AP United States History Terms

Ferdinand of Aragon

Spanish king who married Isabella. Helped pay for Columbus's trip that got Spain involved in the New World.

Isabella of Castile

Queen of Spain. Helped fund Columbus's trip with Ferdinand so Spain could explore.

Christopher Columbus

Explorer who tried to get to Asia by going west but ended up in the Americas. His trip started a lot of European exploration.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish guy who took over the Aztec Empire. Got help from some Native groups and a translator named Malinche.

Malinche (Doña Marina)

Native woman who helped Cortés talk to tribes. Helped him beat the Aztecs.

Moctezuma

Leader of the Aztecs. Let Cortés into the city and kind of trusted him, which didn't end well for the empire.

Francisco Pizarro

Conquered the Inca Empire in South America and sent a lot of gold and silver back to Spain.

Francisco Coronado

Went looking for cities of gold in the Southwest. Didn't find them but explored a bunch of land and saw the Grand Canyon.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish priest who first went along with colonization but later stood up for Native Americans and said how badly they were treated.

Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)

Explorer for England. Landed in North America and helped England claim land.

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who claimed land along the Mississippi River. Helped France try to compete with Spain and England.

Father Junípero Serra

Priest who started missions in California. Tried to convert Native people and helped Spain stay in control there.

Canadian Shield

Old rocky land in eastern Canada. It was some of the first land to show when North America formed.

Incas

A big Native empire in South America (mainly Peru). They had strong roads and government before being taken over by the Spanish.

Aztecs

Powerful Native empire in Mexico with a big capital (Tenochtitlán). Taken over by Hernán Cortés and the Spanish.

Nation-states

Places with strong governments and one main culture or group. Most Native groups didn't have this, which made it easier for Europeans to take over.

Cahokia

Large Native city near the Mississippi River. Known for big mounds and had a huge population before it collapsed.

Three-sister farming

A farming system using corn, beans, and squash together. It helped Natives grow more food and support big groups.

Caravel

A small, fast ship that let Europeans sail better in rough waters and explore farther.

Plantation

Large farms, usually worked by slaves, that grew crops like sugar or tobacco. This system spread from the Old World to the New.

Columbian Exchange

The trading of plants, animals, diseases, and more between the Old World and the New after Columbus came.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Deal between Spain and Portugal to split the New World. Spain got most of the Americas.

Encomienda

A Spanish system that let colonists "control" Natives in exchange for trying to convert them. Mostly turned into forced labor.

Noche Triste

The "sad night" when the Aztecs fought back and killed many Spanish. But later, Cortés came back and took over.

Capitalism

An economic system based on private business and trade. Got a boost when Spain brought back gold and silver from the New World.

Mestizos

People with both Spanish and Native ancestry. Came from the mix of Spanish men and Native women in the colonies.

Conquistadores

Spanish conquerors who explored and took over big Native empires like the Aztecs and Incas.

Battle of Acoma

A brutal fight where the Spanish killed a bunch of Pueblo people and took over their land (in present-day New Mexico).

Pueblo Revolt

A Native uprising in 1680 where the Pueblo people kicked the Spanish out of New Mexico for a while.

Black Legend

The idea that the Spanish only brought death, slavery, and destruction to the New World even though they also spread culture and religion.

Huguenots

French Protestants who got kicked out of France a lot. Some came to the New World because they weren't welcome at home.

Edict of Nantes

Law in France that gave Protestants (like Huguenots) more freedom. It helped calm things down for a while.

Coureurs de bois

French fur trappers who explored the woods and traded with Native Americans.

Voyageurs

French guys who paddled canoes for the fur trade. Worked with Native groups to move fur around.

Protestant Reformation

A big religious split that started in Europe. It led to different Christian groups breaking away from the Catholic Church.

Roanoke Island

The 'Lost Colony' in North Carolina. Settlers disappeared and no one really knows what happened.

Spanish Armada

Huge fleet of Spanish ships sent to attack England. Got defeated, which helped England rise and Spain fall a bit.

Primogeniture

Law where the oldest son gets everything. Younger sons had to look for opportunities somewhere else, like America.

Joint-stock company

A group of investors who put money together for things like colonies. Helped fund trips to the New World.

Virginia Company

One of those joint-stock companies. Paid for the founding of Jamestown, the first successful English colony.

Charter

A legal paper from the king that gave permission to start a colony. Kind of like a license.

Jamestown

First successful English colony, set up in Virginia. It struggled at first but survived.

First Anglo-Powhatan War

Fight between Jamestown settlers and Powhatan Natives. Ended with peace when Pocahontas married John Rolfe.

Second Anglo-Powhatan War

Another fight later on. This time, the English crushed the Powhatans and pushed them off the land.

New Netherland

Dutch colony in what's now New York. The English took it over later and renamed it.

Iroquois Confederacy

Powerful group of Native American tribes in the Northeast. Played a big role in fighting and trading with Europeans.

House of Burgesses

First group of elected lawmakers in Virginia. Gave colonists a say in government early on.

Act of Toleration

Law in Maryland that said all Christians could worship freely. Didn't protect other religions though.

Barbados slave code

Set of rules from the Caribbean that said enslaved people had no rights. It spread to the American colonies later.

