APUSH Unit 1 (1491-1607, 1607-1754)

“seasoning”

a term in southern colonial America that referred to settlers becoming increasingly immune to local diseases, allowing for more population growth

humoralism

a medical theory by Galen that was popular among midwives and doctors in early America; argued that the human body consisted of four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile, and that an imbalance among these humors would affect health

coffles

groups of enslaved people chained together for transport; captured by native African cheiftans during battle and sold in slave marts on the African coast

Middle Passage

the brutal sea journey undertaken by enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas, characterized by severe overcrowding, inhumane conditions, and high mortality rates

Royal African Company of England

a group that maintained a monopoly on the slave trade between Africa and the American colonies, keeping prices high an supplies low; this monopoly was broken in the mid-1690s

slave codes

laws that defined the status of enslaved people and the rights of masters, establishing a legal framework for slavery in the colonies

Huguenots

French Calvinists who began immigrating to the Americas in the late 17th century to escape religious persecution following the revoking of the Edict of Nantes

Louis XIV

the “Sun King”; wars with this king of France led some Germans (particularly in the Rhineland), Protestants and Catholics alike, to seek refuge in England, some going further to the Americas

Pennsylvania Dutch

a term used to describe German refugees fleeing primarily to Pennsylvania as a result of wars with King Louis XIV

Ulster colonists

Scots-Irish immigrants who embarked for America as their leases in Ireland expired and as the English began to increasingly impose Anglican beliefs on them over their Presbyterian ones; ruthlessly displaced native American populations

Scottish Highlanders

a group of immigrants from Scotland, some Roman Catholics who had been defeated in rebellions, who immigrated primarily to North Carolina

Presbyterian Lowlanders

a group of Scottish immigrants who practiced Presbyterianism; faced with high rents and unemployment in Scotland; became significant influences in New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Eliza Lucas

a young Antiguan woman who managed her family’s North American plantations; experimented with cultivating the West Indian plant of indigo on the mainland; could grow on the high ground of South Carolina, which was unsuitable for rice planting

Saugus, Massachusetts

a colonial settlement in which iron ore was discovered, leading to the establishment of one of the first ironworks in North America; was not able to keep itself afloat financially

Peter Hasenclever

a German ironmaster who established the first large-scale ironworks in America, located in northern New Jersey, and played a crucial role in the colonial iron industry

specie

money in the form of coins, especially gold and silver, used as currency for trade; lacked in the English American colonies

tobacco certificates

Documents that represented the value of tobacco crops, used as a form of currency or payment in colonial America

property certificates

Documents that served as proof of ownership of land or property, often utilized in colonial American transactions

consumerism

the association of material possessions with social status; became prominent in colonial America as prosperity and commercialism grew and class division increased; also came from the early stages of the industrial revolution

Gullah

a hybrid of English and African tongues that developed in South Carolina among enslaved Africans, allowing them to communicate and retain cultural identity

Stono Rebellion

a 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina in which enslaved Africans rose up, killed several whites, and attempted to escape to Florida; the resistance was soon crushed

common

a central pasture around which houses and a meetinghouse were arranged in a typical Puritan New England village

town meeting

an annual gathering where residents of a Puritan New England town would meet to decide on important questions and to choose a group of “selectmen”

selectmen

elected officials in New England towns responsible for local governance and decision-making

visible saints

individuals in Puritan belief considered to be saved and bound for heaven, whose behavior reflects their faith; these were the only individuals admitted into full membership of the Puritan church

halfway covenant

a form of partial church membership in the Puritan belief for those who had not experienced “conversion”

primogeniture

the passing of inherited property through the firstborn son; did not take root in New England, as fathers instead divided property among their sons

Dutch Reformed

a Calvinist denomination established by Dutch settlers in New York and New Jersey

American Baptists

a Protestant denomination that emphasizes believer's baptism and the autonomy of local congregations, rooted in the teachings of Roger Williams

jeremiads

religious sermons on the Sabbath prominent in 1660s New England where the Puritan ministers preached despair, deploring signs of waning piety

John and Charles Wesley

founders of Methodism, known for their hymns and evangelistic work during the Great Awakening; spread these ideas to Georgia and other colonies in the 1730s

Methodism

a Christian movement that originated in the 18th century (Great Awakening), emphasizing personal faith, social justice, and a structured approach to worship; founded by John and Charles Wesley

George Whitefield

an influential evangelist during the Great Awakening known for his charismatic preaching and ability to attract large crowds; co-founded Methodism and worked alongside John and Charles Wesley for a time

