Immigration and Slavery in the Colonies

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to immigration and slavery in the English colonies.

Indentured servant

A poor immigrant who paid for passage to the colonies by agreeing to work for four to seven years, after which they would be free and usually receive basic necessities and perhaps land.

Triangular trade

A three-part Atlantic exchange system in which European goods were traded for enslaved Africans, who were shipped (Middle Passage) to the Americas for colonial products, which were then sent back to Europe.

Middle Passage

The brutal sea voyage that transported enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas, characterized by crowded ships, disease, and high mortality.

Phillis Wheatley

An enslaved African American in Boston who published a book of poems in 1773, illustrating the literary potential of enslaved people.

Scots-Irish (Ulster Scots)

Descendants of Protestant Scots from Ulster in Ireland who migrated to the colonies, often settling in the backcountry; a large group in the 1700s.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

The system of capturing and transporting enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas, with the majority going to the West Indies and a significant number to the 13 colonies.

Stono Rebellion

A 1739 slave uprising in South Carolina where about 60 enslaved people killed around 20 whites before the rebellion was suppressed.

Slave Codes

Early colonial laws that defined and restricted the status of enslaved people (e.g., hereditary slavery established in 1662 Virginia; punishments regulated; fugitive slaves could be executed in New York by 1715).

Maroons

Runaway enslaved people who hid in forests or formed independent communities, sometimes fleeing to remote areas or Florida for freedom.

Quakers

A religious group in Pennsylvania whose beliefs and presence contributed to a diverse colony and were associated with economic and social tolerance in the early era.