APUSH Unit 1 flashcards
Fifteen cards on Period 1, 1491 to 1607 — the facts this unit is actually tested on: Native American societies before contact, Columbian Exchange, Spanish colonisation and the encomienda system, early European–Indigenous interaction. Read them here, no sign-up. When you want cards from your own class notes instead of someone else's, paste them into FlashDeck and you have a deck in seconds.
Last updated: 24 September 2026
The APUSH Unit 1 deck
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What was the Columbian Exchange? | The transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and people between the Old and New Worlds after 1492. |
| Which Old World diseases devastated Native Americans? | Smallpox, measles, and influenza; natives had no immunity, causing massive depopulation. |
| What New World crops significantly increased European population? | Maize and potatoes provided more calories per acre and supported population growth. |
| What was the encomienda system? | A Spanish labor system granting colonists native labor in exchange for Christianizing them. |
| Who was Bartolomé de Las Casas? | A Spanish priest who condemned the encomienda and advocated for Native American rights. |
| What did the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) do? | Divided the New World between Spain and Portugal along a meridian. |
| What was the first permanent European settlement in the U.S.? | St. Augustine, Florida, founded by Spain in 1565. |
| What was the Iroquois Confederacy? | A political alliance of five (later six) Native American nations for mutual defense. |
| What were the 'Three Sisters' crops? | Corn, beans, and squash, grown together by many Native American groups. |
| How did the introduction of horses affect Plains Indians? | Horses transformed hunting and warfare, enabling more efficient buffalo hunting. |
| What was the main goal of Spanish missions? | To convert Native Americans to Christianity and assimilate them into Spanish culture. |
| How did Native American and European views of land differ? | Natives viewed land as communal; Europeans emphasized private property and ownership. |
| What was the impact of maize cultivation in North America? | It supported larger, more complex societies, especially in the Southwest and Mississippi Valley. |
| Who conquered the Aztec Empire? | Hernán Cortés, with Spanish soldiers and native allies, in 1519-1521. |
| What was the primary motivation for Spanish colonization? | God, gold, and glory: spreading Christianity, seeking wealth, and gaining prestige. |
How to actually remember these
Reading a list twice does almost nothing. Cover the answer column, say the answer out loud, then check — that one change is the difference between recognising a card and recalling it in an exam. After that the timing matters: a card you know comes back in a day, then three, then a week, then longer, and a card you miss comes back tomorrow. FlashDeck does that scheduling for you and shows only what is fading, which is usually ten minutes.
Other APUSH units
Other units
AP Biology Unit 1 · AP Biology Unit 2 · AP Biology Unit 3 · AP Psychology Unit 1 · all units