Period 1-6 Terms APUSH

Juan de Sepúlveda

Spanish thinker who defended Spanish conquest and Native enslavement, arguing Natives were inferior and needed control.

Coureurs de bois

French fur traders who lived among Native tribes, forming alliances and shaping France’s cooperative colonial model.

Seigneuries

French feudal-style land grants along the St. Lawrence River, supporting settlement and agriculture in New France.

Mestizos

People of mixed Spanish and Native ancestry, reflecting the racial blending central to Spanish colonial society.

Bartolomé de Las Casas

Spanish priest who condemned Native abuse under the encomienda system and advocated for Native rights.

Juan de Oñate

Spanish conquistador who brutally suppressed the Acoma Pueblo in 1599, symbolizing violent Spanish expansion.

Enclosure Movement

English land privatization that displaced small farmers, pushing many to migrate to the New World.

John White

Leader of the Roanoke colony whose return to England left the settlement vulnerable

Glorious Revolution

1688 overthrow of James II leading to increased parliamentary power and inspiring colonial resistance to authoritarian rule.

John Peter Zenger

Printer whose 1735 trial established early precedent for freedom of the press in the colonies.

English Civil War

Conflict between Parliament and Charles I that disrupted colonization and encouraged some Puritans to migrate.

Encomiendas

Spanish labor system granting colonists the right to Native labor in exchange for “protection,” leading to severe exploitation.

Antinomianism

Belief that moral law is unnecessary for salvation

Joint Stock Company

Business structure allowing investors to pool money for colonial ventures like Jamestown.

Headright System

Land grant system giving settlers 50 acres per person transported to Virginia, encouraging migration and indentured servitude.

Jacob Leisler (Leisler Rebellion)

New York uprising (1689–1691) where Leisler seized control after the Glorious Revolution, later executed for treason.

Act of Toleration (1649)

Maryland law granting religious freedom to all Christians, protecting Catholics from Protestant majorities.

Dominion of New England

James II’s centralized colonial government merging several New England colonies under strict royal control.

Sir Edmund Andros

Royal governor of the Dominion of New England whose harsh rule provoked widespread colonial anger.

House of Burgesses

Virginia’s representative assembly founded in 1619, the first elected legislative body in English America.

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter who challenged church authority through her religious meetings and was banished for her views.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

Uprising of frontier settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley, highlighting tensions over land, Native policy, and class.

Huguenots

French Protestants barred from settling in New France, limiting its population growth.

Phillis Wheatley

Enslaved African poet in colonial America whose works challenged assumptions about African intellect.

Primogeniture

Inheritance system where eldest son inherits property, pushing younger sons to seek opportunity in the colonies.

Cotton Mather

Puritan minister known for promoting smallpox inoculation and supporting the Salem witch trials.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

Major slave revolt in South Carolina that led to harsher slave codes.

Enlightenment

Intellectual movement emphasizing reason, natural rights, and scientific thinking, influencing colonial elites.

Great Awakening

1730s–1740s religious revival stressing emotional faith and challenging traditional church authority.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Early colonial constitution (1639) establishing a representative government

William Pitt

British Prime Minister who led Britain during the French and Indian War; supported colonial rights early but later backed harsh policies.

Pontiac’s War

Native uprising in 1763 against British expansion after the French and Indian War; led to the Proclamation of 1763.

George Grenville

British official who enforced the Sugar and Stamp Acts

Currency Act (1764)

Law banning colonial paper money; worsened economic tensions and increased anti-British sentiment.

Paxton Boys (1764)

Frontiersmen in Pennsylvania who attacked Native Americans and protested colonial government inaction.

Quebec Act (1774)

Extended Quebec’s boundaries and granted religious freedom to Catholics; angered Protestant colonists and fueled revolutionary fears.

Mercy Otis Warren

Patriot writer and historian who criticized British rule and promoted independence through political essays and satire.

Patrick Henry

Virginia orator who declared “Give me liberty or give me death!”; helped ignite revolutionary fervor.

Committees of Correspondence

Colonial networks for sharing anti-British information; unified resistance and coordinated action.

Daughters of Liberty

Women who supported boycotts and made homespun goods to resist British imports and promote independence.

