APUSH Terms

Great terms to know from Period 1 all the way through Period 9

Who was Christopher Columbus?

An Italian navigator funded by Spain, known for sailing west in 1492 and discovering the Americas.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The exchange of crops, animals, diseases, and peoples between the Old World and the New World following Columbus's voyages.

Define Conquistadores.

Spanish conquerors of the Americas who subdued indigenous civilizations and claimed territories for Spain.

What was the Encomienda System?

A labor system where Spanish colonists extracted labor and tribute from Native Americans in exchange for Christianization.

Who was Bartolomé de Las Casas?

A Spanish priest who advocated for better treatment of Native Americans and condemned Spanish abuses.

Who was Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda?

A Spanish scholar who argued for the superiority of Europeans and justified Spanish conquest of Native Americans.

Define the Valladolid Debate.

The first moral debate in Spain regarding Spanish colonization, focusing on the humanity and rights of Native Americans.

What is a Mestizo?

A person of mixed European and Native American ancestry in the Spanish colonies.

Define Mulatto.

A person of mixed European and African ancestry in the colonial social hierarchy.

What is a Zambo?

A term for individuals of mixed African and Native American ancestry in Spanish and Portuguese colonies.

What was the Spanish Caste System?

A hierarchical social structure in Spain's colonies based on heritage, defining social status and legal rights.

Describe Cahokia.

A major Native American city built by the Mississippian culture near the Mississippi River, known for its earthen mounds.

What does Maize Cultivation refer to?

The farming of corn, which supported the development of settled Native American societies.

What were the Great Basin and Great Plains Native societies like?

Many indigenous peoples were nomadic hunter-gatherers and adapted to their arid environments.

What characterized the Eastern Woodlands societies?

Native American groups in the Northeast engaged in both agriculture and hunting, with complex political alliances.

What was significant about the Northwest and California Native societies?

Resource-rich environments led to established permanent villages and diverse tribal cultures.

What is a Joint-Stock Company?

A business arrangement where investors pool resources for mutual profit, used for financing colonies.

Define Mercantilism.

An economic theory that nations power is based on wealth, leading to colonial establishment for resource extraction.

What was the Treaty of Tordesillas?

An agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe.

What is the Spanish Mission System?

A network of religious and military outposts aimed at converting Native Americans to Christianity.

What does the term ‘Black Legend’ refer to?

The propaganda suggesting that Spanish colonizers brought only misery to the New World.

What was the Asiento System?

A license granting the holder the right to import enslaved Africans to Spanish colonies.

What was Jamestown?

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607.

Who was John Smith?

An English leader in Jamestown who established discipline for survival and established relations with Native Americans.

What impact did John Rolfe have on Jamestown?

He introduced tobacco as a cash crop, ensuring the colony's economic success.

Who was Pocahontas?

The daughter of the Powhatan chief who played a role in establishing peace between the English and Native Americans.

What was the Mayflower Compact?

An agreement by Pilgrims for self-government and majority rule in Plymouth Colony.

Who were the Puritans?

English Protestants seeking to purify the Church of England and establish a godly community.

What were Separatists (Pilgrims)?

Puritans who separated entirely from the Church of England and founded Plymouth Colony.

What characterized the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

A significant Puritan colony known for its theocratic government and emphasis on education.

Who was John Winthrop?

The first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, known for his vision of a 'City upon a Hill'.

Who was Roger Williams?

A Puritan minister who advocated for separation of church and state and founded Rhode Island.

What did Anne Hutchinson challenge?

Religious authorities in Massachusetts Bay by promoting her interpretations of sermons.

Define the Headright System.

A land grant program to attract settlers by awarding land for paying passage.

What are Indentured Servants?

People who worked for a master for a fixed term in exchange for passage to the colonies.

What are the Chesapeake Colonies?

The English colonies of Virginia and Maryland known for tobacco farming.

What was the Maryland Act of Toleration?

A law granting religious freedom to all Christians in the Maryland colony.

What characterized the New England colonies?

Small towns, family farms, and a mixed economy with greater religious homogeneity.

What were the Middle Colonies known for?

Diversity and fertile soil, with mixed agricultural and commercial economies.

Who was William Penn?

The founder of Pennsylvania as a haven for Quakers and for religious tolerance.

What were the Southern Colonies?

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, known for plantation economies.

Describe the Atlantic Slave Trade (Middle Passage).

The transatlantic journey that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas under dire conditions.

What was the Triangular Trade?

A three-part trade network linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving goods and slaves.

What was the Pueblo Revolt?

An uprising by Pueblo Indians against Spanish colonization in New Mexico in 1680.

What was Bacon’s Rebellion?

A revolt of Virginia backcountry farmers against the colonial government led by Nathaniel Bacon.

What was King Philip’s War?

A conflict between New England colonists and Native American tribes, resulting in significant deaths.

