Colonial America Key Terms

New Netherland

A Dutch colony established in the early 1600s in present-day New York, focused on fur trade and religious tolerance.

Dutch West India Company

A trading company that controlled Dutch settlements in the Americas and focused on fur trade and economic expansion.

New Netherland

A Dutch colony established in the early 1600s in present-day New York, focused on fur trade and religious tolerance.

Dutch West India Company

A trading company that controlled Dutch settlements in the Americas and focused on fur trade and economic expansion.

Joint-Stock Company

A business model where investors pooled money to fund colonial ventures, reducing risk and enabling large-scale exploration and settlement.

Charter

A legal document granted by a monarch or government outlining the rights and privileges of a colony or settlement.

Virginia Company

A joint-stock company that funded the Jamestown settlement in 1607, seeking profits through gold and trade.

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in 1607, which struggled before becoming profitable through tobacco.

John Smith

A leader of Jamestown who enforced strict discipline and ensured the colony's survival in its early years.

Powhatan

A powerful Native American chief who initially traded with Jamestown settlers but later resisted English expansion.

Pocahontas

The daughter of Powhatan who mediated between Native Americans and Jamestown settlers and married John Rolfe.

John Rolfe

An English settler who introduced a profitable strain of tobacco to Jamestown, ensuring the colony's economic survival.

Tobacco

A cash crop that became the economic foundation of Virginia and other Southern colonies.

Headright System

A land grant system where settlers received 50 acres for each person they brought to the New World.

House of Burgesses

The first representative legislative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia in 1619.

George Calvert (Lord Baltimore)

The founder of Maryland who sought to create a haven for English Catholics while promoting religious tolerance.

Maryland Act of Religious Tolerance (1649)

A law that granted religious freedom to all Christians in Maryland.

Indentured Servant

A laborer who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to the colonies.

Separatists

English Protestants who wanted to completely break from the Church of England.

Pilgrims

A group of English Separatists who established Plymouth Colony in 1620 for religious freedom.

Mayflower

The ship that carried the Pilgrims to North America, landing in present-day Massachusetts in 1620.

William Bradford

The longtime governor of Plymouth Colony who helped stabilize the settlement.

Massachusetts Bay

A colony founded in 1630 by Puritans seeking religious freedom and economic opportunities.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement signed by Pilgrims in 1620 to form a self-governing community.

Squanto

A Native American who assisted the Pilgrims by teaching them agricultural techniques.

Massachusetts Bay Company

A joint-stock company that funded the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

"City Upon a Hill"

A phrase describing Massachusetts Bay as a model Puritan society.

Thomas Hooker

A Puritan minister who founded Connecticut and advocated for expanded voting rights.

Calvinism

A Protestant theology emphasizing predestination and strict moral conduct.

Puritans

A religious group that sought to purify the Church of England and settled in Massachusetts Bay.

Great English Migration

The mass movement of Puritans to New England in the 1630s.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The first written constitution in the American colonies, establishing a democratic government.

Pequot War (1636-1638)

A violent conflict between New England colonists and the Pequot tribe.

King Philip’s War (1675-1676)

A major Native American uprising against English settlers led by Metacom.

New England Confederation

A military alliance of New England colonies formed in 1643.

Navigation Laws

English laws that restricted colonial trade to England.

Glorious Revolution (1688)

The overthrow of King James II, leading to the strengthening of colonial self-rule.

Salutary Neglect

A British policy of loosely enforcing trade laws in the colonies.

Quakers

A religious group advocating pacifism and equality, settling in Pennsylvania.

John Winthrop

The Puritan leader of Massachusetts Bay promoting a theocratic government.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan dissenter who challenged church authority and was banished to Rhode Island.

Roger Williams

A Puritan minister who advocated for religious freedom and founded Rhode Island.

Metacom (King Philip)

A Wampanoag leader who led a major war against New England settlers.

Henry Hudson

An English explorer for the Dutch who explored the Hudson River.

Peter Stuyvesant

The last Dutch governor of New Netherland who surrendered to the English.

Duke of York

The brother of King Charles II who took control of New Netherland and renamed it New York.

William Penn

A Quaker who founded Pennsylvania as a haven for religious tolerance.

Founding of Georgia/James Oglethorpe

Georgia was founded in 1733 as a buffer against Spanish Florida.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

A revolt led by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia’s colonial government.

Middle Passage

The brutal transatlantic journey that brought enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Slave Codes

Laws that restricted enslaved people's rights in the colonies.

Salem Witch Trials (1692)

A series of trials in Massachusetts regarding accusations of witchcraft.

Halfway Covenant

A Puritan compromise allowing partial church membership.