Colonial America and the Revolution Practice Flashcards

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards based on the lecture notes covering key terms and figures from the pre-Columbian era through the American Revolution (Chapters 1-7).

Canadian Shield

A large region of ancient rock surrounding Hudson Bay that contains poor soil and many lakes, making farming difficult and encouraging hunting and fishing.

Incas

A powerful civilization in the Andes Mountains of South America that created a large empire before being conquered by Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro.

Aztecs

A powerful civilization centered in Tenochtitlán in present-day Mexico that was conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521.

Nation-states

Political units in which a centralized government rules a territory and its people, often united by a common culture or identity.

Cahokia

A large Native American settlement near present-day St. Louis that was the center of the Mississippian culture and one of the largest cities in pre-Columbian North America.

Three-sister farming

Native American agricultural system that grew corn, beans, and squash together; the crops supported one another and improved the soil.

Caravel

A small, fast, maneuverable European sailing ship used by explorers during the Age of Exploration.

Plantation

A large farm, especially in the Americas, producing cash crops such as tobacco, sugar, or cotton, often using enslaved labor.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of plants, animals, diseases, people, and goods between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres following Columbus's voyages.

Treaty of Tordesillas

A 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided newly discovered lands between them.

Encomienda

Spanish system that granted conquistadors control over Native American labor and tribute in exchange for supposedly protecting and Christianizing Native people.

Noche Triste

The Spanish retreat from Tenochtitlán in 1520 after an uprising by the Aztecs; many Spanish soldiers were killed.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership, investment, competition, and the pursuit of profit.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Native American ancestry.

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers and soldiers who conquered territories in the Americas for Spain.

Battle of Acoma

1599 battle in which Spanish forces under Juan de Oñate defeated the Pueblo people at Acoma Pueblo, demonstrating Spanish brutality toward Native Americans.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 uprising in which Pueblo Indians drove the Spanish out of present-day New Mexico for about twelve years.

Black Legend

The false or exaggerated belief that Spanish colonizers were exceptionally cruel and brutal toward Native Americans, promoted partly by Spain's European rivals.

Ferdinand of Aragon

Spanish monarch who, with Isabella, sponsored Columbus's voyage and helped unite Spain.

Isabella of Castile

Spanish queen who, with Ferdinand, sponsored Columbus's 1492 voyage and supported Spanish expansion and Catholicism.

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer sponsored by Spain who reached the Americas in 1492 while attempting to find a western route to Asia.

Francisco Coronado

Spanish conquistador who explored much of the American Southwest, searching unsuccessfully for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in South America.

Bartolomé de las Casas

Spanish priest who defended Native Americans and criticized Spanish mistreatment of them.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico.

Malinche (Doña Marina)

Native woman who served as Cortés's interpreter and advisor and helped the Spanish communicate with and conquer the Aztecs.

Moctezuma

Aztec ruler who encountered Cortés and was eventually captured by the Spanish.

Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot)

Italian explorer sailing for England who explored the North American coast in 1497.

Robert de La Salle

French explorer who explored the Mississippi River basin and claimed the region for France as Louisiana.

Father Junípero Serra

Spanish Franciscan missionary who established a chain of missions in California.

Huguenots

French Protestants, largely Calvinists, who faced persecution in Catholic France.

Edict of Nantes

1598 decree by Henry IV of France granting limited religious toleration to Huguenots.

Coureurs de bois

French fur traders who lived and worked among Native Americans.

Voyageurs

French-Canadian canoeists who transported furs and supplies through the interior of North America.

Protestant Reformation

16th-century religious movement that challenged the Catholic Church and led to the creation of Protestant denominations.

Roanoke Island

England's first attempted permanent colony in North America; the settlement mysteriously disappeared and became known as the "Lost Colony."

Spanish Armada

Spanish fleet defeated by England in 1588, weakening Spain and helping England become a major colonial and naval power.

Primogeniture

Custom in which the eldest son inherited the family's property, encouraging younger sons to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Joint-stock company

Business organization in which investors pooled money to fund ventures and shared profits and risks.

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that founded Jamestown in 1607.

Charter

Legal document from a government granting rights or privileges, including permission to establish a colony.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America, founded in Virginia in 1607.

First Anglo-Powhatan War

Conflict between English colonists and the Powhatan Confederacy over land and resources.

New Netherland

Dutch colony in North America centered around present-day New York that was taken by the English in 1664.

Iroquois Confederacy

Alliance of Native American nations in the Northeast that provided political and military cooperation among its members.

Elizabeth I

English queen who supported Protestantism, encouraged exploration, and helped England challenge Spain.

