Chapter 2 Flashcards

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan woman who challenged religious authority and gender roles; banished from Massachusetts.

Atlantic World

Interactions and trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas during colonization.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 Virginia uprising against Governor Berkeley, led by Nathaniel Bacon.

Barbados Slave Trade

Caribbean island that became a key hub for sugar production and African slavery.

Congregational Church

Protestant church established by Puritans in New England; emphasized local autonomy.

Dominion of New England

Consolidated New England colonies under royal control in the late 1600s.

English Caribbean

British colonies like Barbados and Jamaica focused on sugar plantations and slavery.

Fundamental Constitution for Carolina

1669 governing document for Carolina colony, influenced by John Locke.

George and Cecilius Calvert

Founders of Maryland as a safe haven for English Catholics.

Glorious Revolution

1688 peaceful overthrow of King James II; led to more colonial self-governance.

Headright System

Land grant system offering 50 acres to settle

Jacob Leisler

Led a 1689 rebellion in New York; executed for seizing control of colonial government.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia; aimed to create a colony for debtors and a buffer from Spanish Florida.

Jamestown

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

John Calvin

Religious reformer who developed Calvinism, which influenced Puritan beliefs.

John Smith

Early leader of Jamestown; helped ensure colony’s survival through leadership and diplomacy.

John Winthrop

First governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony; promoted Puritan "city upon a hill" ideal.

King Philip’s War

1675–76 conflict between New England colonists and Native Americans led by Metacomet.

Massachusetts Bay Company

Joint-stock company that founded Massachusetts Bay Colony for Puritans.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement for self-government signed by Pilgrims before landing at Plymouth.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where colonies exist to benefit the mother country through controlled trade.

Metacomet

Wampanoag leader known as King Philip; led resistance during King Philip’s War.

Middle Ground

Region of compromise and cultural exchange between Native Americans and Europeans.

Navigation Acts

British trade laws controlling colonial commerce to benefit England.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colony later taken by the British and renamed New York.

Pennsylvania, founding of

Colony founded by William Penn as a refuge for Quakers and religious freedom.

Pequot War

1636–38 conflict in New England where colonists and allies nearly destroyed the Pequot tribe.

Plymouth Plantation

Colony founded by the Pilgrims in 1620 in present-day Massachusetts.

Powhatan

Powerful Native American chief near Jamestown; father of Pocahontas.

Praying Indians

Native Americans who converted to Christianity and lived in “praying towns” in New England.

Puritans

Religious group seeking to purify the Church of England; settled in New England.

Quakers

Religious group promoting equality, peace, and inner light; founded Pennsylvania.

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island; supported separation of church and state and religious tolerance.

Sir William Berkeley

Governor of Virginia; criticized for corruption and handling of Bacon’s Rebellion.

Theocracy

Government ruled by religious leaders or based on religious laws.

Tobacco

Cash crop that supported the economy of Virginia and other southern colonies.

Toleration Act

1649 Maryland law granting religious freedom to all Christians.

Virginia House of Burgesses 

First elected legislative body in colonial America; founded in 1619.

Wampanoags

Native American tribe who helped the Pilgrims but later fought in King Philip’s War.

William Bradford

Governor of Plymouth Colony; wrote about the colony’s early years.

William Penn

Quaker leader and founder of Pennsylvania; promoted religious tolerance and fair dealings with Natives.