APUSH history period 1 vocabulary

Maize

An early form of corn grown by Native Americans.

Mixed Economy

An economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion.

Hunter-gatherer

People who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.

Caste System

A Hindu social class system that controlled every aspect of daily life.

Encomienda System

A system whereby the Spanish crown granted the conquerors the right to forcibly employ groups of Indians; it was a disguised form of slavery.

Joint-Stock Company

A company made up of a group of shareholders who contribute money and receive shares of profits and debts.

Bartoleme De Las Casas

A Spanish priest known for defending the Native Indians and improving their treatment.

Juan de Sepulveda

A humanist scholar who argued that Spaniards are a superior civilization with the right to rule native peoples.

Spanish Mission System

A system that aimed to Christianize natives by relocating them into closely monitored communities.

Maroon Communities

Self-governing communities of escaped slaves found in the early modern Caribbean and coastal areas of the Americas.

Asiento System

A system that facilitated the transportation of slaves to the New World, requiring a tax for each slave brought over.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish explorer who took control of the Aztec empire.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish explorer who led the conquest of the Inca Empire between 1531-1533.

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious movement aimed at reforming the Catholic Church, leading to the establishment of Protestant churches.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement that divided the New World discoveries between Spain and Portugal.

Slave Trade

European trade agreements with Africa that involved the transportation of slaves, a key part of the Triangle Trade.

Iroquois Confederation

A league of Indian tribes in the Northeast that fought with the English during the French-Indian War.

John Cabot

English explorer who claimed Newfoundland for England while searching for the Northwest Passage.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who sailed to the St. Lawrence River in 1535, hoping it led to the Pacific Ocean.

Henry Hudson

An English explorer who claimed the Hudson River for the Dutch, known as New Netherland.

Valladolid Debate

A 1550 debate between Sepulveda and Las Casas on the nature of Indians and colonialism.

Epidemic

A widespread outbreak of an infectious disease.

Anasazi

A Native American group known for building cliff dwellings in the Southwest U.S.

Pueblo

A communal village built by Indians in the southwestern United States.

Compass

A symbol of sympathy for another's suffering or pity.

Lakota Sioux

A nomadic tribe in the Great Plains, known for following Bison and led by chief Sitting Bull.