APUSH - Unit 1

Columbian Exchange

The sharing of plants, animals, diseases, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Western and Eastern Hemisphere as a result of Columbus' arrival to the Americas in 1492.

Triangular Trade

Trade between Africa, Europe, and the Americas involving slaves, manufactured goods, and raw goods.

Mercantilism

An economic system where European companies hired people to explore the New World to extract valuable resources for profit.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607, known for its joint-stock company investment model.

Powhatan

The leader of the Powhatan Confederacy, a group of tribes in Virginia, who was a significant opponent of the Jamestown settlers.

House of Burgesses

The first elected legislative assembly in the American colonies; established in Virginia in 1619.

Puritans

A religious group that sought to purify the Church of England and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1620s.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement made by the Pilgrims in 1620 to create a government based on the consent of the governed.

Great Awakening

A religious revival in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s emphasizing personal faith and emotional preaching.

Chattel Slavery

A system of slavery where individuals are treated as property and bought and sold, prevalent in the American colonies.

Boston Tea Party

A political protest by the Sons of Liberty in December 1773 where they dumped tea into Boston Harbor to oppose the Tea Act.

Intolerable Acts

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the American colonies for the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress

A gathering of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies in 1774 to organize resistance against British rule.

Lexington and Concord

The first battles of the American Revolution, fought on April 19, 1775, between British troops and colonial militia.

Treaty of Paris 1783

The agreement that officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781, which created a weak federal government.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

The two groups debating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution; Federalists supported a strong central government while Anti-Federalists wanted states’ rights.

Marbury v. Madison

A landmark Supreme Court case (1803) that established the principle of judicial review in the United States.

Lousiana Purchase

The acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803, doubling the size of the United States.

Embargo Act of 1807

A law that prohibited American ships from trading in foreign ports, meant to avoid conflict but harmed the U.S. economy.

Columbian Exchange

The sharing of plants, animals, diseases, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Western and Eastern Hemisphere as a result of Columbus' arrival to the Americas in 1492.

Triangular Trade

Trade between Africa, Europe, and the Americas involving slaves, manufactured goods, and raw goods.

Ecomienda System

A system of forced labor wherein Native Americans worked on Spanish-owned estates, justified by the conversion of Native Americans to Christianity.

Mercantilism

An economic system where European companies hired people to explore the New World to extract valuable resources for profit.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607, known for its joint-stock company investment model.

Powhatan

The leader of the Powhatan Confederacy, a group of tribes in Virginia, who was a significant opponent of the Jamestown settlers.

House of Burgesses

The first elected legislative assembly in the American colonies; established in Virginia in 1619.

Puritans

A religious group that sought to purify the Church of England and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1620s.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement made by the Pilgrims in 1620 to create a government based on the consent of the governed.

Great Awakening

A religious revival in the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s emphasizing personal faith and emotional preaching.

Boston Tea Party

A political protest by the Sons of Liberty in December 1773 where they dumped tea into Boston Harbor to oppose the Tea Act.

Intolerable Acts

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish the American colonies for the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress

A gathering of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies in 1774 to organize resistance against British rule.

Lexington and Concord

The first battles of the American Revolution, fought on April 19, 1775, between British troops and colonial militia.

Treaty of Paris 1783

The agreement that officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized American independence.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781, which created a weak federal government.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

The two groups debating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution; Federalists supported a strong central government while Anti-Federalists wanted states
rights.

Marbury v. Madison

A landmark Supreme Court case (1803) that established the principle of judicial review in the United States.

Lousiana Purchase

The acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803, doubling the size of the United States.

Embargo Act of 1807

A law that prohibited American ships from trading in foreign ports, meant to avoid conflict but harmed the U.S. economy.

Salutary Neglect

An unofficial British policy of relaxed enforcement of parliamentary laws on the American colonies, allowing them greater autonomy.

Stamp Act

A British parliamentary act of 1765 that imposed a direct tax on all paper documents in the American colonies.

Declaration of Independence

A document adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, proclaiming the colonies' separation from Great Britain.