Chapter 4 Key Terms

Atlantic Slave Trade / “middle passage”

a trans-oceanic system of forced migration that transported millions of Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. The "middle passage" refers to the brutal and inhumane leg of this journey.
Significance 1: Economic Engine of the Colonies: This trade was fundamental to the economic development of the American colonies, particularly in the South, as the labor of enslaved Africans was the bedrock of plantation agriculture.
Significance 2: Cultural and Demographic Transformation: This forced migration dramatically altered the demographics and culture of the Americas, introducing African peoples and their diverse traditions, languages, and cultures, which created new societies.

James Oglethorpe / Georgia

an English philanthropist and military officer who founded the colony of Georgia in 1732. He envisioned Georgia as a haven for English debtors and a buffer state to protect the Carolinas from Spanish Florida.
Significance 1: A "Buffer" Colony: Georgia’s establishment served as a crucial defensive barrier for the British against potential Spanish and Native American attacks on the valuable Carolina colonies.
Significance 2: Social Experiment and Utopian Vision: Oglethorpe initially banned slavery and alcohol in an attempt to create a society of small, independent farmers, which highlighted the diverse motivations behind British colonization.

Yeoman farmers

independent, small-scale landowners who cultivated their own land with their family's labor. They were distinct from wealthy plantation owners and often represented the majority of the rural white population in colonial America.
Significance 1: Symbol of American Ideals: The yeoman farmer was central to the American ideal of the independent, self-sufficient citizen. This figure embodied the values of hard work, virtue, and liberty.
Significance 2: Economic and Social Foundation: As the majority of the colonial population, yeoman farmers were the primary force behind the agricultural economy outside of the large plantations, creating a more egalitarian social structure among white landholders.

Stono Rebellion

a major slave uprising that occurred in South Carolina in 1739. A group of enslaved Africans, seeking to escape to Spanish Florida where they were promised freedom, armed themselves, killed several colonists, and marched south before being suppressed by the colonial militia.
Significance 1: Heightened Colonial Fears: The rebellion sent a shockwave of fear throughout the Southern colonies, exposing the deep anxieties of slaveholders about the potential for future uprisings.
Significance 2: Harsher Slave Codes: In response to the rebellion, the South Carolina legislature passed the Negro Act of 1740, which imposed far more restrictive and brutal slave codes.

republicanism

political ideology that emphasizes the participation of citizens in a government where power is derived from the people. It stresses the importance of civic virtue, public service, and the common good over individual self-interest.
Significance 1: Foundational Principle of the Revolution: Republicanism was a core intellectual and philosophical influence on the American Revolution, as the colonists' belief that the British monarchy was corrupt led them to embrace a government accountable to its citizens.
Significance 2: Emphasis on Civic Virtue: This ideology placed a heavy emphasis on civic virtue, the idea that a healthy republic requires citizens to put the public good above their private interests, which fueled the calls for self-governance.

liberalism / John Locke

a political philosophy centered on individual rights, liberty, and consent of the governed. John Locke, an English philosopher, is considered one of its most influential thinkers. His writings argued that individuals possess natural rights to life, liberty, and property and that governments are created to protect these rights.
Significance 1: Justification for Revolution: Locke's ideas, particularly his concept of a social contract and the right of the people to overthrow a tyrannical government, provided the philosophical justification for the American Revolution.
Significance 2: Foundation of American Political Thought: The principles of liberalism, as articulated by Locke, became a cornerstone of American political thought, as seen in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

salutary neglect

an unofficial British policy in the 17th and 18th centuries of not strictly enforcing trade laws, such as the Navigation Acts, in the American colonies. The British government believed that this lax oversight would stimulate colonial commerce and industry.
Significance 1: Fostering Colonial Autonomy: The long period of salutary neglect allowed the American colonies to develop a significant degree of political and economic autonomy. Colonial assemblies grew in power, and colonists became accustomed to governing themselves.
Significance 2: Cause of Revolutionary Tensions: When Britain attempted to end salutary neglect after the French and Indian War, the colonists viewed these new policies as an infringement on their liberties, which was a major cause of the growing tensions between Britain and the colonies.

John Peter Zenger / Zenger Trial

a New York newspaper publisher whose libel trial in 1735 became a landmark case for freedom of the press. He was accused of seditious libel for printing articles that criticized the royal governor of New York, William Cosby.
Significance 1: Advancement of Freedom of the Press: The Zenger Trial, with Zenger's acquittal, was a pivotal moment in the development of press freedom in America. The verdict demonstrated that a jury could acquit a defendant if the published statements were truthful.
Significance 2: Challenging Authority: The trial was a clear example of colonial resistance to British authority. The public's support for Zenger showed a growing sentiment that the government's power should not be absolute.

Enlightenment

an intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated the world of ideas in Europe during the 18th century. It championed reason, individualism, and scientific inquiry over tradition and superstition, inspiring a number of revolutionary ideas.
Significance 1: Intellectual Roots of the Revolution: The Enlightenment's emphasis on natural rights, the social contract, and the separation of powers had a profound influence on the American revolutionaries. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are direct products of Enlightenment thought.
Significance 2: Promoting Rationalism and Reform: The Enlightenment encouraged colonists to question established authority. It fostered a culture of scientific inquiry and a belief in the ability of human reason to solve social problems, which laid the groundwork for a new nation.