Mutiny Act (1765)

Required colonists to house British troops; seen as an infringement on colonial autonomy.

Stamp Act Congress (1765)

Delegates from nine colonies met to oppose the Stamp Act; marked early unified colonial protest.

Virginia Resolves

Patrick Henry’s resolutions declaring only Virginia could tax Virginians; challenged British authority.

Loyalists (Tories)

Colonists loyal to Britain during the Revolution; often persecuted or fled to Canada.

Joseph Brant

Mohawk leader who sided with Britain during the Revolution; fought to protect Native lands from American expansion.

William Howe

British general who captured New York and Philadelphia but failed to crush the rebellion.

Land Ordinance of 1785

Established a system for surveying and selling western lands; helped fund public education.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Created a process for admitting new states and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794)

U.S. victory over Native forces; led to Treaty of Greenville and opened Ohio to settlement.

John Burgoyne

British general defeated at Saratoga (1777); his loss helped secure French support for the U.S.

Horatio Gates

American general credited with victory at Saratoga; later involved in a failed plot against Washington.

Charles Cornwallis

British general who surrendered at Yorktown (1781)

Prohibitory Act (1775)

British law declaring the colonies in rebellion and cutting off trade; pushed colonies toward independence.

Daniel Shays

Massachusetts farmer and Revolutionary War veteran. He led a short-lived populist uprising that demanded tax and debt relief (Shay’s Rebellion)

Report on Public Credit (1790)

Hamilton’s plan to stabilize U.S. finances by assuming state debts and establishing national credit.

Whiskey Rebellion (1794)

Farmers protested Hamilton’s excise tax; Washington’s response showed federal power under the Constitution.

Jay’s Treaty (1794)

Resolved issues with Britain post-Revolution; unpopular but avoided war and secured trade.

Pinckney’s Treaty (1795)

Agreement with Spain granting U.S. navigation rights on the Mississippi River and access to New Orleans.

Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions

Jefferson and Madison’s response to the Alien and Sedition Acts; argued states could nullify federal laws.

Citizen Genêt

French envoy who tried to rally U.S. support for France; challenged Washington’s neutrality policy.

Charles de Talleyrand

French diplomat involved in the XYZ Affair; demanded bribes from U.S. envoys

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798)

Federalist laws targeting immigrants and critics of the government; seen as unconstitutional by many.

Quasi War (1798–1800)

Undeclared naval conflict between the U.S. and France; led to increased military readiness and strained relations.

Cultural Nationalism

A post-War of 1812 movement emphasizing national pride, unity, and American identity—reflected in art, literature, and education promoting patriotism over regionalism.

Washington Irving

One of the first American writers to gain international fame; known for "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." His work fostered national literary identity and cultural nationalism.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Supreme Court case establishing judicial review, empowering the Court to declare laws unconstitutional; strengthened the judiciary's role under Chief Justice John Marshall.

Barbary Coast Pirates

North African states that demanded tribute from American ships; Jefferson's refusal to pay led to the First Barbary War (1801-1805), asserting U.S. naval power abroad.

Treaty of San Ildefonso (1800)

Secret treaty in which Spain returned Louisiana to France, setting the stage for the Louisiana Purchase (1803) when the U.S. bought the territory from France.

Chesapeake-Leopard Incident (1807)

British warship Leopard attacked the U.S. Chesapeake, seizing sailors accused of desertion. This inflamed anti-British sentiment and contributed to the War of 1812.

Embargo Act (1807)

Jefferson's policy halting all U.S. exports to pressure Britain and France during the Napoleonic Wars; backfired economically, especially hurting New England merchants.

Gabriel Prosser (1800)

Enslaved blacksmith who planned a large slave rebellion in Virginia; the plot was discovered, and Prosser was executed. Heightened Southern fears of slave revolts.

American System (Henry Clay)

Economic plan promoting a protective tariff, national bank, and internal improvements to unify and strengthen the national economy. Reflected postwar nationalism.

Samuel Chase

Federalist Supreme Court Justice impeached by Jeffersonian Republicans for partisan behavior; acquitted, reinforcing judicial independence.

Hartford Convention (1814-1815)

Federalist meeting opposing the War of 1812; proposed constitutional amendments to limit Democratic-Republican power. The war's end made them appear unpatriotic, dooming the party.

