Living in the Colonies

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts and terms related to life in the colonies, including geography, trade, population, and significant historical events.

New England Colonies

Regions known for poor, rocky soil and cold winters.

Southern Colonies

Regions characterized by rich soil and a warm humid climate.

Plantations

Large agricultural estates that were predominant in the Southern Colonies.

Enslaved labor

Labor provided chiefly by enslaved persons, especially in Southern plantations.

Industry in New England

Included fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding.

Cash crops

Crops such as corn, wheat, and livestock, primarily grown in the Southern Colonies.

Cultural diversity in Middle Colonies

Included a mix of English, Dutch, German, Irish, and Swedish populations.

Triangular trade

A system of trade that included the inhumane Middle Passage for enslaved people.

Tidewater region

The area where most large Southern plantations were located.

Plantation Owners

The group that controlled economic and political life in the Southern Colonies.

Navigation Acts

Laws that restricted colonial trade to England and limited manufacturing.

Colonial resistance to Navigation Acts

Included actions such as smuggling.

Population growth in colonies

Caused by large numbers of births and increased immigration.

Smallpox epidemic

An outbreak that killed 15% of Boston's population in 1721.

Women's rights

Women could work outside the home but could not own property or vote.

Fort Necessity

The name of the post established by George Washington in the Ohio Country.

British and French

The major powers in North America by the year 1700.

Native Americans and French

Often sided with the French by raiding British settlements and sharing secret paths.

William Pitt

The British Prime Minister who helped drive the French out of America.

Treaty of Paris

Document marking the end of France as a power in North America.

Mercantilism

The economic theory where a mother country must export more than it imports.

Great Awakening

Period marked by renewed interest in religion and the creation of new churches.

Magna Carta

One of the early English documents that limited the power of the King/Queen.

George Washington

The young Virginian sent to Fort Duquesne to drive out the French.

Albany Plan of Union

A proposal organized by a great statesman to unite the colonies.