Overview of English Colonial Foundations

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to England’s political system, colonization efforts, early Jamestown, and the beginnings of English North American colonies.

Magna Carta (Great Charter)

A 1215 charter limiting the king’s power and establishing basic rights such as trial by jury and taxation with consent, forming a foundation for English legal rights.

Common Law

A body of English law based on custom and judicial precedent that governs civil and criminal matters and can restrain royal authority.

Parliament

England’s legislative body formed by the 13th–14th centuries; consists of two houses and requires its consent for royal laws to be legitimate.

Monarch (King/Queen) of England

Head of state and government with powers to appoint ministers, convene Parliament, enact laws, conduct foreign policy, and, after the Reformation, lead the Church of England.

Church of England (Anglican/Episcopal)

The established church of England, with the monarch as its head, created during the Protestant Reformation.

Elizabeth I

Virgin Queen who ruled 1558–1603, stabilizing England after the Reformation and supporting exploration and colonization, challenging Spanish power.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in Virginia (founded 1607); faced starvation, disease, and Powhatan conflicts, later sustained by tobacco.

Powhatan Confederacy

Alliance of Powhatan- and other Virginia tribes; powerful group that resisted English settlement.

Captain John Smith

Jamestown leader who stabilized the colony, organized defenses, improved relations with Native groups, and promoted farming.

Starving Time

Winter of 1609–1610 in Jamestown when food ran out and many colonists died; some reports describe cannibalism.

Tobacco as a cash crop

Introduction of tobacco as Virginia’s profitable export, shifting the colony’s economy from precious metals to agriculture.

London Company (London Company of Virginia)

Royal chartered company granted rights to establish a colony in Virginia, leading to Jamestown.

Roanoke Colony

Failed English settlement at Roanoke Island (1585–1590); vanished, leaving behind only clues like the word Croatoan.

1619 Women in Virginia

Arrival of women to Virginia, increasing permanence and family formation in the colony.

1619 Representative Government (House of Burgesses)

Charter revision giving colonists more independence and establishing a two-chamber local government, including the House of Burgesses.

1619 Africans (Indentured Servants)

Arrival of 20 Africans traded in Jamestown; treated as indentured servants, signaling the early path toward slavery.

House of Burgesses

First representative assembly in English colonies; featured a governor, council, and a lower house representing colonists.

Plymouth Company

Chartered company that attempted to establish colonies on the Atlantic coast; its efforts eventually led to Plymouth and Separatist settlement.

Separatists / Pilgrims

English religious group seeking to separate from the Church of England; founded Plymouth Colony in 1620.

Puritans

Religious reformers within England who aimed to purify the Church of England and later established the New England colonies.

Great Britain

Term used for the united entity of England, Scotland, and Wales (with later inclusion of Ireland); reflects political consolidation in the British Isles.

New England Colonies

Northern English colonies (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire) founded by Puritans/Separatists seeking religious community and governance.