope.

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between Old and New Worlds.

Disease

Smallpox, measles devastated Native populations.

Smallpox

Most lethal disease for Natives.

Syphilis

Disease transferred from Americas → Europe.

Impact on Native Population

Death rates up to 90%, collapse of societies.

Corn

Staple crop fueling population booms in Europe, Africa, Asia.

Potatoes

Boosted nutrition and populations in Europe.

Pigs

Introduced by Europeans, disrupted ecosystems.

Horses

Revolutionized Great Plains tribes' hunting and mobility.

Precious metals

Gold and silver flooded Spain, fueled European economies.

Shift from feudalism to capitalism

New wealth spurred commercial growth, joint-stock companies.

Encomienda/Repartimiento system

Forced Native labor systems; Natives worked in exchange for 'protection/Christianity.'

Valladolid Debate

A debate in 1550-1551 between two Spanish thinkers on the treatment of Native Americans

• Bartolomé de las Casas - advocated for native americans

• Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda - thought that the natives should be slaves because of their crimes against nature and against God

Juan de Sepúlveda

Argued Natives were inferior, slavery justified.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Defended Native rights, advocated abolition of cruel systems.

Transatlantic slave trade

Forceful transport of Africans to Americas for labor.

Asiento system

Spanish license to purchase African slaves from other powers.

African slave traders

African leaders/merchants who supplied Europeans with captives.

Spanish caste system

Racial hierarchy: Peninsulares > Creoles > Mestizos/Mulattos > Natives/Africans.

Mestizo

Spanish + Native ancestry.

Mulatto

Spanish + African ancestry.

Acoma War (1599)

Spanish brutally suppressed Pueblo resistance, killing 800+.

Maroon Communities

Societies of escaped enslaved Africans in Caribbean/Americas.

The Black Legend

Idea that Spain was uniquely brutal in the Americas.

Native societies

Based on community, kinship, reciprocity with nature.

Communal stewardship of land

No concept of private property, land shared.

Generosity

Prestige in giving away wealth, not hoarding.

Roanoke

Failed English colony (1587), 'Lost Colony.'

Acoma War

Demonstrates harsh cultural conflict.

North American Fur Trade

Early French/Native trade network; cooperative relations.

Sepúlveda vs. Las Casas

Clash between exploitation vs. protection of Natives.