Pre-Columbian and Colonial America Study Guide

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary related to Pre-Columbian and Colonial America, focusing on tribes, events, systems, and ideas from the lecture.

Maize

A crop that allowed the Mississippians and other Mesoamerican tribes to become a civilization.

Teosinte

The wild grass that was selectively bred to create corn in the Americas.

Polytheistic

The type of religion practiced by the Aztecs and Mayas, involving many gods and human sacrifices.

Inca Empire

The American empire found in the Andes mountains.

Terrace farming

A method used by the Incas to grow crops on mountainous terrain.

Encomienda System

A system that gave colonists land and native labor in return for converting natives to Christianity.

Disease

The primary cause of a major decline in native population after European contact.

Jamestown

The first successful English colony in the Americas established in 1606/1607.

Tobacco

The crop that allowed Jamestown to survive and succeed.

Navigation Acts

Laws stating that colonial goods could only go to England or its empire.

Pennsylvania

A colony created as a safe haven for Quakers and known for its abolitionists.

Bacon’s Rebellion

An event that made colonists realize they needed a permanent labor force, leading to increased slavery.

Triangular Trade

A trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Salem Witch Trials

An American event in 1692 where young girls accused older women of using magic.

First Great Awakening

A religious revival that became one of the first shared experiences as 'Americans' in the 1730s-1740s.

French and Indian War

A conflict over the Ohio River Valley that led to British taxation of colonists.