Colonies to Confederation

Proprietary Colonies

Colonies formed by land grants from the king, with governors chosen by the grant recipient.

Charter Colonies

Colonies largely self-governed with King approved governors elected by white male property owners.

Royal Colonies

Colonies under direct control of the monarchy, with governors appointed by the king.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws to keep colonies obedient.

Albany Plan

Benjamin Franklin's proposal for a colonial congress to address collective defense and trade, rejected by both the king and colonies.

Mercantilism

Economic policy aiming to maximize exports and minimize imports to increase national wealth (bullion).

Stamp Act (1765)

A tax on printed materials in the colonies, leading to widespread protest and eventual repeal.

Boston Tea Party

A protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor as resistance to tea tax and British trade policies.

Intolerable Acts (1774)

A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party.

First Continental Congress (1774)

Gathering of delegates from 12 colonies to respond to Intolerable Acts, aiming for compromise and asserting rights.

Second Continental Congress (1775)

Governing body that managed the colonial war effort and acted as the national government during the Revolutionary War.

No Taxation Without Representation

Colonial slogan protesting British taxation imposed without colonists having representation in Parliament.

Due Process

Legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights owed to a person, embodied in documents like the Magna Carta.

Common Law

Law based on judicial precedents rather than statutes.

The Great Awakening

A religious revival in the 1740s that emphasized personal faith and emotional engagement in religion.

Magna Carta

A charter signed in 1215 that limited the powers of the monarchy and established certain legal rights.

Petition of Right

A 1628 document that set out specific liberties that the king is prohibited from infringing.

English Bill of Rights

A 1689 act that declared the rights of Parliament and the rights of individuals.

Bicameral Legislature

Legislative body with two chambers or houses, typical in Crown colonies.

Unicameral Legislature

Legislative body with only one chamber, less common in the colonial context.

Boston Massacre

A confrontation in 1770 where British soldiers killed five colonial men, escalating tensions between Britain and the colonies.

Committees of Correspondence

Networks established to coordinate resistance against British policies and promote communication among colonies.

Quartering Acts

Laws requiring colonists to provide housing and supplies to British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

Olive Branch Petition

An attempt by the Second Continental Congress to avoid full-scale war with Britain by asserting colonists' rights.

Declaration of Independence

The document drafted in 1776 declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from British rule.

Boston Port Act

An Intolerable Act that blockaded Boston Harbor until restitution was paid for the tea dumped during the Boston Tea Party.

Massachusetts Government Act

An Intolerable Act that replaced the Massachusetts legislative assembly with royal appointees.

Administration of Justice Act

An Intolerable Act that allowed trials of British officials to be moved to other colonies or Britain for impartiality.

Navigation Acts

Acts that restricted colonial trade, requiring all goods to be transported on British ships.

Enumbered Goods

A list of products that colonial trade mandated to be exported only to Britain.

Taxation Policies

Refers to the various tax laws imposed by Britain on the colonies, leading to widespread discontent.

Opposition to British Authority

Growing resistance among colonists to British governance and control during the lead-up to the American Revolution.