APUSH Terms

Maize

First cultivated in central Mexico around 5000 BCE. Effects: Led to economic development, led some groups to permanent settlement, advanced irrigation techniques, soical diversification.

Great Basin & Great Plains

Hot/Dry climate, Nomadic, Small societies, groups of 20-100, Mobile shelters, Men hunted, women gathered, moved with seasons.

Mississippian

Rich soil, large societies with 4-6k populations, traded via rivers, maize led to complex civilizations, social hierarchy, mound builders, Cahokia: 10-20k population.

Northeast (Iroquois)

Semi-sedentary, used timber to build long houses, generations lived together, Iroquois Confederacy (Of multiple groups.)

Atlantic Coast (Cherokee)

Maize, beans, squash in 1000 BCE, Agricultural society, semi-sedentary, women grew crops, matrilineal.

Matrilineal

Power and possessions passed down on mother’s side not fathers.

Pacific Coast

Two distinct regions, did not practice agriculture, hunter/gatherers, built permanent settlements, abundance of food from the oceans.

Europe before 1450

Decentralized and weak, little world power because of black plague and little ice age.

Europe stabilizes

Climate warmed, improved agricultural productivity, more food=more babies, desire for asian luxury goods, the Renaissance, and political unification.

Cause #1 Gold

Demand for Asian Luxury Goods (needed to figure out a different way to Asian), improved banking systems.

Henry the Navigator (Portugal)

Sailed around Africa for Indian Ocean trade.

Vasco De Gama

First to sail around Cape of good Hope.

Christopher Columbus

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave Columbus funds, landed in the Caribbean, thought he was in Asia.

Cause #2 God

Dominant belief system was Roman Catholic Christianity, simony (buying and selling of church stuff), Sale of indulgences (could buy their way into heaven), Catholic vs protestant

Martin Luthor

95 theses, led to protestant christianity.

Cause #3 Glory

Competition for colonial possessions, New political reality: the Nation State (Spain v Portugal),

Increased trade: causes

Improvements in Maritime technology, joint stock companies (anyone with money could invest in ventures),

Caravel

Fast and Highly navigable ship, used the lateen sail

Columbian Exchange

Transfer of diseases, plants, animals, minerals, and people between the old and new worlds. Exchanged diseases, food & plants, animals (horse to new world), minerals (silver & gold).

Requerimiento

Legal document claiming Spain possessed biblical authority to rule in the Americas. Threatened violence to indigenous groups that defied the order.

Encomienda system

a system of coerced labor in which the Spanish crown granted tracts of land to Spanish encomenderos who forced the indigenous people within its borders into mining and plantation-based agriculture.

Cash crops

Sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton.

Indigenous Labor Breaks Down

Enslaved workers knew the land much better than Spanish. Allowed frequent escapes, Indian slaves kept dying of diseases.

Importation of Enslaved Africans

Worked the mines and plantations. Spanish merchants partnered with West African groups, traded goods like guns for enslaved laborers. Less likely to escape as they didn’t know the area and had been in contact with European diseases.

Middle Passage

Slaves shipped from Africa to new world via middle passage. Packed on these ships, the death rate of 20% due to disease and malnutrition.

Caste System

Organized colonial society into a ranked social hierarchy, based on race and heredity. More “white” blood = more social power. Less “white” blood = less social power. Top: Spanish Bottom: Indigenous Americans, and African Americans. Erased cultural complexity Indigenous Americans had.

Worldview

a people’s constellation of cultural experiences-their history, belief system, language, etc.-that dictates how that people make sense out of the world’s people and events.

European worldview

Land use: Land could be owned by individuals.

Religion: Christian, complex set of dogmas/doctrines, belief in a single God

General roles: Patriarchal

Family structure: nuclear family

Indigenous worldview

Land use: land contained spiritual quality, belonged to all people

Religion: belief in multiple gods and spirits, no separation of spiritual and material world view.

Gender roles: More egalitarian, sometimes even matrilineal

Family structure: lived together in extended families.

Taino Rebellion

Native people of modern day Puerto Rico rebelled against the Spanish. Superior weapons of the Spanish allowed them to suppress the rebellion.

Spanish: Power

Main Goal: Extract Wealth (Minerals like gold and silver. Cash Crops with enslaved labor.) Used Indian labor, christian converson, caste system.

Hacienda

Happened after New Laws. Became main Spanish labor system, encomenderos owned large tracts of land, indigenous laborers “not enslaved but tied due to debt system.