English Civil War

A fight in England between the king and Parliament. Messed with how much attention England gave to its colonies for a while.

Squatters

People who settled on land without permission. A lot showed up in places like North Carolina.

Tuscarora War

War between settlers in North Carolina and the Tuscarora tribe. The tribe lost and was pushed out.

Yamasee Indians

Another tribe that fought the settlers in South Carolina. After they lost, the most powerful tribes in that area were gone.

Buffer

A colony set up between two enemies. Georgia was made as a buffer between the English and Spanish in Florida.

Calvinism

Strict religion started by John Calvin. Believed people were chosen for heaven before they were even born.

Predestination

The idea that God already decided who's going to heaven and nothing can change it.

Conversion

A big religious moment where someone feels chosen by God. Super important to groups like the Puritans.

Puritans

Religious group that wanted to clean up the Church of England. A lot moved to New England for religious freedom.

Separatists

Smaller group of Puritans who wanted to leave the Church completely. The Pilgrims were part of this group.

Mayflower Compact

Agreement made by the Pilgrims before landing. Promised to work together and make their own rules.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Big Puritan colony in New England. Wanted to be a religious example for others, it looked like a city on a hill.

Great English Migration

When thousands of Puritans left England and moved to New England and other colonies in the 1630s.

Antinomianism

Belief that if you're already saved, you don't have to follow rules. Got Anne Hutchinson kicked out of Massachusetts.

Fundamental Orders

Early written rules in Connecticut. Kind of like a constitution, gave people a say in government.

Pequot War

War where English settlers destroyed the Pequot tribe in Connecticut.

King Philip's War

War between New England settlers and Native tribes led by Metacom. Slowed down English settlement for a bit.

New England Confederation

First attempt by a few New England colonies to work together for defense and peace.

Navigation Laws

Laws that said colonies could only trade with England. Made colonists feel more controlled.

Dominion of New England

England tried to group a bunch of colonies together under one boss (Sir Edmund Andros). Colonists hated it.

Glorious Revolution

A peaceful swap of kings in England. After it, the colonies got a bit more freedom again.

Salutary Neglect

When England kind of ignored the colonies for a while and let them run things on their own.

Quakers

Religious group that believed in peace and equality. Didn't follow the Church or fight in wars. Started Pennsylvania.

Blue laws

Strict rules, mostly in Puritan areas, that banned stuff like working or having fun on Sundays.

John Calvin

Started Calvinism. Believed in predestination and that people needed to live strictly to honor God.

William Bradford

Leader of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Helped the colony survive and grow early on.

John Winthrop

First governor of Massachusetts Bay. Wanted the colony to be a 'city upon a hill' as a model for others.

Anne Hutchinson

Questioned Puritan beliefs and said people didn't always have to follow rules. Was kicked out of the colony.

Roger Williams

A Puritan who got in trouble and started Rhode Island. Believed in religious freedom and separation of church and state.

John Rolfe

Helped grow tobacco in Virginia and married Pocahontas. Made the colony rich.

Lord Baltimore

Started Maryland as a safe place for Catholics. Wanted religious freedom in his colony.

Oliver Cromwell

Took over England for a while after the king was removed. Was super strict and Puritan.

James Oglethorpe

Founded Georgia as a place for debtors and to protect the other colonies from Spain. Very military-minded.

Martin Luther

Started the Protestant Reformation in Europe. Broke away from the Catholic Church and inspired others like Calvin.

Massasoit

Leader of the Wampanoag tribe. Made peace with the Pilgrims and helped them survive early on.

Metacom (King Philip)

Son of Massasoit. Led a war against the English settlers (King Philip's War) but lost badly.

Charles II

King of England who tried to take back control of the colonies. Gave land to his friends and supported the Navigation Acts.

Sir Edmund Andros

Put in charge of the Dominion of New England. Tried to enforce English laws and became super unpopular.

William III

Became king after the Glorious Revolution. Helped bring back more rights to the colonists.

Mary II

Ruled with William III after the Glorious Revolution. Both supported giving Parliament more power.

William Penn

A Quaker who founded Pennsylvania. Wanted peace, religious freedom, and fair treatment of Natives.

Indentured servants

Workers from Europe who came to America and worked for free for a few years to pay off the cost of their trip.

Headright system

A deal where people got free land if they paid to bring workers (indentured servants) to the colonies.

Bacon's Rebellion

A fight in Virginia where poor settlers and former servants attacked the government because they felt treated unfairly.

Royal African Company

An English company that sold enslaved Africans. Later, others were allowed to join the trade too.

Middle passage

The long, terrible boat trip where enslaved Africans were taken across the ocean to the Americas.

Slave codes

Strict rules that said enslaved people were property, not people. These laws took away their rights.

Congregational Church

A church run by Puritans in New England. Church members helped lead the town and make decisions.

Jeremiad

A type of church talk that warned people to be better and more religious, or bad things would happen.

Half-Way Covenant

A rule that let more people join the church, even if they didn't fully follow all the rules or have a big religious moment.

Salem witch trials

A time in Massachusetts when people were scared of witches. Many were blamed and some were killed unfairly.