US History exam 1

Deism

an Enlightenment-era belief in the existence of a supreme being (a creator) who does not intervene in the universe; rejects the idea of a supernatural deity who interacts with humankind

Dominion of New England

James II’s consolidated New England colony, made up of all the colonies from New Haven to Massachusetts and later New York and New Jersey

English Interregnum

the period from 1649 to 1660 when England had no king

Enlightenment

an eighteenth-century intellectual and cultural movement that emphasized reason and science over superstition, religion, and tradition

First Great Awakening

an eighteenth-century Protestant revival that emphasized individual, experiential faith over church doctrine and the close study of scripture

Freemasons

a fraternal society founded in the early eighteenth century that advocated Enlightenment principles of inquiry and tolerance

French and Indian War

the last eighteenth-century imperial struggle between Great Britain and France, lasting from 1754 to 1763 and ending in a decisive British victory; also called the Seven Years’ War

Glorious Revolution

the overthrow of James II in 1688

Navigation Acts

a series of English mercantilist laws enacted between 1651 and 1696 to control trade with the colonies

Nonconformists

Protestants who did not conform to the doctrines or practices of the Church of England

Proprietary Colonies

colonies granted by the king to a trusted individual, family, or group

Restoration Colonies

the colonies King Charles II established or supported during the Restoration (the Carolinas, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania)

Salutary Neglect

the lax enforcement of the Navigation Acts by the English crown during the eighteenth century

To what does the term “Restoration” refer?

the restoration of Charles II to the English throne

What was the predominant religion in Pennsylvania?

Quakerism

What sorts of labor systems were used in the Restoration colonies?

Indentured servitude, African slavery, and wage labor

Which concern did many people in England and the colonies have about James II?

That he would institute a Catholic absolute monarchy

What was the Dominion of New England?

The consolidated New England colony created by James II

What was the outcome of the Glorious Revolution?

James II was overthrown and replaced by William and Mary, strengthening Parliament's power

The Negro Act of 1740 was a reaction to what event?

The Stono Rebellion

What was the “conspiracy” of the New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741?

An alleged plot by slaves to burn down New York City and take control

What was the First Great Awakening?

A Protestant revival that emphasized emotional, experiential faith over church doctrine and book learning

Which of the following is not a tenet of the Enlightenment?

Atheism

Who were the Freemasons, and why were they significant?

A fraternal organization that promoted Enlightenment ideals such as reason, inquiry, and tolerance

What was the primary goal of Britain’s wars for empire from 1688 to 1763?

Greater power in Europe and the world

Who were the main combatants in the French and Indian War?

Great Britain against the French and their Indian allies

What prompted the French and Indian War?

Competition between Britain and France for control of the Ohio River Valley and western North America

What was the headright system?

A system in which parcels of land were granted to settlers who could pay their own way to Virginia

What was an indenture?

A labor contract that promised young men, and sometimes women, money and land after they worked for a set period of years

Who were the Jesuits?

Members of the Society of Jesus, an elite Catholic religious order founded in the 1540s to spread Catholicism and combat the spread of Protestantism

What were maroon communities?

Groups of runaway slaves who resisted recapture and survived independently from the land

What was the Middle Passage?

The perilous, often deadly transatlantic voyage of slave ships from Africa to the Americas

What was a musket?

A light, long-barreled European gun

What were patroonships?

Large tracts of land and governing rights granted to merchants by the Dutch West India Company to encourage colonization

What was the repartimiento system?

A Spanish colonial system requiring Indian towns to supply workers for Spanish colonizers

Who were the Timucua?

The native people of Florida who were displaced by the Spanish with the founding of St. Augustine

What was wampum?

Shell beads used in ceremonies and as jewelry and currency

Which of the following was a goal of the Spanish in their destruction of Fort Caroline?

Reducing the threat of French privateers

Why did the Spanish build Castillo de San Marcos?

To defend against imperial challengers

How did the Pueblo attempt to maintain their autonomy in the face of Spanish settlement?

They preserved their cultural and religious traditions and eventually revolted against Spanish rule in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680

Which religious order joined the French settlement in Canada and tried to convert natives to Christianity?

Jesuits

How did the French and Dutch colonists differ in their religious expectations, and how did both compare to the Spanish?

The French promoted Catholicism through missionaries, the Dutch were generally more tolerant of religious diversity, and the Spanish aggressively sought to convert native peoples to Catholicism

What was the most lucrative product of the Chesapeake colonies?

Tobacco

What was the primary cause of Bacon’s Rebellion?

Former indentured servants wanted more opportunities to expand into western territory

The founders of the Plymouth colony were:

Puritans (Pilgrims)

Which of the following is not true of the Puritan religion?

Only men could participate

How did the Chesapeake colonists solve their labor problems?

They first relied on indentured servants and later increasingly on enslaved Africans

What was the Middle Passage?

The transatlantic journey that African slaves made to the Americas

Which of the following is not an item Europeans introduced to Indians?

Wampum

How did European muskets change life for native peoples in the Americas?