Great Awakening / “old lights” vs “new lights”

a series of religious revivals that swept through the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. It was characterized by passionate, emotional preaching and a renewed focus on individual religious experience. “Old lights” were traditional clergy who were skeptical of the revivals, while “new lights” were the revivalists and their followers.
Significance 1: Spreading Democratic Ideals: The Great Awakening challenged the authority of established clergy and encouraged individuals to question traditional religious hierarchies. This emphasis on individual experience had a powerful parallel in the political sphere, reinforcing democratic sentiments.
Significance 2: Fostering Intercolonial Unity: The revivals were an intercolonial phenomenon that helped create a sense of shared identity among colonists from different regions. The touring preachers drew massive crowds across the colonies, fostering a common American religious experience.

Jonathan Edwards

a key leader of the First Great Awakening. He is best known for his powerful and vivid sermons, particularly "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which used graphic imagery to describe the horrors of hell and the need for immediate repentance.
Significance 1: Defining the Great Awakening's Theology: Edwards's sermons and writings articulated the core theology of the Great Awakening. He emphasized the concepts of human depravity and the need for a personal, emotional conversion experience.
Significance 2: Pivotal in Shifting Religious Thought: Edwards's preaching shifted the focus of American Protestantism from a rational, intellectual faith to a more personal and emotional one. He was central to the debate between the "Old Lights" and "New Lights," and his work helped to shape American religious identity.

George Whitefield

an English Anglican cleric and one of the most charismatic preachers of the Great Awakening. Known for his powerful voice and dramatic sermons, he toured the American colonies seven times, drawing massive, multi-denominational crowds in open fields.
Significance 1: Unifying the Colonies through a Shared Experience: Whitefield's tours helped to spread the Great Awakening throughout British North America, creating a shared religious experience that transcended colonial boundaries and fostered a sense of unity among the colonists.
Significance 2: Pioneering a New Style of Preaching: Whitefield's emotional and theatrical style of preaching was revolutionary. He bypassed the authority of local ministers and spoke directly to the people, attracting huge crowds and using his immense popularity to spread the revivalist message.

Father Junipero Serra / California Mission System

a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the first nine of 21 Spanish missions in California. The California Mission System was a network of religious outposts established by the Spanish crown and the Catholic Church to convert Native Americans to Catholicism and to secure Spain’s claim to the territory.
Significance 1: Extending Spanish Imperialism: The missions were a crucial part of Spain’s strategy to colonize and control Alta California. They served as military, economic, and religious outposts, extending Spanish influence northward.
Significance 2: Disastrous Impact on Native Populations: The mission system had a devastating effect on the indigenous peoples of California. The missions forced Native Americans to abandon their traditional ways of life and to labor under harsh conditions, which led to a catastrophic decline in their population.

French and Indian War / 7 Years’ War

(1754–1763) the North American theater of the global 7 Years’ War. It was a conflict between Great Britain and France, with both sides supported by Native American allies, fought for control of the Ohio River Valley and broader imperial dominance in North America.
Significance 1: Ending French Power in North America: The war resulted in a decisive British victory. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 forced France to cede all of its North American territory to Great Britain, effectively ending France's presence as a colonial power in the region.
Significance 2: Sowing the Seeds of Revolution: The French and Indian War was a direct cause of the American Revolution. The massive war debt incurred by Britain led the British government to impose new taxes and restrictions on the colonies.

Pontiac’s Rebellion / Pontiac’s War

(1763–1766) was a confederation of Native American tribes led by the Ottawa war chief Pontiac that launched a coordinated uprising against British forts and settlements in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions. The rebellion was a response to the British victory in the French and Indian War and the subsequent British encroachment on Native lands.
Significance 1: Challenging British Imperial Authority: The rebellion was a significant military and diplomatic challenge to British control in North America, demonstrating the need for a coherent British policy toward Native peoples.
Significance 2: Prompting the Proclamation of 1763: The ferocity of Pontiac's Rebellion directly influenced the British government's decision to issue the Proclamation of 1763, which angered colonists who saw it as an infringement on their right to expand.

Treaty of Paris of 1763

officially ended the French and Indian War. Signed by Great Britain, France, and Spain, it formally recognized the British victory and set the terms for the division of territories.
Significance 1: Transforming the North American Continent: The treaty dramatically reshaped the political geography of North America. France ceded all of its mainland North American territory, and as a result, Great Britain emerged as the dominant imperial power in North America.
Significance 2: Inadvertent Catalyst for Revolution: By removing the French threat, the treaty eliminated a key reason for the colonists' reliance on British military protection, which, combined with the new taxes, made British rule seem more a source of oppression.

Proclamation of 1763

a British decree issued after the French and Indian War. It created a boundary line along the Appalachian Mountains and prohibited British colonists from settling west of this line. The British goal was to prevent further conflicts with Native American tribes, who had recently launched Pontiac’s Rebellion.
Significance 1: Symbol of British Tyranny: To the colonists, the Proclamation was a blatant example of British tyranny and a direct infringement on their rights. The Proclamation was widely ignored and became a major source of colonial anger.
Significance 2: Shifting Colonial-Imperial Relations: The Proclamation marked a significant shift in British policy. It signaled the end of salutary neglect and a new, more interventionist approach to governing the colonies.

Albany Plan of Union

was a proposal for a unified colonial government presented by Benjamin Franklin during the Albany Congress in 1754. It called for a "grand council" of representatives from each colony to oversee matters of defense, western expansion, and Native American relations.
Significance 1: Early Attempt at Colonial Unity: Although it was ultimately rejected by both the colonial assemblies and the British government, the Albany Plan was a significant early attempt at forging a unified government among the American colonies.
Significance 2: Blueprint for the Future: The plan's rejection highlighted the deep-seated divisions and fierce individualism of the colonies at the time. However, the fundamental concepts of a union of colonies and a representative governing body served as a crucial blueprint for future attempts at intercolonial cooperation.