AP US History (APUSH) Vocabulary, APUSH

Historiography

The study of how history is done, such as how different people perceive past events and how a source's point-of-view impacts its portrayal of the past.

Maize

An early form of corn grown by Native Americans

Social Diversification

sophisticated cultural developed as a result of stable agriculture and trade; allows for priesthood, traders, farmers, etc

Hunter-gatherer

a member of a nomadic group whose food supply depends on hunting animals and collecting plant foods.

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus's voyages.

Columbian Exchange

Caste system

a set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society

Feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Subjugation

the act of conquering or bringing under control; enslavement

Autonomy

independence and self-government

Cereal crops

rice, wheat, corn, oats, sorghum, rye and millet (cash crops in the New England colonies)

Homogenous

of the same kind

Atlantic World

A pattern of exchange between Western Europe, Western Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Made it easier to get goods from foreign places.

Slavery

A system of enforced servitude in which some people are owned by other people.

Encomienda system

system in Spanish America that gave settlers the right to tax local Indians or to demand their labor in exchange for protecting them and teaching them skills.

Subsistence

farming in which only enough food to feed one's family is produced

Irrigation

The process of supplying water to areas of land to make them suitable for growing crops.

Pueblo Revolt

1680, Native American revolt against the Spanish in late 17th century, expelled the Spanish for over 10 years, Spain began to take an accommodating approach to Natives after the revolt

Animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

Tribute

Money paid by one country to another in return for protection

Primogeniture

A system of inheritance in which the eldest son in a family received all of his father's land. The nobility remained powerful and owned land, while the 2nd and 3rd sons were forced to seek fortune elsewhere. Many of them turned to the New World for their financial purposes and individual wealth.

Crusades

1096-1270, a series of holy wars undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

Protestant Reformation

1517-1648, a religious movement that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.

Conquistadores

Spanish 'conqueror' or soldier in the New World. They were searching for the 3 G's: gold, God, and glory.

Commerce

the buying and selling of goods

Joint Stock Company

A company made up of a group of shareholders. Each shareholder contributes some money to the company and receives some share of the company's profits and debts.

Indentured Servant

Colonists who received free passage to North America in exchange for working without pay for a certain number of years

Puritans

A religious group who wanted to purify the Church of England. They came to America for religious freedom and settled Massachusetts Bay.

Chattel Slavery

Absolute legal ownership of another person, including the right to buy or sell that person.

Migrants

people who leave their homes to work for a time in other regions or countries

Anglicization

the colonial american desire to emulate English society, including English taste in foods, customs, and architecture

Evangelicalism

stresses the importance of personal conversion and faith as the means of salvation

Mercantilism

An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought

Encroachment

gradual intrusion on a person's territory, rights, etc.

Seven Years War

1756-1763, known also as the French and Indian War, between the French and their Indian allies and the English that proved the English to be the more dominant force of what was to be the United States both commercially and in terms of controlled regions.

Atlantic Economy

A commercial exchange in the Atlantic that was dominated by the British due to remarkable growth in it's colonies. It is commonly referred to as the "triangle trade," designating a three-way transport between Europe, Africa, and the colonies. Moreover, it was inextricably linked to trade with the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Metacom's War (King Philip's War)

1675-1676, period of bloody conflict between Wampanoag Indians and Puritan settlers in New England, an example of Indian resistance to English expansion in North America.

First Great Awakening

1730-1755, religious revival in the colonies, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards preached a message of atonement for sins by admitting them to God. The movement attempted to combat the growing secularism and rationalism of mid-eighteenth century America. Religious splits in the colonies became deeper.

European Enlightenment

European intellectual movement of the 18th century that applied the lessons of the Scientific Revolution to human affairs and was noted for its commitment to open-mindedness and inquiry and the belief that knowledge could transform human society.

Virginia Company

joint-stock company in London that received a charter for land in the new world. Charter guarantees new colonists same rights as people back in England.

John Smith

1580-1631, helped found and govern Jamestown. His leadership and strict discipline helped the Virginia colony get through the difficult first winter.

John Rolfe

1585-1622, one of the English settlers at Jamestown (and he married Pocahontas). He discovered how to successfully grow tobacco in Virginia and cure it for export, which made Virginia an economically successful colony.

Headright System

parcels of land consisting of about 50 acres which were given to colonists who brought indentured servants into America. They were used by the Virginia Company to attract more colonists.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676, Nathaniel Bacon and other western Virginia settlers were angry at Virginia Governor Berkley for trying to appease the Doeg Indians after the Doegs attacked the western settlements. The frontiersmen formed an army, with Bacon as its leader, which defeated the Indians and then marched on Jamestown and burned the city. The rebellion ended suddenly when Bacon died of an illness.

House of Burgesses

the first elected legislative assembly in the New World established in the Colony of Virginia in 1619, representative colony set up by England to make laws and levy taxes but England could veto its legislative acts.

Triangular Trade

A three way system of trade during 1600-1800s Africa sent slaves to America, America sent Raw Materials to Europe, and Europe sent guns and rum to Africa

Mayflower Compact

1620, the first agreement for self-government in America. It was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower and set up a government for the Plymouth colony.

