AP US History Exam
Review 2026 | APUSH
Study Guide, DBQs &
Practice Questions
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Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,Treaty of Tordesillas 1493
*Commitment between Spain and Portugal
*Created a Papal Line of Demarcation, which
divided the New World: east of the line for
Portugal and west of it for Spain
*Portugal also received the easternmost part of
what is currently Brazil, when it "discovered" the
land in 1500
*Later, the Papal Line affected colonization in
Africa and Asia
New Spain 1400s and 1500s
*Spain tightly controlled empire in the New World
*Mainly located in North and Central America,
including the Caribbean and Spanish East Indies
*To deal with labor shortages, the Spaniards
developed a system of large manors (ecomiendas)
using Native American slaves under conquistadors
*With the death of Native American slaves,
Spaniards began importing African slaves to supply
their labor needs
,Mercantilism 1500s-1700s
*Prevailing economic philosophy of the 1600s that
held colonies existed to serve the mother country
*Founded on the belief that the world's wealth was
sharply limited and, therefore, one nation's gain
was another nation's loss
*Each nation's goal was to export more than it
imported in a favorable balance of trade; the
difference would be made up in their possession of
gold and silver, which would make the nation
strong both economically and militarily
*Mercantilists believed economic activity should
be regulated by the government
Queen Elizabeth I 1533-1603 (ruled 1558-death)
*Protestant successor to Queen Mary (England)
*Popular leader and the first woman to successfully
hold the throne
*Invested in English raids on the Spanish New
World; Spain responded with the Spanish Armada
*Established Protestantism in England and
encouraged English business
The Spanish Armada 1588
*Fleet assembled by King Phillip II of Spain to
invade England
*The Armada was defeated by the skill of British
military leaders and by rough seas during the
assault
*England's victory over Spanish forces was one of
the great achievements of Queen Elizabeth I, as it
established England as an emerging sea power
*Its defeat helped bring about the decline of the
Spanish empire
, Types of Colonies in the New World 1600s
*In a charter colony, colonists were essentially
members of a corporation, and electors among the
colonists controlled the government based on an
agreed-upon charter
*A royal colony had a governor selected by
England's king; the governor served in the
leadership role and chose additional, lower-
ranking officers
*Proprietary colonies were owned by individuals
with direct responsibility to the king; each
proprietor selected a governor, who served as the
authority figure for the colony
English Puritanism 1500s and 1600s
*Movement by those who wished to reform the
Church of England to be more in line with their
ideology
*Though King Henry VIII had set out to separate his
own Church of England from papal authority, many
Roman Catholic traditions and practices remained
*Puritans rejected these roman Catholic holdovers
and sought to make the English Church "pure"
*Puritans held Calvinist beliefs, such as
predestination and the authority of Scripture over
papal authority
*Puritanism echoes throughout American culture in
the ideas of self-reliance, moral fortitude, and an
emphasis on intellectualism
Review 2026 | APUSH
Study Guide, DBQs &
Practice Questions
|Graded A+ | Guaranteed
success|
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,Treaty of Tordesillas 1493
*Commitment between Spain and Portugal
*Created a Papal Line of Demarcation, which
divided the New World: east of the line for
Portugal and west of it for Spain
*Portugal also received the easternmost part of
what is currently Brazil, when it "discovered" the
land in 1500
*Later, the Papal Line affected colonization in
Africa and Asia
New Spain 1400s and 1500s
*Spain tightly controlled empire in the New World
*Mainly located in North and Central America,
including the Caribbean and Spanish East Indies
*To deal with labor shortages, the Spaniards
developed a system of large manors (ecomiendas)
using Native American slaves under conquistadors
*With the death of Native American slaves,
Spaniards began importing African slaves to supply
their labor needs
,Mercantilism 1500s-1700s
*Prevailing economic philosophy of the 1600s that
held colonies existed to serve the mother country
*Founded on the belief that the world's wealth was
sharply limited and, therefore, one nation's gain
was another nation's loss
*Each nation's goal was to export more than it
imported in a favorable balance of trade; the
difference would be made up in their possession of
gold and silver, which would make the nation
strong both economically and militarily
*Mercantilists believed economic activity should
be regulated by the government
Queen Elizabeth I 1533-1603 (ruled 1558-death)
*Protestant successor to Queen Mary (England)
*Popular leader and the first woman to successfully
hold the throne
*Invested in English raids on the Spanish New
World; Spain responded with the Spanish Armada
*Established Protestantism in England and
encouraged English business
The Spanish Armada 1588
*Fleet assembled by King Phillip II of Spain to
invade England
*The Armada was defeated by the skill of British
military leaders and by rough seas during the
assault
*England's victory over Spanish forces was one of
the great achievements of Queen Elizabeth I, as it
established England as an emerging sea power
*Its defeat helped bring about the decline of the
Spanish empire
, Types of Colonies in the New World 1600s
*In a charter colony, colonists were essentially
members of a corporation, and electors among the
colonists controlled the government based on an
agreed-upon charter
*A royal colony had a governor selected by
England's king; the governor served in the
leadership role and chose additional, lower-
ranking officers
*Proprietary colonies were owned by individuals
with direct responsibility to the king; each
proprietor selected a governor, who served as the
authority figure for the colony
English Puritanism 1500s and 1600s
*Movement by those who wished to reform the
Church of England to be more in line with their
ideology
*Though King Henry VIII had set out to separate his
own Church of England from papal authority, many
Roman Catholic traditions and practices remained
*Puritans rejected these roman Catholic holdovers
and sought to make the English Church "pure"
*Puritans held Calvinist beliefs, such as
predestination and the authority of Scripture over
papal authority
*Puritanism echoes throughout American culture in
the ideas of self-reliance, moral fortitude, and an
emphasis on intellectualism
