Important Historical Concepts and Events

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key historical terms, events, and figures relevant to American history.

Mercantilism

Economic theory asserting that a nation’s wealth is measured by its gold and silver reserves, necessitating a positive balance of trade.

Calvinist Puritans

A religious group believing in predestination and seeking to purify the Anglican Church of Catholic influences.

Separatists

Individuals who sought to worship independently from the Anglican Church, striving for a simplified worship structure.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement dividing newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.

Enclosure Movement

The consolidation of small landholdings into larger farms in England, displacing many rural workers.

London Company

A group that established the Jamestown colony in 1607, facing difficulties including high mortality rates.

Headright System

A land allocation method to encourage settlement by granting land to new arrivals.

Puritans

English Protestants aiming to reform the Church of England and seeking religious freedom in America.

Bacon’s Rebellion

A 1676 uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against the Virginia government, illustrating tensions between settlers and Native Americans.

Quakers

Members of the Society of Friends, advocating for peace, equality, and rejection of predestination.

Toleration Acts

Legislation ensuring religious freedom in Maryland, initially established to protect Catholic rights.

Navigation Acts

Laws restricting colonial trade to England and requiring certain goods to be exported only to England.

Dominion of New England

An administrative merger created by Charles II consolidating several colonies under a single government.

Plymouth Plantation

Settlement established by the Pilgrims in 1620, known for its early struggles and interactions with Native Americans.

Mayflower Compact

A foundational document for self-governance signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower.

City upon a Hill

A phrase by Puritan leader John Winthrop expressing the vision of Massachusetts Bay Colony as a model society.

House of Burgesses

The first legislative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who contracted to work for a specific number of years in exchange for transportation to America.

Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson

Religious dissenters who challenged Puritan leadership in Massachusetts Bay, eventually founding Rhode Island.

Barbados Slave Codes

Laws that established racial distinctions and limited the rights of enslaved individuals.

Middle Passage

The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Royal African Company

A company that played a central role in the slave trade in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Stono Rebellion

A slave revolt in South Carolina in 1739 that resulted in increased oppression and stricter slave codes.

Anglican Church

The established Church of England, serving as the legal religion in several American colonies.

Toleration Act of 1649

Legislation ensuring freedom of worship for Catholics in Maryland amidst growing Protestant numbers.

The Great Awakening

A significant revivalist movement in the 1730s and 1740s, emphasizing personal faith and emotionalism.

John Peter Zenger

A printer whose trial established the precedent of truth as a defense against libel.

Scotch-Irish

Scottish Presbyterian immigrants who settled in America, often seeking religious freedom.

Salem Witch Trials

A series of hearings and prosecutions of suspected witches in 1692 Massachusetts, driven by social tensions.

Congregationalism

A form of church governance where each congregation independently manages its affairs.

Halfway Covenant

A compromise allowing the children of baptized but unconverted church members to participate in church membership.

Jonathan Edwards

A key preacher of the Great Awakening known for his vivid sermons emphasizing the need for personal salvation.

Salutary Neglect

A British policy of relaxed enforcement of regulations in the colonies, fostering a degree of self-governance.

Iroquois Confederacy

A political union of six Native American tribes formed to enhance mutual defense.

Proclamation of 1763

A declaration by Britain restricting colonial expansion west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Townsend Duties

A series of acts imposing taxes on imported goods to the American colonies, leading to resistance.

Committee of Correspondence

Networks established to facilitate communication and cooperation among colonial governments.

Coercive (Intolerable) Acts

British laws intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, leading to colonial outrage.

Virtual Vs. Actual Representation

The debate over whether colonists were represented in Parliament without direct election.

Albany Plan

Benjamin Franklin's proposed plan for colonial unity and cooperation regarding Native American relations.

Effects of the French and Indian War

Increased British taxation on colonists and a reduction of Iroquois power in North America.

Stamp Act Crisis & Congress

The colonial response to the Stamp Act, culminating in protests and the formation of the Stamp Act Congress.

Boston Massacre

The killing of five colonial civilians by British troops in 1770, escalating anti-British sentiments.

Boston Tea Party

A protest against British tea taxes resulting in the dumping of tea into Boston Harbor.

First Continental Congress

An assembly of colonial delegates convened to address colonial grievances against Britain.

Olive Branch Petition

A final appeal to King George III for reconciliation before the American Revolution.

Common Sense

A pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating for American independence from Britain.

Loyalists/Tories

Colonists favoring the British monarchy during the American Revolution.

Saratoga

A significant American victory in the Revolutionary War that led to French support for the colonists.

Abigail Adams

Wife of John Adams who advocated for women's rights in her correspondence to her husband.

Republicanism

A political ideology emphasizing a government based on the consent of the governed.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing document of the United States, emphasizing state sovereignty but lacking federal powers.

Land Ordinances

Legislation establishing a system for surveying and distributing land in the Northwest Territory.

NW Ordinance of 1787

A law providing for the orderly expansion of the United States and the admission of new states.

Grid System

A method of land division based on rectangular plots adopted in the Land Ordinance of 1784.

Shays’ Rebellion

An armed uprising by farmers in 1786-1787 protesting economic injustices in Massachusetts.

Alexander Hamilton

The first Secretary of the Treasury who proposed federal financial policies and established a national bank.

James Madison

A key architect of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, often called the