John Winthrop

1588-1649, Puritan governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Speaker of "City upon a hill"

"City on a Hill"

John Winthrop wanted Massachusetts Bay Colony to be a Puritan model society based on Christian principles. Puritans tried to live perfect lives.

Roger Williams

1603-1683, founded Rhode Island for separation of Church and State. He believed that the Puritans were too powerful and was ordered to leave the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious beliefs.

Anne Hutchinson

1591-1643, Puritan woman who was well learned that disagreed with the Puritan Church in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her actions resulted in her banishment from the colony, and later took part in the formation of Rhode Island. She displayed the importance of questioning authority.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Set up a unified government for the towns of the Connecticut area (Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield). First constitution written in America.

Lord Baltimore

1694- He was the founder of Maryland, a colony which offered religious freedom, and a refuge for the persecuted Roman Catholics.

Maryland Act of Toleration

1649 - Ordered by Lord Baltimore after a Protestant was made governor of Maryland at the demand of the colony's large Protestant population. The act guaranteed religious freedom to all Christians.

Salem Witch Trials

Several accusations of witchcraft led to sensational trials in Salem, Massachusetts at which Cotton Mather presided as the chief judge. 18 people were hanged as witches. Afterwards, most of the people involved admitted that the trials and executions had been a terrible mistake.

Jonathan Edwards

Preacher during the First Great Awakening; "Sinners in the hands of angry god"

Quakers

English dissenters who broke from Church of England, preached a doctrine of pacifism, inner divinity, and social equity, under William Penn they founded Pennsylvania

William Penn's "Holy Experiment"

An English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, which was based upon religious toleration. He also made friends with the Lenape Indians (in contrast to other colonies' wars).

Benjamin Franklin

American intellectual, inventor, and politician He helped to negotiate French support for the American Revolution.

Phillis Wheatley

American poet (born in Africa) who was the first recognized Black writer in America (1753-1784)

John Peter Zenger

Journalist who questioned the policies of the governor of New York in the 1700's. He was jailed; he sued, and this court case was the basis for our freedom of speech and press. He was found not guilty.

Albany Plan of Union

plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown

George Washington

1st President of the United States; commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution (1732-1799)

Proclamation of 1763

A proclamation from the British government which forbade British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains, and which required any settlers already living west of the mountains to move back east.

Pontiac's Rebellion

1763 - An Indian uprising after the French and Indian War, led by an Ottowa chief named Pontiac. They opposed British expansion into the western Ohio Valley and began destroying British forts in the area. The attacks ended when Pontiac was killed.

Guerrilla Warfare

A hit-and-run technique used in fighting a war; fighting by small bands of warriors using tactics such as sudden ambushes

Artisans

skilled workers who make goods by hand

Laborers

a person doing unskilled manual work for wages

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to Britain and opposed the war for independence

Patriots

American colonists who were determined to fight the British until American independence was won

Hereditary

having title or possession by reason of birth

Self-government

a system of government in which people make their own laws

Thomas Paine's Common Sense

Pamphlet published in 1776 that persuaded American Colonists to support independence.

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

Militias

groups of citizen soldiers

American Revolution

the revolution of the American colonies against Great Britain (1775-1783)

Demographic

having certain characteristics in common, such as age, race, or gender

Articles of Confederation

1st Constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no power to tax, no power to regulate trade)

Northwest Ordinance

a law passed by Congress in 1787 that specified how western lands would be governed

Northwest Territories

Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota

Constitutional Convention

Meeting in 1787 of the elected representatives of the thirteen original states to write the Constitution of the United States.

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

Separation of Powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

Federalist Papers

A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

Ratification

Formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

John Locke

17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.

Salutary Neglect

An English policy of not strictly enforcing laws in its colonies

Sons of Liberty

A radical political organization formed by Samuel Adams after the passage of the Stamp Act to protest various British acts; organization used both peaceful and violent means of protest

Sugar Act of 1764

An act that raised tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. It also increased the duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies.

Stamp Act of 1765

required colonists to pay for an official stamp when buying paper items

Stamp Act Congress

group of colonists who protested the Stamp Act, saying that Parliament couldn't tax without colonist' consent

Quartering Act of 1765

Act forcing colonists to house and supply British forces in the colonies; created more resentment; seen as assault on liberties.

Declaratory Act of 1766

reasserted Britain's power over colonies, response to Boston Tea Party

Boston Massacre

The first bloodshed of the American Revolution (1770), as British guards at the Boston Customs House opened fire on a crowd killing five Americans

Crispus Attucks

A free black man who was the first person killed in the Revolution at the Boston Massacre.

Committees of Correspondence

Organization founded by Samuel Adams consisting of a system of communication between patriot leaders in New England and throughout the colonies

Boston Tea Party

A 1773 protest against British taxes in which Boston colonists disguised as Mohawks dumped valuable tea into Boston Harbor.

Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) of 1774

The four Massachusetts acts by Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party which closed Boston port, revoked right of trial by a jury of peers, imposed martial law, and forced colonists to quarter troops. Became key event leading towards the revolution.

Continental Congress

The legislative assembly composed of delegates from the rebel colonies who met during and after the American Revolution