Colonial History Flashcards (1580s-1754)

Vocabulary and key historical figures/events from the early American colonial period ranging from the late 16th century through 1754.

Columbian Exchange

The trade of produce between Europe and America that accelerated in the $1500s$.

Protestant Revolution

A movement led by Martin Luther and John Calvin in $1517$ that challenged the power of Catholicism.

Anglican Church

The church established by Henry VIII in $1527$ after he pulled England out of the Catholic faith.

Roanoke Colony

A colony established by England in $1585$ that later vanished.

Jamestown

The first permanent settlement settled by the Virginia Company in $1607$, where over $50\%$ died in the first year.

John Rolfe

The individual who discovered in $1614$ that tobacco grows exceptionally well in Virginia and Maryland soil.

Headright System

A system introduced by Virginia in $1618$ that gave $50$ acres of land to anyone who arrived.

House of Burgesses

A legislative body in Jamestown given 'democracy' in $1619$, the same year the first African slaves were sold there.

Separatists (Pilgrims)

A group that landed in Plymouth in $1620$ and met Squanto.

New Amsterdam

A colony established by the Dutch in $1624$ (Manhattan) which the English renamed New York in $1664$.

Congregationalists (Puritans)

A group that landed in Massachusetts in $1630$ in numbers $10$ times higher than the Pilgrims at Plymouth.

City on a Hill

The focus for Puritans established by Massachusetts governor John Winthrop in $1630$.

Puritan Work Ethic

A concept from the $1630s$ signifying that hard work equals God's financial blessings, implying the rich were superior.

Maryland

A colony settled in $1634$ by the Calverts as a haven for Catholics, though they were outnumbered by Puritans.

Roger Williams

The founder of Rhode Island in $1636$ who established the principle of 'separation of Church and State'.

Thomas Hooker

A Puritan who established Connecticut in $1636$ seeking an even 'more pure' England.

Pequot War

A $1636$ conflict involving the Mystic River Massacre where Puritans massacred Pequot Indians for land.

Half Way Covenant

A policy set up in $1662$ by New England church leadership to allow children of members to join the church.

King Phillip’s War

A $1675$ war between Massachusetts Puritans and their former ally, Metacomet (also known as Phillip).

Bacon’s Rebellion

A $1676$ uprising in Virginia pitting the rich elite of Governor Berkeley against Nathaniel Bacon's 'rabble'.

William Penn

The individual who established Pennsylvania in $1681$ as a settlement open to people of any faith.

Salem Witchcraft Trials

A $1692$ outbreak of social disorder rooted in economic disparity.

Georgia

A colony set up in $1732$ by James Oglethorpe as a haven for debtors and a military buffer against Spain.

$1st$ Great Awakening

A Protestant evangelical revival during the $1730s$ and $1740s$ based on individual faith.

The Albany Plan

A plan introduced by Ben Franklin in $1754$ at the start of the French and Indian War that was not adopted.

Staple Crops

One-season commodities such as wheat, corn, and oats primarily grown in the Middle Colonies.

Cash Crops

Highly profitable crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo that caused slavery to take root in the Southern Colonies.

Mercantilism

The base of the colonial economy regulated by democratically elected assemblies.