They altered warfare, increased military power for tribes with access to guns, and intensified competition and conflict among tribes

Compare and contrast European and Indian views on property.

Europeans believed land could be privately owned and bought or sold, while many Indians viewed land as a communal resource used by the community rather than owned by individuals

Which country initiated the era of Atlantic exploration?

Portugal

Which country established the first colonies in the Americas?

Spain

Where did Christopher Columbus first land?

The Bahamas

Why did the authors of probanzas de méritos write as they did, and how should we interpret these documents?

They wrote to highlight their achievements and gain rewards from the Spanish Crown; historians should recognize that these accounts may be biased or exaggerated

Where did the Protestant Reformation begin?

Northern Europe

What was the chief goal of the Puritans?

To eliminate any traces of Catholicism from the Church of England

What reforms to the Catholic Church did Martin Luther and John Calvin call for?

They called for ending corruption, emphasizing faith and scripture, and rejecting certain Catholic practices and doctrines

Why didn’t England make stronger attempts to colonize the New World before the late sixteenth to early seventeenth century?

English attention was focused on internal struggles and threats from Catholic powers in Scotland and Ireland

What was the main goal of the French in colonizing the Americas?

Trading, especially for furs

What were some of the main differences among the non-Spanish colonies?

The English focused on permanent settlements, the French emphasized trade and alliances with natives, and the Dutch focused on commerce and religious tolerance

How could Spaniards obtain encomiendas?

By serving the Spanish Crown

Why did diseases like smallpox affect Indians so badly?

Indians had no immunity to European diseases

What was the Black Legend?

Spain’s reputation as bloodthirsty conquistadors who brutally treated native peoples

What is Calvinism?

A branch of Protestantism started by John Calvin that emphasized human powerlessness before God and the idea of predestination

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The movement of plants, animals, and diseases across the Atlantic due to European exploration of the Americas

What is commodification?

The transformation of something into a commodity with monetary value

What was the encomienda system?

A Spanish system that granted colonists legal rights to native labor

What is Hispaniola?

The Caribbean island where Columbus first landed and established a Spanish colony; today Haiti and the Dominican Republic

What were indulgences?

Documents purchased from the Catholic Church that absolved sinners of their wrongdoing

What is a joint stock company?

A business organization in which investors provide capital and share both risk and profits

What is mercantilism?

The economic theory that nations should control trade with their colonies to maintain a favorable balance of trade

What were mourning wars?

Raids or wars waged by eastern North American tribes to replace members lost to disease and warfare

Who were the Pilgrims?

Separatists led by William Bradford who established the first English settlement in New England

Who were privateers?

Sea captains authorized by the British government to attack and raid Spanish ships

What was a probanza de mérito?

A letter written by a Spanish explorer to the crown to demonstrate achievements and gain royal patronage

What was the Protestant Reformation?

The religious movement begun by Martin Luther and John Calvin that split Western Christianity from the Catholic Church

Who were the Puritans?

Religious reformers who sought to purify the Church of England by removing Catholic practices and promoting stricter doctrine and worship

What was Roanoke?

The first English colony in Virginia, which mysteriously disappeared between 1587 and 1590

Who were the Separatists?

A group of Puritans who believed the Church of England was beyond reform and should be completely separated from

What was smallpox?

A European disease that devastated native populations in the Americas because they lacked immunity

What is sugarcane?

A major cash crop in the Americas that required large amounts of labor to cultivate

Which of the following Indian peoples built homes in cliff dwellings that still exist?

Anasazi

Which culture developed the only writing system in the Western Hemisphere?

Maya

Which culture developed a road system rivaling that of the Romans?

Inca

What were the major differences between the societies of the Aztec, Inca, and Maya and the Indians of North America?

The Aztec, Inca, and Maya built large, centralized civilizations with cities, governments, and complex social structures, while most North American societies were smaller, more decentralized, and less urbanized

The series of attempts by Christian armies to retake the Holy Lands from Muslims was known as what?

The Crusades

Which city became wealthy trading with the East?

Venice

In 1492, the Spanish forced which two religious groups to either convert or leave?

Jews and Muslims

How did European feudal society operate, and how was it mutually supportive?

Lords granted land and protection to vassals, who provided military service and loyalty; peasants worked the land in exchange for protection, creating a system of mutual obligations

Why did Columbus believe he could get to the Far East by sailing west, and what were the problems with this plan?

He underestimated the size of the Earth and overestimated the size of Asia; he did not know that the Americas lay between Europe and Asia

Which city became a leading center for Muslim scholarship and trade?

Timbuktu

Which of the following does not describe a form of slavery traditionally practiced in Africa?

A system in which people are enslaved permanently on account of their race

What was Beringia?

An ancient land bridge linking Asia and North America

What was the Black Death?

Two strains of the bubonic plague that swept western Europe in the fourteenth century, killing nearly half the population

Who were the chasquis?

Incan relay runners who carried messages over great distances

What is chattel slavery?

A system of servitude in which people are treated as personal property that can be bought and sold

What were chinampas?

Floating Aztec gardens made from reed barges filled with soil and used for agriculture