USVA History Unit 1: Colonial America Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, colonial regional characteristics, government structures, and economic policies from USVA History Unit 1.

3 G's of Exploration

God, Glory, and Gold (Guns is not one of the primary historical reasons).

Mercantilism

An economic policy used by European nations to control colonial trade, acquire wealth, and ensure the colonies existed to benefit the mother country.

Cash Crop

A crop grown primarily for profit/sale (e.g., tobacco in Virginia) rather than personal use.

Subsistence Farming

Growing just enough food to feed one's family, common in regions with rocky soil like New England.

Middle Passage

The brutal leg of the Triangular Trade system that forcibly transported enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Mayflower Compact

Early agreement by the Pilgrims to establish self-determination and self-government.

Virginia House of Burgesses

Established in 1619, it was the first elected representative assembly in English North America.

New England Colonies

Region including MA, NH, CT, and RI, settled by Puritans and Pilgrims seeking religious freedom, featuring a cold climate, rocky soil, subsistence farming, shipbuilding, fishing, forestry, and direct democracy through town hall meetings.

Middle Colonies ("Breadbasket")

Region including NY, NJ, PA, and DE, settled by ethnically and religiously diverse European groups (such as Quakers) seeking religious tolerance and economic opportunities, known for grain crops, iron goods, trade, and high religious tolerance.

Southern Colonies

Region including VA, MD, NC, SC, and GA, settled by English nobility, indentured servants, and enslaved West Africans, featuring a hot climate, fertile lowlands, a plantation system, and cash crop agriculture (tobacco, rice).

Jamestown, Virginia

Established in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London, it was the first successful permanent English settlement.

Virginia Company of London

The joint-stock company that established Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.

Town Hall Meetings

A form of local government in New England characterized by direct democracy, operating alongside strict religious rule or theocracy.

Impact of European Exploration on Indigenous Populations

A primary negative impact driven largely by land conflict and European diseases.

Transition to Racial Slavery

The shift in the Southern colonies driven by plantation owners seeking a permanent labor force, resulting in hereditary, race-based laws.

Location of the Original 13 Settlements

All located East of the Appalachian Mountains along the Atlantic coast.

Columbian Exchange

The movement of American agricultural products (like tobacco and sugar), raw materials, manufactured goods, and labor systems between the Americas and Europe, which promoted mercantilism and enriched European monarchs.