APUSH Key Terms - Periods 1, 2, 3

Clovis People

early migrants to the Americas who crossed an ancient land bridge over the Bering Strait to hunt using new stone tools \~11,000 years ago

Archaic People

history of humans in America for about 5000 years starting 8000 BC, hunting and gathering using stone tools → more tools and farming (corn! beans and squash)

Meso-Americans

the people of what is now Mexico and Central America, created the first great civilizations - Inca, Maya, and Mexica/Aztec

Tenochtitlan

great city established by Mexica in 1300 AD, aqueducts for water, large buildings, organized military, school, medicine, slave force

Cahokia

major city in the Mississippi River valley, peaked 1200 AD and had lots of large earthen mounds, trade based on corn and grains

Black Death

bubonic plague epidemic that wiped out \~1/3 of Europe in the mid 14th century, led to prosperity and growth and more centralized governments

Christopher Columbus

explorer, sponsored by the Spanish monarchy to try and reach Asia by sailing west instead of east, leading to his discovery of the New World over 3 voyages (1492-98)

Conquistadores

Spanish “conquerors” who, with the help of diseases such as smallpox, were able to expand into and colonize much of Central/South American - Hernando Cortez

Encomienda system

licenses given to Spanish settlers to get labor and tribute from natives, similar to slavery

Mestizos

people of mixed Spanish and native heritage, in the middle of the racial hierarchy

Matrilineal

societies where heredity is traced through and property is inherited through mothers, common in Native American and African societies

Mercantilism

economic theory in which the nation as a whole is the principal actor in an economy, and it should extract wealth from foreign lands, spurring English colonization

Protestant Reformation

began in Germany 1517 by Martin Luther, challenged Roman Catholic Church and caused permanent split in European Christianity

Puritans

a group of protestants who wanted to purify the church and were unsatisfied with the Church of England, making them look outwards of their country

Separatists

a radical group of puritans who wanted to worship as they wished independently and were less restrictive of women

Coureurs de Bois

French fur traders and trappers who traded extensively with Native Americans (Algonquins and Herons specifically)

Seigneuries

French agricultural estates along the St. Lawrence

Henry Hudson

English explorer employed by the Dutch, established Dutch territory in and around New York, leading to the small but diverse colony New Netherland

Samuel de Champlain

founder of Quebec, started an attack against the Mohawks, displaying the growing French-British rivalry, aided by their native partners

Jamestown

first enduring English settlement, 1607 in Virginia

Sir Humphrey Gilbert/Walter Raleigh

pioneers of English colonization, Gilbert discovered Newfoundland in 1583 but died soon after, Raleigh tried to establish a colony on Roanoke which disappeared

John Smith

famous traveler who assumed leadership of Jamestown in late 1608 and helped bring the colony back from extinction

Headright

50-acre land grants that could be obtained by new settlers through a variety of ways that encouraged new and more migrators/laborers

Virginia House of Burgesses

first meeting of an elected legislature in the colonies, July 30, 1619 in Jamestown

Powhatan

great chief of Powhatan Indians who fought against expansion by colonists on the east coast

George and Cecilius Calvert

first and second Lord Baltimores, who secured a charter granting them a lot of land and power in what is now Maryland

Sir William Berkeley

governor of Virginia from 1642 to 1670s, made agreement with natives to not settle west of an established line

Bacon’s Rebellion

rebellion against colonial government led by Nathaniel Bacon 1675-76, started as unauthorized attack against natives after death of a white servant, part of a continuing struggle to define boundary between natives and Virginia, revealed competition between eastern and western land owners, and unintentionally reflected the hate of land owners by white subordinate class, becoming a cause for African slavery

Mayflower Compact

a document signed by 41 men on the Mayflower establishing a government and proclaiming allegiance to the crown

Plymouth Plantation

first New England colony, started by Scrooby Separatists, grew both English and native foods, initially had good relations with natives (Squanto) and formed an alliance with local Wampanoag, however 13 years later a smallpox epidemic wiped out most natives in the area

William Bradford

governor of Plymouth, secured legal permission for the colony, ended communal labor and distributed land amongst families, paid off debt of colony entirely

Massachusetts Bay Company

established by a group of Puritan merchants in order to start a colony, turned into a colonial government

John Winthrop

governor of New England colonies who led the expedition in 1630 of 1000 people (mostly families), dominated colonial politics

