Early American History

• Presidios


  fortified bases built by the Spanish in the New World
• Mexican-American War / Mexican War


  1846 - 1848. A war between the United States and Mexico over western territories (specifically sparked by annexation of Texas).
• Mary Maverick


  A Texas settler who kept detailed journals of her experiences throughout the fight for Texas independence.
• Columbian Exchange


  The transferring of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the Americas after Christopher Columbus' arrival.
• Stephen F. Austin


  led the successful settlement of Texas in 1825
• Toltec


  A civilization known for skill in metal work and pottery.
• Tonkawas


  Hunters and gatherers in the Gulf Region of Texas who lived in huts and teepees and were enemies to the Comanches
• Barbara Jordan


  first African American elected to the Texas Senate and first Southern African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives
• Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca


  Spanish explorer searching for the Seven Cities of Gold. He arrived in Texas when a hurricane pushed him and his men ashore in 1529.
• Mohican Native Americans


  A confederacy of five tribes along the Hudson River. Lived primarily on agriculture, but also some hunting and gathering. Lived in longhouses.
• José de Escandón


  A Spanish explorer who settled the land that is now northern Mexico and southern Texas.
• Maya Civilization


  (250 - 900 CE) a civilization from the modern-day Yucatan Peninsula; known for its advancement in mathematics, astronomy, and architecture, including elaborate pyramids.
• Karankawa


  Not much is known, but believed to be hunters and gatherers in the Central and Gulf regions who were the first Native Americans to come into contact with European explorers, and suffered greatly because of this
• Alonso Álvarez de Pineda


  a Spanish explorer who, in 1519, mapped the coast of Texas as well as surrounding coastlines.
• Mirabeau Lamar


  Second president of the Republic of Texas, he established a fund to support public education in Texas.
• Coahuiltecan


  An accumulation of several tribes that shared language and culture. Nomadic hunters and gatherers found widespread throughout South Texas
• Sam Houston


  A leader in the Texas Revolution (won surprise attack over Santa Anna and his troops at the Battle of San Jacinto). Elected the first president of the new republic.
• Christopher Columbus


  Italian explorer who searched for alternate routes to India by traveling west across the Atlantic on four different trips.
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo


  The Treaty signed in 1848 that ended the Mexican-American War, sparked by the Texas Revolution. Gave the US an additional 525,000 square miles for $15,000,000.
• Joshua Houston


  An educated slave of Sam Houston; later freed and went on to become a politician.
• Encomienda


  grants from the crown giving the receivers the right to extract as much wealth for themselves from a specific area as possible, either through native labor or through the payment of tributes
• Caddo


  Farming and hunting tribe found in eastern Texas that made permanent structures of wood and mud.
• Who is often called the 'Father of his Country'?


  George Washington
• What role did George Washington serve during the American Revolution?


  Commander-in-Chief of the colonial armies
• What position did George Washington hold in the Constitutional Convention?


  President
• Who was the first president of the United States?

  George Washington