APUSH Vocab Quiz 1

Vocab from the first three weeks of APUSH

Hierarchy

Any system of placing people or things in a graded order, from lower to higher, in terms of wealth, power, status, and so on

Indigenous

Native to any particular region or country

Historiography

The proper methology (principles/theories) of history as an academic discipline; the study of how professional historians critically examine sources

Plantation

Large agricultural estate or farm on which cash-crop (sugar, tobacoo, coffee, etc.) are raised/cultivated, usually by resident laborers/workers

Consensus

Agreement in opinion; collective opinion

Encomienda

System in which colonial Spanish America under which European soldiers or settlers were granted tracts of land, or a village together with its Native American inhabitents; who were required to farm/ranch/mine or pay tribute in exchange for protection; the right to demand labor or tribute from Native Americans

Privateer

Privately owned/crewed ship that is authorized by a government during wartime to attack and capture enemy vessels and property; licensed pirate

Presidio

Fortified military base and garrison established in colonial Spanish America to protect their religious mission and land-holding

Las Castas

Spanish classification in the New World, designed to function as a socioeconomic hierarchy/system based on race and mixed racial categories; not totally fixed or rigid, but often fluid

Mestizo

Term used in the Spanish Empire in Latin America to refer to a person of mixed racial or ethnic ancestry, esp. mixed Native American and European descent

Piedmont

Area of land formed or lying at the foot of a mountain or range; plateau region of the eastern U.S., extending from New York to Alabama, between Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coastal plain

Gentry

People of gentle birth, good breeding, or high school position; upper or ruling class of English landowners ranking just below the nobility and above the yeomanry (p.s. this the root of the word “gentleman”)

Dissent

The object or disagree with the goals, methods, etc., of a political party or government to take an opposing view, or the act of doing so

Yeoman

Member of a class of free landowning small farmers in England

Indenture

Any written contract, deed, or sealed agreement

Proprietary Colony

Settlement organized in a territory granted by the Crown to a propriorter or propriorters (i.e. owner of a business or holder of property); examples include Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, or the Carolinas

Subversive

Tending to undermine existing or established institutions or doctrines, which may lead to the overthrow of existing governments or religious authorities

Blasphemy

Any contemptuous or profane, utterance, writing, or act concerning God or anything held sacred; deeds meant to dishonor God or the religious authorities

Heresy

Any belief or opinion that is contrary to the orthodox religious doctrine

Autonomous

Self-governing; independent

Urbanization

The growth of cities