American History Unit 1 Flashcards
Communities of people who move from place to place, relying on plants and animals found in the wild for food.
Nomadic hunter-gatherers
The movement of a number of people (or animals) often to establish a new homeland
Migration
The land connecting the northeast tip of Asia and present day Alaska
Bering Land Bridge (or Beringia)
The area now called Central America
Mesoamerica
The way a society behaves and it’s system of beliefs, laws, and customs
Culture
An early form of corn
Maize
A group of people living together as a group
Society
An advanced and complicated society
Civilization
Government where the priests are in charge
Theocracy
What was Beringia? Where was it located?
Beringia was the land bridge between Asia and North America
Why did people first come to the Americas? Why did they stop?
People were following animal migrations, but they stopped when Beringia was covered by water when the glacial period ended
How do cultures become different from one another?
It happens over time, as they are separated from their roots and develop new traditions
What is a nomadic hunter-gatherer society?
People who move regularly, and hunt and gather for food
How did innovations in farming affect societies?
With food produced in one place, sedentary living increased
What is one invention of the Maya people?
A calendar, canals
What is Theocracy?
A government controlled by priests
What was the capital of the Aztec Empire? When was it founded?
Tenochtitlan, founded 1325 CE
What was the language of the Inca Empire?
Quechua
Means “ancient ones”
Anasazi
A kind of clay still used for building in the southwest
Adobe
The millions of people who settled in what is now the U.S. and Canada
Native Americans
Name three types of homes that the Anasazi created
Pit houses, pueblos, and cliff dwellings
How did the Mound Builders use mounds?
To be used as temples and tombs
What was Cahokia?
The largest settlement of the Mississippian people
What was a major factor in the differences between the cultures of Native American tribes?
Where they lived: climate, geography, and resources
What is an example of a nomadic Native American tribe?
Blackfoot/Apache/Comanche/Dakota
What was the Iroquois League?
An alliance of northeastern tribes
Which tribes were members of the League and when did it form?
The Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, Mohawk, and Oneid created the League in the 1500s: the Tuscarora joined in 1722
A route that linked China and the West
Silk road
A period characterized by growing knowledge and innovations in technology
Renaissance
Device that improved the safety and efficiency of ocean travel by determining direction
Magnetic Compasses
A current that moves clockwise between Europe and the Caribbean
North Atlantic Current
A current that travels counterclockwise between Africa and South America
South Atlantic Current
Small sailing ships that were speedy and maneuverable, and could sail into the wind
Caravels
Nine expeditions by Europeans to win back control of their holy sites from the Muslims
The Crusades
Built a school of navigation in the 1400’s but didn’t do any exploring himself
Prince Henry the Navigator
Capital of Portugal
Libson
Sail around (think circle)
Circumnavigate
Resistance to a disease or sickness, particularly due to previous exposure to the germs
Immunity
Person appointed by a king or queen to rule an area on his or her behalf
Viceroy
A royal grant of land, including all people on it
Encomienda
Persons from the peninsula of Spain
Peninsulares
The first generation born to Spanish parents
Creoles
Of mixed European and American race
Mestizos
Large estates
Haciendas
Large farms raising cash crops
Plantations
A plant that farmers grow to make money
Cash Crop
A water route through North America
Northwest Passage
To revolt or rebel against authority, especially by sailors against their officers
Mutiny
Permission from the monarch to start a colony
Charter
Why did the Portuguese want to sail directly to India?
They wanted to cut out the middleman in their trade
Why did Christopher Columbus have trouble getting funding?
Nobody knew how far it was if you sailed west from Europe
Why is Portuguese spoken in Brazil?
Spain and Portugal agreed in the Treaty of Tordesillas that that land would belong to Portugal
What does it mean to “circumnavigate” something?
To sail around it
What was the Columbian Exchange?
The exchange of plants, animals, and germs between the two hemispheres
How did the conquistadors conquer entire empires with only a few hundred soldiers?
They had surprise, the support of oppressed locals, technology, and immunities
Although the Northwest Passage wasn’t found by early explorers, what were two resulting explorations?
Example: John Cabot landed in Newfoundland, Canada and Henry Hudson explored the Hudson River
How did the defeat of the Spanish Armada affect colonization of the Americas?
Spain could no longer enforce the Treaty of Tordesillas and its monopoly on colonization
