Colonial America Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to the colonization of America.

Joint Stock Companies

Investors pool money for risk or reward to fund ventures in colonization; the Virginia Company made Jamestown possible through this.

House of Burgesses

A governing body of Virginia.

Slave Code

Slaves don’t have rights, all children born from slaves are slaves; slaves became more popular as indentured servants became more scarce alongside the need to grow cash crops.

Bacon's Rebellion

Fueled over settlers' frustration when Berkeley wouldn’t send troops to fight the natives.

The Mayflower Compact

Agreement signed by the Pilgrims in 1620 to establish a self-governing colony based on majority rule.

Queen Elizabeth I

The monarch who consolidated Protestantism in England and resisted Catholic Spain's attempts to restore Catholicism.

The Mayflower Compact

Agreement signed by the Pilgrims in 1620 to establish a self-governing colony based on majority rule.

John Winthrop

The first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony who envisioned it as a "city upon a hill" as a model of Christian virtue.

Puritan Migration

Refers to the large-scale movement of Puritans to New England in the early 17th century to escape religious persecution and build a new society.

Anglicization

Refers to the process by which colonial societies adopted English customs, institutions, and cultural practices.

Common Law

A body of law developed through judicial decisions and precedents rather than through legislative statutes.

Roger Williams

A dissenting Puritan minister who founded Rhode Island and advocated for religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

Anne Hutchinson

A religious dissenter who challenged the Puritan establishment's views on salvation and was eventually banished from Massachusetts.

Metacom's War

A conflict between Native American tribes led by Metacom (King Philip) and English settlers, resulting in heavy casualties and a decisive defeat for the Native Americans.

The Dominion of New England

An administrative union of English colonies in the Northeast created by King James II to centralize control and enforce royal authority.

King James II

The English monarch whose attempts to consolidate power and enforce Catholicism led to the Glorious Revolution and his eventual ousting.

William of Orange

A Protestant prince who led the Glorious Revolution and became William III of England alongside his wife Mary II.

The Glorious Revolution

Led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in England and inspired greater political and religious freedoms in the American colonies.

King William's War

North American theater of the War of the Grand Alliance, involving conflicts between French and English settlers and their Native American allies.

Household Mode of Production

An economic system where families produce goods and services for their own use and local markets, rather than relying on external labor or industrial production.

Leisler’s Rebellion

Uprising in New York led by Jacob Leisler against the existing colonial government, reflecting tensions between colonial elites and common settlers.

Penn's Policies

Characterized by religious tolerance, democratic principles, and fair treatment of Native Americans.