AP U.S. History: Early Colonization, African Societies, and the Columbian Exchange

Vocabulary flashcards covering early American colonization, trans-Saharan and transatlantic trade networks, West African empires, and the Columbian Exchange based on lecture review questions.

Animism

The indigenous worldview regarding living things, viewing the natural world and non-human entities as possessing sacred spiritual essence.

English textiles

A commodity that was not part of or traded in the West African gold-salt trade.

Middle Colonies Settlers

Settlers in the Middle Colonies who were characterized by being diverse in religion.

Algonquian

The indigenous group with whom English settlers in both Virginia and New England came into conflict.

Afonso (King of Congo)

The King of Congo who made contact and established relations with the Portuguese.

Songhai

The West African empire located along and bordering the Niger River.

Benin

The West African kingdom situated to the south of Songhai.

Sugar

The highly labor-intensive cash crop cultivated on plantations in the West Indies.

Tobacco

The primary labor-intensive cash crop cultivated in colonial North America.

Rice

The second major labor-intensive cash crop established in colonial North America.

Deforestation in the West Indies

The extensive clearing of forests for sugar cane cultivation that occurred in the late 1600s.

Middle Passage

The forced transatlantic voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

Diversity

The most striking trait and defining characteristic of West African societies prior to and during early European contact.

Encomienda

The Spanish colonial system granting early settlers authority over conquered indigenous lands and the power to extract forced labor.

Repartimiento

The Spanish system that replaced the encomienda system, under which indigenous peoples remained legally free and received wages while still being obligated to provide a fixed quota of labor.

Horses

Animals introduced by the Spanish to the Americas that dramatically transformed Native American life and hunting practices.