AP U.S. HISTORY
UNIT 2 VOCABULARY
Colonial Society, c. 1607 to c. 1754
17 essential terms, organized by topic and aligned to the official College Board framework.
Imperial Rivals
Term Definition
Encomienda system A Spanish colonial system granting colonists the right to demand tribute and forced
labor from Native peoples in a designated area.
Pueblo Revolt A successful uprising of Pueblo peoples against Spanish colonial rule in present-day
(1680) New Mexico, temporarily expelling the Spanish.
Mestizo A person of mixed European and Native American ancestry, common in Spanish
colonial society.
Fur trade The commercial exchange central to French (and Dutch) colonization strategy, often
built on cooperative relationships with Native peoples.
British Colonial Regions
Term Definition
New England A British colonial region founded largely by Puritans, known for small farms, fishing,
trade, and tightly-knit church-centered towns.
Middle Colonies A British colonial region known as a diverse agricultural “breadbasket,” and the most
religiously/ethnically diverse region.
Chesapeake A British colonial region centered on tobacco plantation agriculture, initially reliant
on indentured servitude.
Southern colonies A British colonial region centered on rice/indigo plantations and heavy reliance on
chattel slavery.
Headright system A land-grant system (used especially in Virginia) awarding land to colonists who paid
for their own or another's passage to the colonies.
Labor Systems
Term Definition
Indentured A labor system in which a migrant worked for a set number of years in exchange for
servitude passage to the colonies, becoming free afterward.
UNIT 2 VOCABULARY
Colonial Society, c. 1607 to c. 1754
17 essential terms, organized by topic and aligned to the official College Board framework.
Imperial Rivals
Term Definition
Encomienda system A Spanish colonial system granting colonists the right to demand tribute and forced
labor from Native peoples in a designated area.
Pueblo Revolt A successful uprising of Pueblo peoples against Spanish colonial rule in present-day
(1680) New Mexico, temporarily expelling the Spanish.
Mestizo A person of mixed European and Native American ancestry, common in Spanish
colonial society.
Fur trade The commercial exchange central to French (and Dutch) colonization strategy, often
built on cooperative relationships with Native peoples.
British Colonial Regions
Term Definition
New England A British colonial region founded largely by Puritans, known for small farms, fishing,
trade, and tightly-knit church-centered towns.
Middle Colonies A British colonial region known as a diverse agricultural “breadbasket,” and the most
religiously/ethnically diverse region.
Chesapeake A British colonial region centered on tobacco plantation agriculture, initially reliant
on indentured servitude.
Southern colonies A British colonial region centered on rice/indigo plantations and heavy reliance on
chattel slavery.
Headright system A land-grant system (used especially in Virginia) awarding land to colonists who paid
for their own or another's passage to the colonies.
Labor Systems
Term Definition
Indentured A labor system in which a migrant worked for a set number of years in exchange for
servitude passage to the colonies, becoming free afterward.
