8th Grade U.S. History Colonial Content Module

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and definitions related to Colonial U.S. History.

Mercantilism

European economic policy stating that colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country.

Compact

A formal agreement supported by the people involved.

Charter

A document from the king giving permission to colonize.

Colony

A group of settlers who leave the mother country to settle in another place.

Representative Government

A government in which people choose representatives to vote for them.

Indentured Servant

A person who agreed to work for 3 to 7 years for passage to America.

Slave

A person who was bought and sold as property and forced to work.

Cash Crop

Crops grown to be sold for profit.

Import

Trade product brought into a country.

Export

Trade product sent to markets outside a country.

Plantation

A large farm where cash crops were grown and harvested, usually by forced labor.

Jamestown

The first permanent English colony established in 1607 in Virginia.

Starving Time

The harsh winter faced by settlers in Jamestown that resulted in starvation and disease.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement among Pilgrims to create a government for their settlement in 1620.

Virginia House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the American colonies established in 1619.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The first written constitution in North America, adopted in 1639.

English Bill of Rights

A document that states the power to make laws and impose taxes belonged to Parliament.

New England Colonies

Colonies founded primarily for religious freedom, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

Middle Colonies

Colonies known as the 'Breadbasket' due to fertile soil and diverse population, including Pennsylvania and New York.

Southern Colonies

Colonies known for large plantations and cash crops, including Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas.

Great Migration

The movement of Puritans from England to the New World for religious freedom in the 1630s.