Unit One: Colonial America and Early Exploration

Vocabulary flashcards generated from lecture notes covering European exploration, early American settlements, regions, and major religious and political events.

Major Civilizations of Central and South America

Includes the Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas.

Pueblo Peoples

Native cultures located in present-day Mexico and Arizona, historically associated with the Anasazi.

Great Plains Cultures

Nomadic societies focused on buffalo hunting.

Mississippian Cultures

Native cultures known for constructing mounds and mound houses.

Iroquois Confederation

An alliance formed between 5 tribes.

Northwest Coast Societies

Native American societies known for living in longhouses.

Reasons for Increased Exploration in the 1400s

Driven by GGG (God, Gold, Glory), advances in technology, and new trade opportunities.

Renaissance Exploration Technologies

Key technological advancements including the Printing Press, Mapmaking, and the compass.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Rulers who united Spain and funded Christopher Columbus's voyage.

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator and explorer who landed in America in 1492.

Columbian Exchange

The reciprocal trade of diseases, food, materials, and goods between the eastern and western hemispheres.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztecs.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Treaty that split newly discovered territory between Portugal and Spain.

Bartolome de las Casas

Spanish priest who voted for and advocated for Native American rights.

The Lost Colony

The Roanoke colony that famously disappeared, leaving behind the carved word 'Croatoan'.

Royal Colonies

Colonies under the direct rule of the King.

Proprietary Colonies

Colonies granted to individuals or groups through official permission or a grant from the King.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America.

John Smith

Leader of the Jamestown settlement.

John Rolfe

Jamestown leader who married Pocahontas and introduced tobacco, establishing the colony's main economic export.

New England Colonies

Colonial region made up of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.

Chesapeake Colonies

Colonial region made up of Maryland and Virginia.

Middle Colonies

Colonial region made up of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Southern Colonies

Colonial region made up of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.

Navigation Acts

A series of trade rules and restrictions set by England to control colonial commerce.

Bacon's Rebellion

Uprising led by farmers who burned down Jamestown because they wanted protection and land.

Pilgrims

Protestant separatists who traveled on the Mayflower and settled Plymouth.

Puritans

Religious group that sought to purify the Church of England and established settlements in Massachusetts.

Great Migration

Period in which 15,000+ people migrated to America.

Great Awakening

Spiritual movement that led to increased religious commitment across the colonies.

The Enlightenment

Intellectual movement focused on rational decision-making, science, and critical thinking.

House of Burgesses

The first form of representative government established in the American colonies.

Maryland Act of Toleration

Legislation guaranteeing acceptance and religious tolerance to all Christian denominations.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement establishing a system of self-government among the Pilgrims.

Roger Williams

Religious dissenter who founded Rhode Island.

Anne Hutchinson

American religious leader and challenger of established church authorities.

William Penn

Quaker leader and founder of Pennsylvania.