Period 1: Glossary of terms (College Board AP® US History): Study Guide

Themes in Period 1

• Geography and environment (GEO)

• America in the World (WOR)

• Social Structures (SOC)

Contextualizing Period 1

Context – Indigenous (native) societies were already complex long before Europeans arrived; there were many communities with distinct political systems, trade networks and belief systems

Diversity – There was no single Native American culture; different communities were adapted to different regions

Native American Societies Before European Contact

Maize cultivation – Corn farming supported permanent settlements and population growth in many regions

Irrigation – Southwestern societies used water systems to farm in dry climates

Mobile lifestyles – Groups in the Great Basin and Great Plains often moved to follow resources

Mixed economies – Some eastern groups farmed, hunted, and gathered in settled villages

Pacific resources – Northwest groups used fishing and ocean resources to support communities

European Exploration in the Americas

Exploration – European nations explored for wealth, trade routes, land, and religious influence

Conquistadors – Spanish soldiers and explorers who conquered Indigenous (Native) empires

Competition – European countries competed for land and power in the Americas

Columbian Exchange, Spanish Exploration, and Conquest

Columbian Exchange – Plants, animals, disease, and people moved between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres

Epidemics – Disease devastated Indigenous (Native) populations because they had little immunity

Horse – Horses changed hunting, travel, and warfare for many Indigenous (Native) groups

Conquest – Spain used military force, alliances, and disease to expand control

Labor, Slavery, and Caste in the Spanish Colonial System

Encomienda – Spain forced Indigenous (Native) People to provide labor for colonists

Enslavement of African Peoples – Europeans increasingly relied on enslaved African Peoples for labor

Caste system – Spanish colonies ranked people by race and birthplace

Cultural Interactions Between Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans

Cultural blending – People borrowed language, food, religion, and customs from one another

Resistance – Indigenous (Native) and African Peoples resisted oppression in different ways

Conflict – Competition over land, labor, and religion often led to violence