Jonathan Edwards

a prominent New England Congregationalist preacher of the Great Awakening from Northampton, Massachusetts; deeply orthodox Puritan and highly original theologian; attacked doctrines of easy salvation for all, instead promoting traditional Puritan beliefs of the absolute sovereignty of God, predestination, and salvation by God’s grace alone

New Light

a term to refer to congregations that embraced the revivalist spirit of the Great Awakening, contrasting with traditional practices and beliefs

Old Light

a term to refer to congregations that resisted the emotionalism of the Great Awakening, preferring established traditions and formal worship practices

Francis Bacon

an English philosopher and statesman, known for developing the scientific method and advocating for empirical research and experimentation

dame schools

schools consisting of teaching from widows or unmarried women to young children in a home setting, emphasizing basic literacy and domestic skills

almanacs

the first widely circulated publications in America other than the Bible; they provided information on calendars, weather, farming tips, and other common interests

Harvard

The first American college; founded by the General Court of Massachusetts as a place for Puritan ministers to be trained

William and Mary College

The second oldest institution of higher education in the colonies, founded in 1693 in Williamsburg, Virginia, intended to train leaders in the Church of England

Yale

The third oldest college in America, founded in 1701 in New Haven, Connecticut, originally intended to train ministers and promote scholarship; arose from dissatisfaction with what conservative Congregationalists saw as increasing religious liberalism at Harvard

College of New Jersey (Princeton University)

a college in colonial America that arose from the Great Awakening, one of its first presidents being Jonathan Edwards

King’s College (Columbia University)

a college founded in New York which was devoted to the spread of secular knowledge, having no theological faculty and was interdenominational from the start

The Academy and College of Philadelphia (University of Pennsylvania)

a colonial American college founded by laypeople under the inspiration of Benjamin Franklin and was a completely secular institution that focused on utilitarian subjects and liberal arts; became the site of the first medical school in British America

Royal Society of London

a prestigious scientific organization founded in 1660 that promoted the advancement of natural knowledge through experiments and observations, influencing the development of modern science

Benjamin Franklin

a leading founding father, inventor, and writer known for his contributions to the Enlightenment, his role in the American Revolution, and his advocacy for civic improvement and education; won international fame through his experimental proof of the nature of lightning and electricity

Cotton Mather

a Puritan theologian who reportedly heard from his own slave the practice of purposefully infecting people with mild cases of smallpox to immunize them; urged inoculation on fellow Bostonians during an epidemic in the 1720s, although he believed smallpox a punishment for sin

Marco Polo

an explorer that returned from Asia with exotic goods and detailed accounts of his travels, inspiring future explorers and expanding European interest in trade with the East

Prince Henry the Navigator

a Portuguese prince who significantly advanced the exploration and maritime technology in the 15th century, promoting voyages along the western African coast and establishing a school for navigation

Bartholomeu Dias

rounded the southern tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope)

Amerigo Vespucci

an Italian explorer who played a key role in the exploration of the Americas, recognized for demonstrating that Brazil and the West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern riches as initially thought, leading to the naming of the continent in his honor

Ferdinand Magellan

a Portuguese explorer known for leading the first expedition to successfully circumnavigate the globe, proving that the Earth is round and that the oceans are connected

Vasco da Gama

went all around the Cape of Good Hope to India

Pedro Cabral

“discovered” Brazil in 1500, becoming the first European to establish a claim in South America

Christopher Columbus

completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, famously landing in the Americas (Bahamas) in 1492 while seeking a westward route to Asia; believed he had arrived in the Far East for all his life

Vasco de Balboa

first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas by fighting across the isthmus of Panama

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers and soldiers who conquered territories in the Americas, often seeking wealth and expanding Spanish influence

Hernando Cortes

Spanish Conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and claimed Mexico for Spain

Montezuma

the ninth ruler of the Aztec Empire, known for his dramatic confrontation with Hernando Cortes during the Spanish conquest of Mexico

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish Conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Inca Empire in South America, claiming significant territories for Spain

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer and conquistador known for his expeditions in the southeastern United States; first European to cross the Mississippi River

Francisco Coronado

Spanish explorer known for leading an expedition into the southwestern United States, traveling north from Mexico

Age of Conquest

The period characterized by Spanish military forces establishing their dominion over large territories in the Americas, driven by exploration, wealth acquisition, and the spread of Christianity

Ferdinand and Isabella

Spanish monarchs who financed Christopher Columbus's voyages and supported the establishment of Spanish colonies in the Americas; bowed to wishes of the Church and and required that all new territories be Catholic

Prestidos

fortified military outposts established by Spanish colonizers in North America to support exploration and settle new territories, defending colonists from protesting Native people

Missions

religious outposts established by Spanish colonizers in the Americas to convert Native Americans to Christianity and promote Spanish territorial claims

St. Augustine

the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the continental United States, founded by Spanish explorers in 1565. It served as a military outpost and mission.

