APUSH Key Terms

literally all of the key terms from the textbook

Tenochtitlán

The capital city of the Aztec Empire; site of present-day Mexico City.

Aztec

Mesoamerican people who were conquered by the Spanish under Hernán Cortés. (1519-1528)

Great League of Peace

An alliance of Iroquois tribes (mohawk, oneida, cayuga, seneca, onondaga) formed between 1450 and 1600 that used their combined strength to pressure Europeans to work with them in the fur trade and to wage war.

Caravel

A ship capable of long-distance travel

Reconquista

the reconquest of Spain from the Moors, African Muslims who had occupied part of the Iberian Peninsula for centuries.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors who explored and colonized the Americas in the 16th century, seeking wealth, power, and spreading Christianity.

Columbian Exchange

Transatlantic flow of goods and people that began with Columbus’s voyages in 1492.

Creole

People who were born in the colonies of European ancestry.

Haciendas

Large-scale farms controlled by Spanish landlords.

Mestizo

Person with mixed origin(native american and european descent).

95 Theses

List of moral grievances against the Catholic Church by Martin Luther, a German Priest, in 1517.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Catholic missionary who declared Indians to be truly men who must not be treated as dumb beasts and denounced Spain for causing the death of millions of innocent people. Published an account of the decimation of the Indian Population called A Very Brief account of the Destruction of the Indies in 1522.

Repartimiento System

Residences of Indian villages remained legally free and entitled to wages, but were still required to perform a fixed amount of labor each year.

Black Legend

Idea that the Spanish New World Empire was more oppressive towards Indians than other European empires; was used as justification for English expansion in the New World.

Pueblo Revolt

Uprising in 1680 in which the Pueblo Indians temporarily drove the Europeans out of modern-day New Mexico.

indentured servants

Individuals who exchanged labor for passage to the New World. They worked for a set number of years before gaining freedom and land.

métis

Children of marriages between Indian women and French traders.

Borderland

Meeting place of peoples where geographical and cultural borders are not clearly defined.

Virginia Company

Private business organization whose shareholders included merchants, aristocrats, and members of Parliament.

Anglican Church

A Christian denomination that originated in England and follows the teachings of the Church of England. It is known for its blend of Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Roanoke Colony

The first English settlement in North America, established in 1585 on Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina. It mysteriously disappeared in 1590, with no known survivors.

enclosure movement

18th-century privatization of common lands in England, forcing peasants off land to increase agricultural productivity and profits.

John Smith

A soldier of fortune who was selected to manage Jamestown.

headright system

Awarded 50 acres of land to any colonist who paid for his own or another’s passage.

House of Burgesses

First elected assembly in colonial America.

Uprising of 1622

A major Native American rebellion in Virginia against English settlers, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of colonists and a shift in colonial policies.

dower rights

right of a widowed woman to recieve 1/3 of her husband’s property in the event that he died before her.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to "purify" the Church of England by eliminating all traces of Roman Catholic practices.

John Winthrop

Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; resolved to use the colony as a refuge for persecuted Puritans.

Pilgrims

Group of English settlers who arrived in America in 1620 seeking religious freedom. Sailed on the Mayflower and created Plymouth Colony.

Mayflower Compact

Document signed by Pilgrims in 1620, agreeing to form a government and follow its laws for the good of the Plymouth Colony.

Great Migration

Migration of 21,000 Puritans to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Dissenters

Protestants who belonged to denominations other than the established church.

Captivity narratives

Firsthand accounts of individuals captured by enemies or hostile forces, often describing the captives' experiences, including their suffering, survival strategies, and eventual release or escape.

Pequot War

1637 conflict between English settlers and Pequot tribe in Connecticut, resulting in decimation of Pequot population and significant loss of tribal lands.

Half-Way Covenant

A 1662 Puritan agreement allowing partial church membership for those lacking a full conversion experience, promoting church attendance.

English Liberty

the idea that English people were entitled to certain liberties, including trial by jury, habeas corpus, and the right to face someones in court.

Act Concerning Religion (Maryland Toleration Act)

Passed in 1649, granted religious freedom to Christians in Maryland, protecting their right to worship freely.

Metacom

Wamanoag leader, known to the colonists as King Philip, waged a war on English colonists where he was killed.

King Philip’s War

Conflict that began in 1675 where Indians uprose against white colonists. Expanded New Englanders’ access to land.

mercantilism

Economic system where a country's wealth is measured by its gold and silver reserves, promoting exports and restricting imports to maintain a favorable balance of trade.

Navigation Acts

British laws (1651-1847) restricting colonial trade to benefit England. Required goods to be transported on British ships and sold only to Britain.

Covenant Chain

Alliance between Iroquois tribes and British colonists in early America, based on mutual respect and cooperation.

Yamasee uprising

1715 conflict between Native American tribes and British colonists in South Carolina due to trade disputes, leading to significant casualties.

Quakers

Religious group known for their beliefs in equality, simplicity, and pacifism. They have silent worship and make decisions through consensus. Also known as the Society of Friends.

plantation

agricultural enterprise that brought together larger numbers of workers under the control of a single owner.

Bacon’s Rebellion

Most serious challenge to royal authority before the American Revolution. Historians often connect this event to the decline of indentured servitude and the corresponding rise of slavery within the British American colonies.

Glorious Revolution

established parliamentary supremacy and secured the Protestant succession the the throne.

English Bill of Rights

listed parliamentary powers such as control over taxation as well of rights of individuals, including trial by jury.

Lords of Trade

British government body in the 17th century overseeing colonial affairs, trade regulations, and economic policies in the American colonies.

