APUSH Period 1 (1491–1607) covers the pre-Columbian Americas through early European contact. It's the shortest period on the exam (~5% of questions) but sets the stage for every argument about colonialism, labor systems, and cultural exchange that follows.
Native American Societies
Maize (corn) agriculture — transformed sedentary societies across North America; surplus food → population growth → complex societies. Mississippian culture — mound-building civilization; Cahokia near modern St. Louis had 10,000–20,000 people by 1100 CE; declined before European contact, cause debated. Pueblo peoples — Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) in Southwest; cliff dwellings, sophisticated irrigation, trade networks. Iroquois Confederacy — alliance of Haudenosaunee nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca); matrilineal society, democratic governance — later influenced Founders.
Spanish Colonization
Reconquista — Spanish recapture of Iberian Peninsula from Muslims (completed 1492); created a warrior class experienced in holy war and conquest, directly enabling Columbus's voyage and subsequent colonization ideology. Encomienda system — Spanish crown granted colonizers (encomenderos) the labor and tribute of a set number of indigenous people in exchange for military service and Christianization; became a vehicle for brutal exploitation; Las Casas's critiques led to New Laws of 1542 (rarely enforced). Bartolomé de las Casas — Spanish friar who documented atrocities against indigenous people; his accounts contributed to the "Black Legend" of Spanish cruelty; also helped create the Atlantic slave trade as an alternative labor source.
The Columbian Exchange
Definition — the transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after 1492. From Americas to Europe/Africa/Asia: potatoes, corn, tomatoes, tobacco, cacao, syphilis (debated). Potatoes ended famines in Europe, enabling population growth. From Europe/Africa to Americas: smallpox, measles, influenza — killed 50–90% of indigenous populations (demographic catastrophe); horses (transformed Plains cultures); cattle, pigs, wheat. Historical significance: the population collapse from disease was the single most transformative consequence — labor shortage directly caused the growth of African slavery.
Pueblo Revolt (1680)
What: Coordinated uprising of Pueblo peoples in New Mexico led by Popé; killed ~400 Spanish colonizers and priests, drove remaining 2,000 out of New Mexico for 12 years. Why: Spanish suppression of Pueblo religion, forced labor, drought, and famine. Significance: forced Spain to negotiate better terms when reconquering New Mexico (1692); Pueblos retained more religious freedom and reduced tribute obligations — a rare successful indigenous resistance that reshaped colonial policy.
FRQ connections
Period 1 content most often appears as SAQ context or as "before the prompt's time period" contextualization in DBQs about colonialism, labor systems, or cultural exchange. Know the Columbian Exchange's demographic consequences and the encomienda system's structure cold.
APUSH practice questions · Unit 2 Key Terms · All APUSH Key Terms · Grade a DBQ
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