APUSH

Encomienda System

A labor system established by the Spanish Crown rewarding Spanish explorers with land and Native labor.

Conquistadors

European men who conquered and claimed lands in the New World for Spain and Portugal.

Maize

Also known as corn; a staple crop cultivated by Native American civilizations.

3 G's

The motivations for European exploration: God, Gold, and Glory.

Smallpox

A contagious viral disease that significantly reduced Native American populations after European contact.

Great Plains

Region characterized by diverse Indian tribes, primarily nomadic, relying heavily on buffalo hunting.

Southwest Tribe

Native tribes that relied on maize agriculture and built adobe dwellings.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Old and New Worlds.

Las Castas

A social hierarchy in Spanish colonies based on racial composition and heritage.

Mission System

A network of religious missions established to convert Native Americans to Catholicism.

The Valladolid Debate

The first moral debate in European history addressing the rights of indigenous peoples.

Pueblo Revolt

A successful uprising of Native Americans against Spanish colonizers in the late 17th century.

Coureurs de Bois

French fur traders who often intermarried with Native Americans.

Mercantilism

An economic policy aimed at maximizing a nation's wealth through trade and acquisition of precious metals.

Triangular Trade

Trade routes connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas, involving goods and the slave trade.

New England Colonies

Colonies including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, characterized by religious dissent and small farming.

Southern Colonies

Colonies with economies based on plantation agriculture and cash crops like tobacco and rice.

Middle Colonies

Colonies known for their diversity and tolerance, including Pennsylvania and New York.

Chesapeake Colonies

Colonies surrounding Chesapeake Bay where tobacco was the dominant cash crop.

Bacon's Rebellion

A rebellion in Virginia against Governor Berkeley's administration due to grievances over land and security.

The Enlightenment

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason and individualism over tradition.

Great Awakening

A religious revival in the early 18th century that emphasized personal faith and emotional engagement.

Quakers

A religious group advocating for simplicity and peace, significant in early American religious diversity.

Zenger Trial

A landmark trial establishing the principle that truthful statements about public officials cannot be considered libel.

The Salem Witch Trials

A series of hearings in 1692-1693 resulting in the execution of several people accused of witchcraft.

Salutary neglect

An unofficial British policy allowing colonies to operate with minimal governmental interference.

Indentured Servitude

A labor system where individuals worked for a period in exchange for passage to the colonies.

The Headright System

A land grant policy in colonial Virginia encouraging settlement by offering land to those who paid for immigrants.

Jonathan Edwards

A prominent preacher of the Great Awakening known for his fire-and-brimstone sermons.

A city upon a hill

John Winthrop's phrase suggesting the Puritan's mission to create a model society in America.

St Augustine

The oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in North America, founded by the Spanish.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer credited with discovering America in 1492 while seeking a westward route to Asia.

Maryland Toleration Act

A 1649 law ensuring freedom of worship for all Christians in Maryland.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan woman banished for her religious beliefs, she played a significant role in the founding of Rhode Island.

The Stono Rebellion

The largest slave uprising in the colonies in 1739, leading to strict prohibitions on enslaved people's movements.