Don Juan de Onate

a Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first major Spanish expedition into the American Southwest and is known for establishing the colony of New Mexico.

encomiendas

land grants that allowed Spanish colonizers to demand labor and tribute from Native Americans, effectively enslaving them

ranchos

large estates or land grants used for raising livestock, particularly cattle, by Spanish settlers in the American Southwest

Pueblo Revolt of 1680

an uprising of Pueblo people against Spanish colonizers in New Mexico, driven by oppression and cultural suppression; also sparked by a drought and series of raids by the Apache tribes which produced instability; led by Pope

Pope

a religious leader of the Pueblo people who led the revolt against Spanish colonizers in New Mexico, aiming to restore native traditions and religious practices

mestizos

people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry, often occupying a social class between Spaniards and Indigenous peoples in colonial Spanish America

Guinea

a region in Africa that was home to a great variety of peoples and cultures and from which most enslaved African men and women came

John Cabot

An Italian explorer who sailed under the English in the late 15th century, credited with the discovery of parts of North America, specifically Newfoundland; sponsored by King Henry VII

Utopia by Thomas More

a work that described a nearly perfect place in the New World on an imaginary island discovered by Amerigo Vespucci in the New World; encouraged English colonization

enclosure movement

the legal process in England of consolidating small landholdings into larger farms, largely due to an increased focus on land being used for sheep, which led to increased agricultural efficiency and displacement of peasant populations; encouraged English colonization in the New World

chartered companies

business entities formed with royal approval to manage trade in specific regions, playing a crucial role in European exploration and colonization

Richard Hakluyt

an English writer and geographer who wrote pro-colonial propaganda arguing that colonies would both create a new market for English goods and alleviate poverty and unemployment by siphoning off the surplus population

John Calvin

a French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation, he emphasized the doctrine of predestination and founded Calvinism, which influenced religious thought and practices in the New World

Queen Elizabeth I

adopted a form of Protestantism after Mary Tudor’s reign that was disconnected from the Catholic Church, which angered Catholics, and was not Protestant enough for some Puritans

Seperatists

a group of Puritans who broke away from the Church of England, seeking to establish their own independent congregations and practices, often facing persecution for their beliefs

James I

and English and Scottish monarch who antagonized Puritans, leading to a desire in nonconformists to seek refuge in the Americas.

Ireland

a region where England’s first attempts at colonization occurred, developing prejudices about the people they aimed to conquer that they would carry to the Americas

Sir Humphrey Gilbert

an English explorer and soldier who served as governor of an Irish district and violently suppressed rebellions; considered native people less than human; carried these ideas to the Americas where he attempted a venture in Newfoundland (the first British colony in the New World)

pale of settlement

a term used by English colonizers to describe an area physically separated from the Native population

French Jesuit missionaries

among the first Europeans to penetrate Native societies, establishing some of the first contacts between the two peoples

Coureurs de bois

adventurous fur traders and trappers who lived among Native Americans in Canada and the Great Lakes region; developed trade relationships and often intermarried with indigenous tribes; became one of the underpinnings of French colonial economy

seigneuries

land grants in New France given to French nobles, allowing them to manage and settle the land and cultivate resources, integral to the French colonial system; contributed to the French’s ability to compete with the more numerous British in NA

Algonquin

A Native American tribe that allied with French colonists in the fur trade and held a rivalry with the Iroquois (who contributed to the British fur trade) which sparked conflict

Samuel de Champlain

founded Quebec; led a 1609 attack on a band of Mohawks for Algonquin trading partners

Henry Hudson

An English employed by the Dutch who explored parts of North America, including the river that now bears his name, seeking a northwest passage to Asia; his voyages contributed to Dutch claims in the New World

Dutch West India Company

A trading company established by the Dutch in 1621, aimed at managing Dutch trade in the Americas and capturing Spanish and Portuguese territories. It played a significant role in the colonization of the Caribbean and North America, particularly in the fur trade.

patroons

vast feudal estates granted to landlords by the Dutch West India Company on the condition that they bring more immigrants to America

New Netherland

a small, diverse, weakly-lead, loosely united Dutch colony created from patroons

Jamestown

the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 in Virginia, known for its role in the early development of the American colonies.

sea dogs

English privateers who raided Spanish ships and settlements during the late 16th century, playing a significant role in England's naval power

Sir Francis Drake

an English sea captain and privateer (“sea dog”) known for his circumnavigation of the globe and raiding Spanish possessions.

Phillip II

King of Spain known for his role in the Spanish Armada and attempts to spread Catholicism (and to restore it to England)