HY 1301: US History I - Pre-Columbian and Early Exploration

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Pre-Columbian era and early European exploration for the HY 1301 Exam I Study Guide.

Quipu

A key feature of Inca record-keeping and communication that utilized a system of knotted threads in place of a written language.

Chinampas

An agricultural innovation of artificial floating islands created by the Aztecs to enable large-scale food production in Tenochtitlan.

Hernán Cortés

The Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century.

St. Augustine

A city in present-day Florida recognized as the longest continuously inhabited European settlement in the United States.

Spanish Exploration Goals

Motivated by wealth, religious conversion, and national glory, leading to Spanish dominance, colonial expansion, and coercive systems over indigenous populations.

French Colonial Goals

Centered primarily on trade—especially the fur trade—which fostered economic alliances and generally more cooperative relationships with Native Americans.

British Colonial Goals

Focused heavily on acquiring land for permanent settlement and agricultural expansion, resulting in widespread displacement of and conflict with Native Americans.

Mercantilism

An economic theory holding that colonies exist to enrich the mother country by supplying raw materials and consuming manufactured products, guiding European imperial policies in the Americas.