Period 1: APUSH Vocab

Tenochtitlan

Capital city of the Aztec Empire, located in present-day Mexico City.
Showed the sophistication and sale of pre-Columbian Native civilizations; conquered by Cortés and the Spanish in 1521.

Cahokia

A large Mississippian Native American city near present-day St. Louis.
- Demonstrated the complexity of indigenous societies in North America before European contact.

Coverture

Legal doctrine where a woman’s rights were given to her husband upon marriage
- Reflected the limited rights of women in European (especially English) society, which influenced colonial laws.

Liberty

Originally meant the ability to own land and be free from servitude or arbitrary rule (for white men).
- Different from later ideas of universal liberty — early colonists tied liberty to land, hierarchy, and race.

Reconquista

Spanish campaign to drive Muslims out of the Iberian Peninsula, completed in 1492.
- Created a warrior culture in Spain that carried over into the brutal conquest of the Americas.

Aztec

Mesoamerican empire in central Mexico known for its wealth, warfare, and human sacrifice.

• conquered by hernan cortes; its fall marked a turning point in Spanish colonization

hernan cortes

spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the aztec empire

• his actions exemplified spanish colonization: military conquest, disease, alliances, and brutality.

Inca

powerful empire in the Andes Mountains of South America

• demonstrated the strength of civilizations before conquest; later conquered by Francisco Pizarro

Francisco Pizarro

a spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the inca empire

• expanded spain’s control over South America and spread wealth and power to Spain

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, and goods between the Old and New Worlds.

• led to massive cultural agricultural and demographic shifts; including population decline in the Americas and growth in Europe.

Spanish Social Order (caste system)

rigid social heirarchy based on race and birthplace

• peninsulares (spanish born in spain)

• creoles (spanish born in the americas)

• mestizos (spanish + native) mulattoes (spanish + african)

• natives and africans

reinforced spanish control and justified colonial inequality

Encomienda

a spanish system where colonists received land and could demand labor from Native Americans

• early form of slavery; led to brutal treatment and depopulation of Native peoples

Black Legend

Narrative that the spanish were uniquely cruel to Native Americans

• used by rival European powers to justify their own colonization efforts

Pueblo Revolt (Pope’s Rebellion)

1680 native uprising led by Pope against Spanish rule in New Mexico

• one of the most successful native revolts; temporarily expelled spanish and showed resistance to colonization.

Bartolome de las Casas

Spanish priest who advocated for the rights of Native Americans

• Criticized the encomienda system and contributed to the spread of the Black Legend; early voice for indigenous rights.

Virginia Company

A joint-stock company that funded the establishment of Jamestown in 1607

• first successful english colony; began the trend of profit-motivated colonization in the New World.

Anglican Church

The Church of England, established by Henry VIII

• many early colonists (like Puritans) fled England seeking religious freedom from this church.

Enclosure Movement

English policy of fencing off common lands for private use ( mostly for sheep grazing).

• displaced poor farmers, leading many to become indentured servants and migrate to America

Indentured Servant

Person who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to America.

• major labor source in early colonies, especially before african slavery became dominant.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in America, established in 1607.

• marked the beginning of the British empire in the Americas; tobacco saved it from collapse

Headright System

Gave 50 acres of land to settlers (or those who paid for others’ passage) in Virginia

• encouraged immigration and expansion; boosted the use of indentured servants.

House of Burgesses

first elected legislative body in colonial America (est. 1619 in Virginia_.

• early example of representative self-government in the colonies

Tobacco

Cash crop that became the economic foundation of the Chesapeake (Virginia) colonies

• created demand for land and labor; fueled expansion and the eventual growth of slavery

Puritans

religious group that wanted to purify the Anglican Church, not separate from it.

• settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony; shaed New England’s religious, social, and political life.

John Winthrop

Puritan leader and first governor of Massachusettts Bay Colony.

• advocated for a “City upon a Hill” as a religious example to the world.

• He emphasized a strong communal society and moral pursuits, guiding the colony in its early years.

• promoted intertwining of church and government

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement by Pilgrims to form a self-governing community

• early example of democracy and social contract in colonial America

Massachusetts Bay Colony

puritan colony founded in 1630 near present-day Boston

• became a religious and political model for other colonies; emphasized education and civic duty

Roger Williams

Puritan minister banished for advocating for separation of church and state and fair treatment of Natives.

• founded Rhode Island, a haven for religious freedom and dissenters.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan woman who challenged religious authority by preaching her own interpretations

• banished for her beliefs; symbol of religious dissent and women’s roles in early america

Halfway Covenant

1662 policy allowing partial church membership for children of church members.

• response to declining religious zeal; showed shift in Puritan society’s values over time.