Theocracy

society where line between church and state is blurred

Roger Williams

young minister from Salem who believed in abandoning Church of England and in separation of Church and state, banished from north and established Providence (RI)

Anne Hutchinson

powerful religious figure who challenged the Massachusetts clergy through her religious teachings and view on the role of women in society, banished to RI

Antinomianism

teachings of Hutchinson, members of clergy who were not “elect” had no right to spiritual office, women had active roles in religion

Pequot War

1637 conflict in Connecticut between English settlers and Pequot Indians, English allied with rival tribes of Pequots, almost wiped out Pequots

King Philip’s War

1675 three year conflict between Wampanoag and white settlers, natives terrorized and greatly weakened Massachusetts, but settlers won war

Metacomet

leader of Wampanoag during war, believed only armed resistance could stop white incursions into lands

Quintret

annual payments collected by the 8 proprietors of Carolina

Quakers

Protestant group, “Inner Light,” women had power in society

William Penn

Quaker who founded Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, heavily advertised colony in Europe and was mindful of native land, eventually given Charter of Liberty to govern

James Oglethorpe

head founder of Georgia colony, imagined a military barrier and safehaven for English prisoners, however restrictive policies faced resistance from people and eventually loosened

Middle Ground

areas where Europeans and natives lived together without a dominant power, both sides adapted

Navigation Acts

three acts passed by Charles II from 1660-73 severely limiting the trade of colonies to England in order to fit mercantilism, worked well for most of century

Dominion of New England

combination of New England colonies by James II who appointed Sir Edmund Andros as sole governor, unpopular and abolished soon

Glorious Revolution

bloodless coup against James II by William and Mary backed by Parliament, led to end of Dominion of NE

Jacob Leisler

leader of uprising in New York against Francis Nicholson by less favored colonists, governor for two years

Indentured servitude

young men and women bound to masters for a fixed period (4-5 years usually) in exchange for passage to America, food, shelter, mostly voluntary but some prisoners, practice died out in 1700s

Middle Passage

the journey of enslaved people to America, crammed into the slave ships in terrible conditions, many died en route, once in America auctioned off, Royal African Company

Slave Codes

laws passed in the early 18th century limited rights of African slaves

Huguenots

French Calvinists, earliest non-English European immigrants alongside Pennsylvania Dutch

Scots-Irish

Scottish Presbyterians, left northern Ireland for America as a result of economic and religious pressures by English, most numerous immigrants, settled on edges of European settlement and suppressed natives

Indigo

West Indian plant used to produce a popular blue dye, important complement to rice in South Carolina agriculture

Saugus Ironworks

first effort to establish a significant metals industry in colonies, 1640s Massachusetts, water power, technological success but financial failure

Triangular Trade

a simplified part of the complex transatlantic trade routes between the American colonies, West Indies, England, Europe, and Africa, NE rum and goods → Africa slaves → West Indies sugar

Gullah

hybrid of English and African tongue, used by early slaves in South Carolina

Stono Rebellion

1739 in South Carolina, \~100 slaves killed some whites and tried escaping to Florida but were executed

Covenant

bound all residents of a town in religious and social commitment to harmony

Primogeniture

English system, all inherited property to firstborn son, did not exist in colonies, encouraging many immigrants

Jeremiad

sermons of despair preached by Sabbaths in response to weakening piety

Great Awakening

first major American religious revival, 1730s, Old Light vs New Light

John and Charles Wesley

founders of Methodism, visited Georgia in 1730s

George Whitefield

Methodist preacher, visits to colonies sparked Awakening

Jonathan Edwards

orthodox Puritan, preached traditional ideas, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

Enlightenment

brought to America from Europe, focus on human rational and science over faith

Cotton Mather

Puritan theologist, advocated for smallpox inoculation

John Peter Zenger

subject of trial (1734-35) in which courts ruled criticisms of the government were not libelous if factually correct, giving more freedom of press in colonies

Benjamin Franklin

representative of Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts to England, proposed Albany Plan

Albany Plan

one general government for all colonies, each colony keeps current constitution but general govt has authority over relations with natives, “president general” elected by king and legislature elected by assembly, designed to unify colonies

Creoles

white immigrants of French descent, owned lower Mississippi plantations

Iroquois Confederacy

defensive alliance formed in 15th century by five tribes, commercial relations with English, Dutch, French, and played colonizers against each other, conflict in Ohio Valley due to many groups laying claim