Dominion of New England

James II combined Connecticut, Plymouth, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New York, and East and West Jersey into a single super-colony. Ruled by the former New York governor Sir Edmund Andros.

English Toleration Act

Passed in 1689, granted religious freedom to Protestant nonconformists in England, allowing them to worship outside the Church of England.

Salem witch trials

Event in 1692 Massachusetts where over 200 people were accused of witchcraft, leading to 20 executions. Caused by hysteria and fear of the supernatural.

redemptioners

nickname for indentured families.

Walking Purchase

Colonial land deal in 1737 where Pennsylvania settlers exploited Native Americans by walking a disproportionately long distance to claim more land than agreed upon.

Backcountry

The area stretching from central Pennsylvania southward up the the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and into upland North and South Carolina.

Staple crops

important cash crops; ex. tobacco, rice

Atlantic slave trade

Forced movement of Africans to the Americas for labor from the 16th to 19th centuries, resulting in millions of deaths and lasting impact on African societies.

Middle passage

Middle leg in the triangular trading routes linking Europe, Africa, and America.

Republicanism (18th Century)

Government without a king, celebrated active participation in public life by economically independent citizens as the essence of liberty.

liberalism (18th century)

Political philosophy that emphasized the protection of liberty by limiting the power of government to protect the natural rights of citizens. (John Locke)

salutary neglect

leaving the colonies largely to govern themselves.

Enlightenment

Philosophical movement which originated among French thinkers and soon spread to Britain; sought to apply the scientific method of careful investigation based on research and experiment to political and social life.

Deism

A belief that God essentially withdrew after creating the world, leaving it to function according to scientific laws without divine intervention.

Father Junípero Serra

Spanish Franciscan friar known for founding missions in California during the 18th century.

Stamp Act

A 1765 British law imposing taxes on printed materials in the American colonies, leading to widespread protests and the slogan "No taxation without representation."

Virtual representation

each member represented the entire empire, not just his own district.

writs of assistance

general search warrants that allowed customs officials to search anywhere they chose for smuggled goods.

Sugar Act

1764; reduced the existing tax on molasses imported into North America, but also established a new machinery to end widespread smuggling by colonial merchants.

No taxation without representation

Principle stating that a government should not tax a population without their consent through elected representatives.

Committee of Correspondence

Organized by American colonists to coordinate resistance against British policies, promoting communication and unity.

Sons of Liberty

Secret organization of American colonists formed to protect their rights and protest British taxation. Played a key role in the American Revolution.

Regulators

protested the underrepresentation of western settlements in the colony’s assembly and the legislators’ failure to establish local governments that could regularize land titles and suppress bands of outlaws.

Continental Congress

A convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met in 1774 and 1775 to address grievances against British policies and later declared independence.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

First military engagements of the American Revolutionary War on April 19, 1775, marking the beginning of the conflict between American colonists and British forces.

Battle of Bunker Hill

Fought on June 17, 1775, near Boston, it was a pivotal early battle in the American Revolutionary War. The British won but suffered heavy casualties, boosting American morale.

Continental army

The army formed by the Second Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War to fight against the British forces.

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation

offered freedom to any slave who escaped to his lines and bore arms for the King.

Common Sense

A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 advocating for American independence from British rule.

Townshend Acts

British laws passed in 1767 imposing taxes on items such as glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea in the American colonies, leading to increased tensions and eventually contributing to the outbreak of the American Revolution.

Boston Massacre

Event on March 5, 1770, in Boston where British soldiers killed five colonists during a confrontation. Led to increased tensions in the American colonies.

Crispus Attucks

African American man who was the first person killed in the Boston Massacre in 1770, making him a symbol of the fight against oppression.

Boston Tea Party

Event in 1773 where colonists protested British tea tax by dumping tea into Boston Harbor, sparking tensions leading to the American Revolution.

Intolerable Acts

Laws passed by British Parliament in 1774 to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. Led to increased tensions and fueled American Revolution.

Battle of Saratoga

Significant American Revolutionary War battle in 1777. Turning point as American victory led to French support. Burgoyne surrendered to Gates.

Declaration of Independence

Document adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, proclaiming the 13 American colonies' independence from British rule.

Benedict Arnold

American Revolutionary War general who defected to the British Army in 1780, betraying the Continental Army.

Battle of Yorktown

Key battle in the American Revolutionary War. American and French forces defeated the British in 1781, leading to the surrender of General Cornwallis.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

Ended the American Revolutionary War, recognized American independence, and established the boundaries of the United States.

Republic

Representative political system where citizens govern themselves by electing representatives to make key decisions on the citizens’ behalf.

Suffrage

the right to vote

Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom

Proposed by Thomas Jefferson, this bill became the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786, ensuring separation of church and state.

inflation

the increase in prices of goods and services over time, leading to a decrease in the purchasing power of a currency.

free trade

practice of exchanging goods and services between countries without restrictions or tariffs, promoting economic growth and efficiency.

The Wealth of Nations

A book by Adam Smith published in 1776, considered the foundation of modern economics, advocating free market principles and the invisible hand theory.

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War.

Joseph Brant

Mohawk leader who supported the British during the American Revolution and later worked to secure land for his people in Canada.

Abolition

Movement to end slavery, primarily in the 19th century. Led by activists fighting for the emancipation of enslaved individuals and the abolishment of the slave trade.

Freedom Petitions

Legal documents filed by enslaved individuals seeking their freedom through the court system, often based on claims of mistreatment or promises made by enslavers.

Lemuel Haynes

American Revolutionary War veteran, Congregational minister, and the first African American ordained by a predominantly white denomination.