Pueblo Revolt of 1680

Killed hundreds of Spaniards, burning down churches, and re established their culture. Spaniards returned later to revivert dominance.

French/Dutch: Partnership

French wanted to grow wealth through various partnerships with indigenous groups, primarily trading fur.

Dutch wanted wealth, did not want to reshape indigneous societies. New Amsterdam became significant trading port.

Beaver fur trade

French trappers, by allying with indigenous groups and intermarrying, were able to meet growing demand for fur.

English: Partition

Seperate themselves from Indigenous people. Came for economic prosperity, social mobility, religious freedom, & Improved living conditions.

Puritans

Defined by Calvinist flavor of protestant movement, Thought the church could be reformed from inside, had to remain apart of it

Separatists

Defined by Calvinist flavor of protestant movement. Though church couldn’t be reformed and had to seperate from it to create true protestant church.

Plymouth Settlement

New England Colony: Plymouth Settlement (Founded by Pilgrims, migrated as family groups, church and state are the same thing, adopted agriculture), Eventually, Plymouth and Massachusetts merged.

Mayflower Compact

Agreement to create a simple government that ruled by vote of majority.

Roger Williams

Puritan minister, did not support merge of church and state, religious toleration = better society, founded Rhode Island Colonies.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

New England Colony: Massachusetts Bay colony (Founded by Puritans, all free, property-owning men could vote on policy, town hall meeting). Eventually, Plymouth and Massachusetts merged.

Anne Hutchinson

Society declared men spiritually superior, and believed everyone had equal access to Holy Spirit inspiration. Also helped set up Rhode Island colony.

New England Colonies

Deeply Religious, rock soil/harsh winters = limited agriculture, Church-centered communities, exported fish and lumber.

New York Colony

Middle Colony: Use to be New Amsterdam, thriving trading colony (abundance of rivers and sea ports), River Valley + rich soil = valuable grain exports, diverse population of European immigrant.

New Jersey Colony

Middle Colony: Very similar to New York.

Pennsylvania Colony

Middle Colony: Created by William Penn and quakers. Refuge for Quaker and religious dissenters, pacifists, treated indigenous populations with dignity, emphasized equitable diplomacy, and guaranteed freedom of worship. Democratic, economically grew rapidly.

Quaker

Society of Friends, targeted for religious marginalization in society. Emphasized individual religious experience, pacifists = no military, refused to support clergy with taxes.

Middle Colony

Good soil = booming agriculture, diverse population due to religious tolerance/economic opportunity, less participatory than New England, more participatory than south.

Jamestown

Chesapeake & North Carolina: main goal was money, migrants working for profit, many starved to death (some turned to cannibalism to survive),

John Rolfe

Led colonist to plant and harvest tobacco and created insatiable demand in Great Britain. Tobacco led to plantation-style plots and far more agricultural than its northern neighbors.

House of Burgesses

Acted as a representative government

Chesapeake & North Carolina

Warm weather = sprawling plantations, main export: tobacco. Expanded westward and clashed with indigenous peoples. House of Burgesses = step toward democracy politics ruled by small group of elite planters. Dominant source of labor was enslaved Africans.

British West Indies

The Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados. Highest concentration of enslaved labor, Sugarcane created demand for laborers (slave labor)

Barbados Slave Codes

Series of laws that stripped all rights from black workers, granted white planters complete power of laborers.

South Colonies

Large, plantation-style agriculture with enslaved Africans. Rigid social hierarchy enforced by race laws, Politics made by small group of elite planters.

South Carolina Colony

Mirrors BWI, focues on growing rice and indigo, West African slaves refused to accept Christianity, Rigid social hierarchy: top - wealthy planters, middle - common white planters, bottom - dominant black population.

Mercantilism

An economic system that emphasized a favorable balance of trade (exports > imports) (Mother country gets more stuff)

Navigation Acts

Importanted goods had to be taxed through English Ports, Traded goods had to be transported on English ships, Highly valuable goods could only be exported to England.

Salutary Neglect

Colonist realized they could ignore the Navigation Acts without punishment

Dominion of New England

Super colony (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire) King appointed a governer, made is easier for England to control colonies.

Glorious Revolution

Parliament overthrew King James and reestablished own governmental power. Rebellions broke out in colonies, collapse of Dominion of New England.

Chattel Slavery

Enslaved now considered permanent property of slaveholder.