William Pitt

English secretary of state, beginning in 1757 began to transform war effort in America by bringing it fully under British control, planned strategy, appointed commanders, impressment, Americans resented new impositions and resisted

Impressment

forcible enlistment of colonists to replenish army, led to riots and tension

George Grenville

appointed prime minister in 1763, British opinion that colonists should be compelled to obey laws and pay part, imposed new system of control on loose collection of colonial possessions - sugar, currency, stamps

Proclamation of 1763

forbade settlers to advance beyond Appalachian, appealing to British because less conflicts with native, improved relations with tribes somewhat but failed because colonists ignored it

Sugar Act

strengthened enforcement of duty on sugar, designed to eliminate illegal trade of sugar with French/Spanish West Indies, established new courts in America to try accused smugglers, 1764

Currency Act

1764, required colonial assemblies to stop issuing and retire paper money

Stamp Act

1765, tax on most printed docs in colonies - news, almanacs, pamphlets, etc. affected all Americans not just merchants, opposition from powerful, although economic burden was light, act was direct attempt to raise revenue

Patrick Henry

foremost among group of young Virginian aristocrats who hoped to challenge power of tidewater planters in alliance with royal governor, already known for defiance of British, speech to House of Burgesses in May 1765, introduced Virginia Resolves

Virginia Resolves

Americans possess same rights as English, should be taxed only by own representatives, anyone advocating for Parliament to tax Virginia is enemy of colony, House defeated most extreme resolves but all were published

Stamp Act Congress

James Otis persuaded fellow members of colonial assembly to call an intercolonial congress for action against tax, October 1765 met in NY with delegates from 9 colonies and decided to petition king/Parliament

Sons of Liberty

organization of men who terrorized stamp agents and burned stamps, sale of stamps virtually ceased, in summer 1765 attacked pro-British aristocrats (governor Hutchinson in Boston)

Charles Townshend

actual leader of Pitt administration, disbanded NY assembly until colonists obeyed Mutiny Act, levied Townshend Duties on various goods imported to colonies

Mutiny Act

1765, required colonists to provide quarters and supplies for British troops, colonists had already been helping but resented that it was now mandatory, Mass/NY assemblies refused act

Townshend Duties

new taxes on various goods imported from England, thought would be more accepted because external instead of internal tax, however colonists viewed as same as Stamp Act, boycotted goods

Lord North

Townshend’s successor in 1767, repealed taxes besides tea

Boston Massacre

colonists’ harassment of new custom commissioners → four regiments of regular troops in city, representation of British oppression and competition for scarce employment, March 5, 1770 liberty boys threw rocks and snow at sentries → confusion and panic → 5 people shot, transformed by local leaders from incident to symbol of British brutality, portrayed as organized assault

Samuel Adams

leading figure in forming public outrage over Massacre, argued England was corrupt and only in America did virtue survive, spoke frequently at town meetings, in 1772 proposed the creation of a committee of correspondence

Tea Act

British East India Company on verge of bankruptcy and had large stock of tea it could not sell in England, so 1773 act gave company right to export its merchandise to colonies without paying taxes colonial merchants did, giving them a monopoly

Daughters of Liberty

informal organization of women resisting British

Boston Tea Party

December 16, 1773, part of plan by many colonies to prevent the East India Company from landing cargoes in colonial ports, 3 companies of 50 men each pretending to be Mohawks broke open tea chests and threw them overboard

Coercive Acts

four acts of 1774 applied only to Massachusetts to punish, drastically reduced colonial self-government, made Massachusetts a martyr to other colonies

Quebec Act

provided a civil government for the French-speaking Roman Catholic population of Canada/Illinois, many in colonies considered it a threat and plot to subject them to the pope

Committees of Correspondence

organized by Adams in Massachusetts 1772, most effective of new groups of prominent citizens meeting to perform political functions

First Continental Congress

met Sept 1774, delegates from all colonies besides Georgia, made 5 big political decisions and planned to meet again spring, declared close to economic war for autonomy

Second Continental Congress

delegates from every state besides Georgia, net 3 weeks after Lexington and Concord, agreed to support war but disagreed on purpose - independence vs reform

Olive Branch Petition

one last, conciliatory appeal to king which was rejected

Prohibitory Act

closed all colonies to overseas trade, enacted after rejecting Branch