Sir Francis Drake

English explorer, privateer, and naval commander who circumnavigated the globe and helped defeat the Spanish Armada.

Sir Walter Raleigh

English nobleman who sponsored the failed Roanoke colony.

James I

English king who granted the Virginia Company its charter to establish Jamestown.

Captain John Smith

Jamestown leader who helped organize the colony and promoted discipline and cooperation with Native Americans.

Powhatan

Powerful Native American leader who controlled the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia.

Pocahontas

Powhatan's daughter who interacted with the Jamestown colonists and later married John Rolfe.

Lord De La Warr

Governor of Virginia who imposed strict policies and helped prevent Jamestown from being abandoned.

John Rolfe

Virginia colonist who developed a profitable strain of tobacco and married Pocahontas.

Hiawatha

Legendary founder associated with the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy.

House of Burgesses

First representative legislative assembly in the English colonies, established in Virginia in 1619.

Act of Toleration

Maryland law granting religious freedom to Christians, especially Catholics, but allowing punishment of those who denied Christianity.

Barbados Slave Code

Laws establishing harsh rules governing enslaved Africans and treating them as property.

English Civil War

1640s conflict between supporters of Parliament and supporters of King Charles I; Parliament eventually won.

Squatters

Settlers who occupied land without officially owning it.

Tuscarora War

Conflict in North Carolina between colonists and the Tuscarora Indians; many Tuscarora later joined the Iroquois Confederacy.

Yamasee Indians

Native group involved in the Yamasee War against South Carolina colonists in the early 1700s.

Buffer

A territory or group that separates two potentially hostile areas.

Calvinism

Protestant religious tradition based on the teachings of John Calvin.

Predestination

Calvinist belief that God has already determined who will receive salvation.

Conversion

The process of changing one's religious beliefs, particularly becoming Christian.

Puritans

English Protestants who wanted to reform the Church of England.

Separatists

Puritans who believed the Church of England was too corrupt and wanted to separate completely from it.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement in which Pilgrims established a self-governing political community.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan colony established in 1630 under John Winthrop.

Great English Migration

Large migration of English Puritans to New New England during the 1630s.

Antinomianism

Belief that faith alone, rather than following religious laws, was sufficient for salvation.

Fundamental Orders

1639 document establishing a representative government in Connecticut; often considered an early written constitution.

Pequot War

1630s conflict in which New England colonists and Native allies defeated the Pequot people.

King Philip's War

1675–1676 conflict between New England colonists and Native Americans led by Metacom.

New England Confederation

1643 alliance of four New England colonies formed for mutual defense.

Navigation Laws

English laws regulating colonial trade to benefit England and restrict colonial commerce with other countries.

Dominion of New England

Royal administrative consolidation of several New England colonies under centralized English control.

Glorious Revolution

1688 overthrow of James II that brought William III and Mary II to the English throne and strengthened Parliament.

Salutary Neglect

Britain's unofficial policy of loosely enforcing colonial trade laws, allowing colonies greater self-government.

Quakers

Protestant religious group emphasizing equality, personal religious experience, and pacifism.

Blue Laws

Strict colonial laws regulating morality and religious behavior, often restricting activities on Sundays.

Lord Baltimore

Catholic nobleman who founded Maryland as a refuge for Catholics.

Oliver Cromwell

Parliamentary leader who ruled England after the execution of Charles I.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia, originally intended as a refuge for debtors and a buffer against Spanish Florida.

Martin Luther

German monk whose criticisms of the Catholic Church helped begin the Protestant Reformation.

John Calvin

Protestant theologian whose teachings emphasized predestination and influenced Puritanism.

William Bradford

Leader of the Plymouth colony and author of Of Plymouth Plantation.

John Winthrop

Governor of Massachusetts Bay who promoted the idea of a Puritan "city upon a hill."

Anne Hutchinson

Religious dissenter who challenged Puritan authorities and was banished from Massachusetts.

Roger Williams

Religious dissenter who founded Rhode Island and promoted religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Massasoit

Wampanoag leader who maintained an alliance with the Plymouth colonists.

Metacom (King Philip)

Wampanoag leader who organized Native resistance against New England colonists during King Philip's War.

Charles II

English king who restored the monarchy and supported colonial expansion.

Sir Edmund Andros

Governor of the Dominion of New England who enforced royal authority and unpopular policies.

William III

Dutch prince who became king of England after the Glorious Revolution.

Mary II

William III's wife and co-ruler of England following the Glorious Revolution.

William Penn

Quaker who founded Pennsylvania as a colony based on religious tolerance.

Indentured servants

European workers who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for transportation to America and other benefits.

Headright system

System granting land to settlers who paid for their own or another person's passage to the colonies.