What is Mercantilism in Colonies?

The policy requiring colonies to supply materials and trade primarily with the mother country.

What were the Navigation Acts?

Laws regulating colonial trade to ensure it benefited England.

What is Salutary Neglect?

A British policy of lax enforcement of trade regulations in the colonies.

What was the First Great Awakening?

A religious revival emphasizing emotional faith and challenging traditional church authority.

What was the Enlightenment?

An intellectual movement emphasizing reason, science, and individual rights over tradition.

Who was Benjamin Franklin?

An influential polymath and key figure in the American Enlightenment.

What are Colonial Legislatures?

Elected assemblies in the colonies that governed local affairs.

What was the John Peter Zenger Trial?

A trial establishing the precedent for freedom of the press in the colonies.

What was the French and Indian War?

A conflict between Britain and France over territory and resources in North America.

What was the Albany Plan of Union?

Benjamin Franklin’s proposal for a unified government for the colonies, ultimately rejected.

What was Pontiac’s Rebellion?

An uprising by Native American tribes against British rule following the French and Indian War.

What did the Proclamation of 1763 do?

Forbade colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent Native American conflicts.

What does the phrase “No Taxation Without Representation” mean?

Colonial grievance against British taxation without elected representatives in Parliament.

What was the Stamp Act?

A tax requiring colonists to purchase stamps for legal documents and printed materials.

What was the Stamp Act Congress?

A meeting of colonial representatives to protest the Stamp Act and assert their rights.

Who were the Sons of Liberty?

A secret organization opposing British taxation, using protests and direct action.

What were the Townshend Acts?

British taxes on colonial imports leading to protests and boycotts.

What was the Boston Massacre?

A clash between British soldiers and colonists resulting in five deaths, used as propaganda.

What was the Boston Tea Party?

A protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to oppose the Tea Act.

What were the Intolerable Acts?

Punitive laws passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, restricting colonial governance.

What were the Committees of Correspondence?

Networks of communication among colonies to coordinate resistance to British policies.

What was the First Continental Congress?

A meeting of colonial delegates to address grievances against British rule.

What happened at Lexington and Concord?

The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775.

What is Common Sense?

A pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for American independence from Britain.

What was the Declaration of Independence?

The document declaring the colonies' separation from Britain, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson.

What were Patriots vs. Loyalists?

Patriots supported independence; Loyalists remained loyal to Britain.

What was the Battle of Saratoga?

A turning point battle in the Revolutionary War that secured French support for the Americans.

What were the Articles of Confederation?

The first governing document of the U.S., creating a weak central government.

What was the Northwest Ordinance?

A law establishing governance for the Northwest Territory and a process for admitting states.

What was Shays’ Rebellion?

An uprising of debt-ridden farmers protesting economic injustices in Massachusetts.

What was the Constitutional Convention?

A gathering to revise the Articles of Confederation, resulting in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

What was the Great Compromise?

An agreement establishing a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate.

What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

An agreement counting enslaved people as three-fifths of a person for representation and taxation.

Who were the Federalists?

Supporters of the new Constitution advocating for a strong central government.

What were the Anti-Federalists?

Opponents of the Constitution, fearing strong central government and lack of a Bill of Rights.

What were The Federalist Papers?

Essays advocating for the ratification of the Constitution, written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

What is the U.S. Constitution?

The supreme law of the United States, establishing the framework for government.

What is the Bill of Rights?

The first ten amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing individual liberties.

Who was George Washington?

The first President of the United States and commander of the Continental Army.

Who was Alexander Hamilton?

The first Secretary of the Treasury and a leading figure in establishing a strong federal government.

What was the Federalist Party?

A political party supporting a strong central government and commercial interests.

What was the Democratic-Republican Party?

A political party advocating for states' rights and a limited federal government.

What was the Whiskey Rebellion?

A revolt against the federal excise tax on whiskey, which tested the authority of the new government.

What was Jay’s Treaty?

A treaty resolving issues with Britain but unpopular due to its concessions.

What was the XYZ Affair?

A diplomatic incident that led to an undeclared war between the U.S. and France.

What were the Alien and Sedition Acts?

Laws restricting immigration and limiting free speech against the government.

What were the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions?

Political statements arguing states could nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional.

What was the Revolution of 1800?

The peaceful transfer of power between political parties from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans.

Who was Thomas Jefferson?

The third President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

What was the Louisiana Purchase?

The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the U.S.

What was the Lewis and Clark Expedition?

An exploration commissioned by Jefferson to map the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.

Who was John Marshall?

Chief Justice who established the principle of judicial review and expanded federal power.

What was Marbury v. Madison?

A landmark case establishing the Supreme Court's power of judicial review.

What was the Embargo Act?

A law forbidding all exports from the U.S. to pressure Britain and France during the Napoleonic Wars.