Forner Give Me Liberty: Chapter 2

Jamestown was founded in what year, and why is it significant?

1607; first permanent English settlement in North America

What organization funded Jamestown?

The Virginia Company, a joint-stock company seeking profit

What is a joint-stock company?

A business where investors pool money and share profits and risks

What were the main goals of early English colonization?

Profit, land ownership, trade expansion, and religious motives

Why did many English people migrate to America?

To escape poverty, gain land, and seek opportunity or religious freedom

What were conditions like for early Jamestown settlers?

Harsh; disease, starvation, and conflict made survival difficult

Who was John Smith?

A Jamestown leader who enforced discipline and helped the colony survive

What policy did John Smith enforce?

“He who will not work shall not eat”

What was the “starving time”?

A winter where many Jamestown settlers died from hunger and disease

What crop made Virginia economically successful?

Tobacco

Who introduced tobacco cultivation to Virginia?

John Rolfe

Why was tobacco important?

It created a profitable export economy

What was the headright system?

A system granting land to those who paid for passage to America

How did the headright system impact society?

It encouraged migration and expanded land ownership

What was the House of Burgesses?

The first elected assembly in English America (1619)

Why is 1619 significant in Virginia?

Creation of the House of Burgesses and arrival of first Africans

What happened in the Powhatan Uprising of 1622?

Native Americans attacked settlers, killing many

What was the result of the 1622 uprising?

Increased English control and expansion

What labor system was first used in Chesapeake colonies?

Indentured servitude

What is an indentured servant?

A worker bound by contract for a set number of years

Why did indentured servitude decline?

Workers demanded land and became harder to control

What replaced indentured servitude?

Racial slavery

What were dower rights?

A widow’s legal right to part of her husband’s property

What was the gender imbalance in Chesapeake colonies?

More men than women, affecting family structure

Who were the Puritans?

Protestants seeking to reform the Church of England

What was the goal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

To build a model religious community

Who was John Winthrop?

The leader of Massachusetts Bay Colony

What idea did John Winthrop promote?

A “city upon a hill” as an example to the world

What was the Great Migration?

Large movement of Puritans to New England in the 1630s

How did New England society differ from Chesapeake?

Family-centered, stable, and religiously focused

What was the Mayflower Compact?

Agreement establishing self-government by majority rule

What were town meetings?

Local assemblies where male settlers made decisions

What was the role of religion in New England?

Central to government and daily life

Who were dissenters?

People who disagreed with Puritan beliefs

Why was Roger Williams banished?

He supported religious freedom and separation of church and state

What colony did Roger Williams found?

Rhode Island

Why was Rhode Island significant?

It allowed full religious freedom

Who was Anne Hutchinson?

A religious dissenter who challenged Puritan leaders

Why was Anne Hutchinson banished?

For challenging authority and religious teachings

What was antinomianism?

The belief that faith alone, not laws, determines salvation

What caused tension in Puritan society?

Strict religious rules and intolerance of dissent

What was the Pequot War?

A 1637 conflict where English forces destroyed the Pequot tribe

What was the impact of the Pequot War?

Expanded English settlement and weakened Native resistance

What was King Philip’s War?

A major Native American uprising against settlers in New England

What was the result of King Philip’s War?

Heavy Native losses and further English expansion

What was the Half-Way Covenant?

A compromise allowing partial church membership

Why was the Half-Way Covenant created?

To address declining religious participation

What was “English liberty”?

Rights protected by law, including limits on government power

What rights were included in English liberty?

Trial by jury, habeas corpus, and property rights

What was habeas corpus?

The right to not be held without legal cause

What caused the English Civil War?

Conflicts over power between king and Parliament

What happened to King Charles I?

He was executed in 1649

Who was Oliver Cromwell?

Leader of Parliament who ruled England after the war

How did the English Civil War affect America?

It spread ideas about liberty and political rights

What was the Levellers’ belief?

That more people should have political representation

What was the Maryland Toleration Act?

A law granting religious freedom to Christians

Why was Maryland founded?

As a refuge for Catholics

What was the economic base of New England?

Small farms, fishing, and trade

What was the economic base of Chesapeake colonies?

Tobacco plantations

How did geography affect colonial development?

It shaped economies and settlement patterns

How did English colonists treat Native Americans?

They displaced them and took their land

Why did conflict with Native Americans increase?

Population growth and expansion

What was a key difference between Spanish and English colonization?

Spanish focused on labor; English focused on land

What role did land ownership play in English society?

It was tied to wealth, status, and political rights

What was the relationship between liberty and land?

Land ownership meant independence and freedom

How did freedom and unfreedom coexist?

Some gained rights while others were enslaved or bound

Why did slavery expand in the colonies?

Need for stable, controllable labor

How did race become tied to slavery?

Laws increasingly defined slavery as hereditary and racial

What was Bacon’s Rebellion?

A 1676 uprising of settlers against colonial elites

What caused Bacon’s Rebellion?

Frontier conflicts, inequality, and lack of land

What was the result of Bacon’s Rebellion?

Shift toward slavery and stronger elite control

What was the Restoration?

The return of monarchy in England in 1660

How did the Restoration affect the colonies?

It led to new colonial charters and stricter control

What were the Restoration colonies?

New colonies like Carolina and New York

Who controlled New York before the English?

The Dutch

What was New Netherland?

A Dutch colony focused on trade

Who was Peter Stuyvesant?

The Dutch governor of New Netherland

How did the English take New Netherland?

They seized it and renamed it New York

What was distinctive about the Dutch colony?

Religious tolerance and diverse population

What was the Carolina colony known for?

Plantation agriculture and slavery

What crop dominated South Carolina?

Rice

What labor system developed in Carolina?

A slave-based plantation system

What was the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina?

A plan for a hierarchical society with powerful elites

What was the Glorious Revolution?

The overthrow of King James II in 1688

What was the outcome of the Glorious Revolution?

Strengthened Parliament and limited monarchy

How did the Glorious Revolution affect the colonies?

It inspired uprisings against colonial governments

What was the Dominion of New England?

A centralized colonial government imposed by England

Why was the Dominion unpopular?

It limited self-government

What happened to the Dominion of New England?

It collapsed after the Glorious Revolution

What was the Salem witch trials?

A series of trials where people were accused of witchcraft

What caused the Salem witch trials?

Fear, religious tension, and social conflict

What was the result of the Salem witch trials?

Executions and later regret over the hysteria

What role did religion play in colonial society overall?

It strongly influenced laws, culture, and community life

What was the overall impact of English colonization?

Expansion of freedom for some while displacing and oppressing others