APUSH Period 1 - 1491-1607

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from APUSH Period 1 lectures.

maize (corn)

A fundamental crop important for the establishment of settled societies in Central and South America.

encomienda system

A labor system where Spaniards were given control over a group of American Indians for labor purposes.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement that divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, disease, and culture between the Old World and New World following Columbus's voyages.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador known for leading the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Three Sisters Farming

An agricultural method of planting maize, beans, and squash together to benefit each crop's growth.

repartimiento system

Replaced the encomienda system, stating Native Americans were free and deserving of compensation for labor.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement that sparked competition between Catholic and Protestant nations over conversion efforts in the New World.

Cahokia

A major trading center of the Mississippian culture located near modern-day St. Louis.

divergent worldviews

The differing beliefs about religion, land use, and society between Europeans and Native Americans.

animism

The belief that components of the physical world can possess supernatural abilities, commonly held by the Incas.

Potosi silver mines

Highly productive silver mines in Bolivia that significantly contributed to Spain's wealth.

mercantilism

An economic theory that emphasizes the importance of building wealth through trade and colonization.

Middle Passage

The journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.

joint-stock companies

Business ventures that allowed multiple investors to share in the profits and losses of colonization.

Bartolomé de las Casas

A Spanish priest who advocated for the rights of Native Americans and criticized the encomienda system.

Juan Sepúlveda

A Spanish philosopher who argued that Native Americans were naturally inferior and needed European governance.