Market Revolution

Transformation of the U.S. economy with industrialization, transportation improvements (canals, roads, railroads), and commercial agriculture; spurred urbanization and class shifts.

Tallmadge Amendment (1819)

Proposed gradual emancipation in Missouri as it sought statehood; triggered fierce North-South debate over slavery's expansion, leading to the Missouri Compromise.

Thomas Amendment (1833)

Authorized President Jackson to use the Specie Circular and adjust tariffs; aimed at calming the Nullification Crisis by gradually lowering tariffs.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Upheld constitutionality of the Second Bank of the United States and denied states the right to tax it; reinforced federal supremacy and implied powers.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

Struck down a NY steamboat monopoly; affirmed Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce, promoting national economic unity.

Adams-Onís Treaty (1819)

Spain ceded Florida to the U.S.; defined western boundary of the Louisiana Territory. Reflected American expansionism under Monroe.

Samuel Slater

"Father of the American Industrial Revolution." Brought British textile technology to the U.S., establishing the first successful cotton-spinning mill in 1793.

Francis Cabot Lowell (Lowell System)

Created factory system in Massachusetts employing young women ("Lowell girls") under strict supervision. Early example of industrial labor organization.

Virginia Dynasty

Series of early presidents from Virginia—Jefferson, Madison, Monroe—who dominated national politics and promoted agrarian republican ideals.

Alexis de Tocqueville

French political thinker who wrote "Democracy in America" (1835), analyzing American democracy, equality, and civic life—insightful commentary on Jacksonian society.

Corrupt Bargain (1824)

Election of 1824—when John Quincy Adams won after Henry Clay supported him in the House vote, then became Secretary of State. Jackson's supporters saw this as political corruption.

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs; expanded under Andrew Jackson, symbolizing democratic participation but also patronage.

Thomas Dorr / Dorr Rebellion (1841-1842)

Rhode Island reformer who led a movement to expand voting rights for non-property holders; briefly set up a rival government. Showed tensions over democratic inclusion.

Treaty of New Echota (1835)

Signed by a small Cherokee faction, ceding Cherokee lands in the Southeast to the U.S.; led to the Trail of Tears, as most Cherokees opposed removal.

Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831)

Court ruled the Cherokee were a "domestic dependent nation", not a foreign state, denying their ability to sue Georgia; limited tribal sovereignty.

Worcester v. Georgia (1832)

Marshall Court ruled that Georgia laws had no force in Cherokee territory; Jackson ignored the decision, undermining judicial authority and enabling removal.

Nicholas Biddle

President of the Second Bank of the U.S.; clashed with Jackson during the Bank War. His attempt to save the bank backfired, fueling Jackson's populist appeal.

Specie Circular (1836)

Jacksonian order requiring payment for public lands in gold or silver; intended to curb speculation but helped cause the Panic of 1837.

Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)

South Carolina declared federal tariffs null and void, citing states' rights. Jackson threatened force; crisis ended with the Compromise Tariff of 1833.

Hayne-Webster Debate (1830)

Senate debate over states' rights vs. federal authority. Webster defended Union supremacy ("Liberty and Union, now and forever"), while Hayne backed nullification.

Force Bill (1833)

Authorized Jackson to use military force against states that resisted tariff collection; asserted federal supremacy during the Nullification Crisis.

Hard Money vs. Soft Money

Hard money = gold/silver currency, favored by Jackson and creditors; soft money = paper currency, favored by debtors and banks seeking easy credit.

Roger Taney (Jacksonian Era)

Jackson's Treasury Secretary who transferred federal deposits to "pet banks"; later Chief Justice, he promoted states' rights and limited corporate privileges.

Panic of 1837

Severe economic depression caused by speculative lending, the Specie Circular, and British credit tightening. Banks collapsed, unemployment soared, and Van Buren's presidency suffered.

Commonwealth v. Hunt

"1842 Massachusetts Supreme Court decision declaring that labor unions were legal organizations and that strikes were lawful methods of protest, marking an early victory for workers' rights."

Nativism

"The policy of protecting the interests of native-born Americans against immigrants, especially Catholics and Irish during the 1840s and 1850s; reflected growing xenophobia in response to immigration."