Indentured Servant

A person contracted to work to pay off debt. (Cost of migrating from great Britain to colonies.)

John Punch

Black indentured servants, ran away along with 2 white indentured servants. White men got 4 years added to indenture while Punch got condemned to lifelong slavery, signaled shift toward race based slavery.

Bacon’s Rebellion

Felt Berkeley favored Virginia Elite, wanted help on frontier to attack the indigenous people for land. Shifted labor systems toward more enslaved laborers.

Covert Resistance

Maintained family structures, worked slower/broke tools, maintained cultural elements,

New York Slave Rebellion of 1741

Group of enslaved people burned building then killed 9 white people. Showed enslaved workers were fed up with ravages of slavery.

Jamaica

Resistance led by fugitive slaves living in Maroon communities, waged war against British planters for 10+ years, British signed treaty in 1740 recognizing their freedom.

Stono Rebellion

South Carolina, 1739, rebels killed any white people they encountered (burned houses and barns), SC militia eventually defeated rebels.

Anglicization

New England/middle colonies merchant class, Southern Elite Planters (wealthy/owned many slaves), Consumer revolution (increase want of british goods), Social status basis changed (birth and family history < financial success.) All colonies shared government structure (governer and bicameral legislature.)

Enlightenment

European intellectual movement, applied scientific & philosophical reasoning to society and politics.

First Great Awakening

1730s-1740s, religion was in decline. Began in Massachusetts by minitester Jonathan Edwards. Emotional response to word of God resulting in many conversions. George Whitefield helped spread it around.

Halfway Covenant

relaxed criteria for church membership

New Light Clergy

Emotionalism & personal experience were right

Old Light

skeptical of theatrics, moved toward reason

Territorial settlements in Ohio River Valley

Disagreements between Britain and Colonies. Colonial population increased, land became scarce, Britian wanted to avoid conflict with indigenous groups and French.

Colonial Self-Rule

Colonist developed self rule especially during periods of salutary neglect, Impressment caused riots.

Impressment

Britian would force colonial men to serve in war effort. During King George’s War caused 3 days of rioting.

Zenger Trail

Ran newspaper about Britain infringements on colonial rights, published piece of America judge dismissed by British-appointed governor, hauled to court on sedition and libel.

Fort Duquesne

The general ignored George Washington’s warnings and Washington attacked the French. This started the French and Indian War.

Albany Congress

Goal was to forge alliance with the Iroquois Confederacy. Ended up working.

Albany Plan of Union

Ben Franklin proposed at Albany Congress a council made up of delegates from all colonies. Gave power to tax and raise militias and create allies with American Indians. First attempt to unite colonies under a single representative body. Failed.

Peace of Paris

Spain gave Florida to Britain to get Cuba again. France gave territory to Spain. France gave Ohio River Valley territory to Britian.

Pontiac

Attacked British Settlements, colonist retaliated, fought all Indians including allies.

Proclamation of 1763

Forbade British colonists from settling past the Appalachian Mountains. AKA no migrating West. Made colonists mad.

Quartering Act

Forced colonial subjects to house and feed British soldiers.

Sugar Act (1764)

Decreased taxes on imported goods (like molasses), cracked down on colonial smuggling operations.

Currency Act (1764)

Required colonists to use British money,

Stamp Act (1765)

Tax on paper items (e.g. Newspapers, diplomas, playing cards), first direct tax, added economic hardship from previous acts.

Sons of Liberty & Daughters of Liberty

Made up of merchants, traders, and artisans. Fought for repeal of stamp Act. Spread info through committees of correspondence, sometimes assaulted British Tax collectors.

House of Burgesses

Passed series of resolutions known as the Virginia Resolves.

Stamp Act Congress

27 delegates from 9 colonies, formally petitioned Parliament to repeal Stamp Act.

Declaratory Act

Declared Parliament could pass any law they wanted to.

Townshend Acts

Tax on common items (glass, paper, paint, etc.)

Boycotts

Used to fight taxation. Women were essential as they found alternatives to British goods.

Boston Massacre (1770)

Small group of boston men hurled snowballs and rocks at British soldiers, shot was fired and 5 boston killed. Parliamnet repealed Townshend Acts but tea acts.

Samuel Adams

Spread news of Boston Massacre, used as evidence of British tyranny.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

Colonists dressed up as Indians to throw nearly 50 tons of tea into the Boston harbor.

Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts(1774)

Closed down Boston Harbor until tea loss was repaid.