Metacom (King Philip)

Wampanoag leader who led a Native American uprising against New England colonists

• his resistance symbolized struggles to defend their land and culture from english expansion

King Philip’s War (1675-1676)

brutal conflict between New England settlers and Native American tribes led by Metacom

• ended major native resistance in new england; colonists took more native land and tightened control over tribes

Mercantilism

economic theory that colonies exist to benefit the mother country by providing raw materials and markets

• justified british control over colonial trade; led to laws like the Navigation Acts.

Navigation Acts

british trade laws requiring colonies to trade mainly with England and use English ships

• limited colonial economic freedom; increased tensions leading up to the American Revolution

Quakers / Society of Friends

Religious group that believed in equality, pacifism, and inner light in everyone

• founded Pennsylvania under William Penn; promoted religious tolerance and good Native relations

Staple Crops

crops grown for profit, like tobacco, rice and indigo, in the Southern colonies

• drove southern economies and created a high demand for labor — especially enslaved Africans

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Armed revolt of Virginia settlers, led by Nathaniel Bacon, against Governor Berkeley

• revealed tensions between rich planters and poor settlers; accelerated the shift from indentured servants to African slavery

Glorious Revolution (1688)

Bloodless overthrow of King James II in England; replaced by William and Mary

• strengthened parliament; inspired colonial uprisings and a push for more self-government

English Bill of Rights (1689)

Law that limited royal power and expanded rights of Parliament and English citizens

• influenced colonial governments and American ideas about liberty and limited government.

• It established key principles such as the requirement for regular parliaments, free elections, and the right to bear arms, laying the groundwork for future democratic practices.

Backcountry

Frontier regions along the Appalachian Mountains, settled by poorer, independent farmers

• represented colonial expansion and class division; often clashed with Native Americans and eastern elites.

Anglicization

Process of colonies adopting British customs, politics, and culture

• created shared identity between colonists and Britain —- until tensions grew leading to the Revolution

Atlantic Slave Trade

the forced transport of Africans to the Americas for labor from 1500s-1800s

• fueled the colonial economy, especially in the South; dehumanized millions and built racial hierarchies

Middle Passage

the sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the West Indies, part of the Atlantic Slave Trade, characterized by brutal conditions for enslaved Africans.

Triangle Trade

Trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas (slaves from Africa, sugar from Caribbean, goods from Europe)

• integrated the Atlantic economy; linked colonies to global trade and slavery

Carolina Slavery vs. Chesapeake Slavery

Carolina: harsh, rice-based, large plantations, majority enslaved population

Chesapeake: tobacco-based, less brutal but still relied heavily on slavery

• regional differences shaped African American culture and labor systems

Stono Rebellion (1739)

slave uprising in south carolina by africans seeking freedom in spanish florida

• led to stricter slave codes; showed enslaved resistance to oppression

Republicanism

belief in government where citizens elect representatives and value civic virtue

• influenced colonial political thought and the future U.S. government system.

• It emphasizes the importance of a republic, where the government is accountable to its citizens.

Liberalism

Political philosophy (John Locke) emphasizing individual rights, property, and the consent of the governed

• shaped american ideas about natural rights and justified revolution

Colonial Assemblies

Elected legislative bodies in the colonies (Virginia House of Burgesses)

• gave colonists experience with self-rule; often clashed with royal governors

Zenger Trial (1735)

Legal case that established the principle of freedom of the press in America.

Great Awakening (1730s-1740s)

Religious revival movement across the colonies

• united colonies spiritually, challenged authority, and encouraged independent thought

George Whitefield

Key preacher of the Great Awakening known for emotional, dramatic sermons

• popularized revivalism; helped spread the movement across the colonies

The Enlightenment

European intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individualism over tradition.

• influenced colonial elites and the founding ideals of America (liberty, democracy, and reason)

Old Lights vs. New Lights

Old Lights: traditional clergy skeptical of the great awakening

New Lights: revivalist preachers who supported emotional, personal religious experience

• divided churches; challenged religious authority and encouraged religious diversity

Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War) (1754-1763)

Global war between Britain and France; in America, British fought the French and Native allies

• Britain won, gaining control of most of North America—but this led to massive debt and colonial taxes, sparking resistance

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)

Native uprising led by Chief Pontiac against British post-war expansion into the Ohio Valley

• prompted Britain to issue the Proclamation Line of 1763 to limit settlement

Proclamation Line of 1763

british law forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains

• angered colonists eager for land; early source of tension with Britain

Albany Plan of Union (1754)

Ben Franklin’s proposal to unite the colonies for mutual defense during the French and Indian War

• first formal attempt at colonial unity; rejected, but laid groundwork for later unity (like during the Revolution)