APUSH Terms 1-50 Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of 50 vocabulary flashcards covering key APUSH terms from the notes.

Mayflower Compact (1620)

The first agreement for self-government in America signed by 41 men aboard the Mayflower to establish a government for the Plymouth colony.

William Bradford

Pilgrim leader and second governor of Plymouth (1621–1657); promoted private land ownership and helped the colony survive droughts, crop failures, and Indian attacks.

Pilgrims and Puritans contrast

Pilgrims were Separatists who fled to America to practice worship freely; Puritans sought to reform the Church of England and settled Massachusetts Bay.

Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629)

Puritans established a colony with political freedom and a representative government in New England.

Cambridge Agreement (1629)

Puritan stockholders agreed to emigrate to New England if they would control the colony's government.

Puritan migration

Massive 1630s to 1640s movement of Puritans to New England; population grew tenfold.

Church of England (Anglican Church)

National church of England founded by Henry VIII, blending Catholic and Protestant elements.

John Winthrop (1588–1649)

First governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony; led the colony and helped organize the New England Confederation in 1643; favored rule by a small group of leaders.

Separatists vs Non-separatists

Separatists believed the Church of England could not be reformed; Non-separatists including Puritans wanted reforms within the church.

Calvinism

Protestant doctrine by John Calvin emphasizing predestination and a moral code; supported representative government and separation of church and state.

Congregational Church Cambridge Platform

Congregational Church founded by separatists; Cambridge Platform stressed morality over dogma.

Contrast Puritan colonies with others

Puritan towns were self-governing with elect church members voting; others had more diverse governance.

Anne Hutchinson Antinomianism

Anne Hutchinson taught direct revelation from God; banished in 1637; followers founded New Hampshire.

Roger Williams Rhode Island

Left Massachusetts and founded Rhode Island in 1635 for complete religious freedom.

Covenant theology

Puritan emphasis on biblical covenants including Adams, Noah, and the covenant of grace through Christ.

Voting rights 1631

Massachusetts general court restricted voting to church members in 1631.

Half-way Covenant

Allowed children of church members who had not achieved grace to participate in some church affairs.

Brattle Street Church

1698 Founded by Thomas Brattle; did not require proof of grace for full church membership.

Thomas Hooker

Clergyman founder of Hartford; argued that people have a right to choose their magistrates; father of American democracy.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

First American constitution; unified government for Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield.

Saybrook Platform

Organized town churches into county associations; delegates to annual assembly governing Connecticut.

Massachusetts School Law

First public education law; towns with 50+ families must hire a schoolmaster; towns with 100+ must found grammar schools.

Harvard (1636)

College founded by the Massachusetts general court; aligned with Puritan beliefs.

New England Confederation (1643)

Defense alliance among four New England colonies; also served as a court in disputes.

King Philip's War (1675)

Series of battles between colonists and Wampanoag led by Metacomet; Massachusetts asserted jurisdiction over Indians; colonists won with Mohawk help.

Dominion of New England (1686)

Royal province combining MA, RI, NH, CT under royal governor Andros; ended in 1692 after rebellion.

Sir Edmund Andros

Governor of the Dominion of New England (1686–1692); deposed during colonial unrest and returned to England.

Joint stock company

Company owned by shareholders who contribute capital and share profits and debts.

Virginia Company and colony

Profit-seeking venture; early starvation and high death rates; tobacco later saved the colony; crown took over.

Headright system

Land grants of about 50 acres given to colonists who paid for the passage of indentured servants.

John Smith

Helped found and govern Jamestown; leadership and discipline helped the colony survive its first winter.

John Rolfe tobacco

Introduced successful tobacco cultivation and curing; boosted Virginia economy; helped stabilize the colony.

Slavery begins 1619

Arrival of the first African slaves in Virginia, marking the start of slavery in English colonial America.

House of Burgesses 1619

First representative legislative assembly in colonial America.

Bacon's Rebellion (1676)

Western Virginia settlers rebelled against Governor Berkeley over Indian policy; defeated Indians and burned Jamestown; ended with Bacon's death.

Culpeper's Rebellion (1677–79)

North Carolina farmers rebelled against Lords Proprietor over Navigation Acts; crushed; Culpeper acquitted.

Georgia (1733)

Founded as a buffer between Carolina and Florida; intended debtor haven; prosperity grew after lifting restrictions on land and slavery.

James Oglethorpe

Founder and governor of Georgia; strict, military style; opposed slavery and Catholicism; criticized by colonists.

Carolinas 1665

Carolina granted to pay debts; headrights and representative government; later split into North and South.

Charleston (1690)

First permanent settlement in the Carolinas; named for Charles II; many Huguenot refugees.

Staple crops in the South

Tobacco in Virginia and Maryland; rice in South Carolina and Georgia; indigo in South Carolina.

Pennsylvania William Penn (1681)

Land grant to William Penn to form a haven for Quakers; religious freedom.

Liberal land laws in Pennsylvania

Penn allowed broad immigration to Pennsylvania to provide a haven for persecuted religions.

Holy Experiment

Penns plan for a government that serves all and guarantees freedom for all.

Charter of Liberties (1701)

Pennsylvania's framework establishing representative government and counties with local authority.

New York Dutch 1664 English

New York was Dutch; ownership transferred to the Duke of York in 1664; briefly retaken by the Dutch in 1673; restored to English in 1674.

Peter Stuyvesant

Governed New Amsterdam; disliked by colonists; surrendered to the English on Sept 8, 1664.

Five Nations

Iroquois Confederacy of Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, Onondaga, Cayuga; Tuscarora added later; powerful influence on region and later U.S. governance.

Crops in the Middle Colonies

Staple crops were grain and corn produced in the Middle Colonies.

New York and Philadelphia as urban centers

New York a major harbor and trade hub; Philadelphia a center for trade, crafts, and immigration; influential in American independence.