Unit 1 Colonial Era Level 1 Terms (part 1)

Mayflower Compact

the first written framework for self-government in what is now the United States, made by the Mayflower passengers in 1620

proprietor

a person who owned a colony as a result of receiving a land grant from the king

indentured servant

a settler who voluntarily gave up freedom for five to seven years in exchange for passage to America

plantation

a huge farm requiring a large labor force to grow crops for profit

racism

the belief that one race of people is superior to another

Magna Carta

the agreement made in 1215 between King John and his barons listing rights granted by the monarch to all free men of the kingdom

due process of law

a system in which government cannot deprive a person of life, liberty, or property except according to rules established by law

Parliament

the lawmaking body of England

English Bill of Rights

an act passed by Parliament in 1689 further limiting the monarch's power by giving Parliament the sole power to tax and specifying citizens' rights, such as trial by jury and protection from cruel and unusual punishment

House of Burgesses

the first legislature in the English colonies in America, formed in 1619

Albany Plan of Union

a proposal drafted in 1754 by Benjamin Franklin calling for an alliance of the English colonies for their own defense

confederation

an alliance of independent governments

Act of Religious Toleration

a law enacted in Maryland in 1649 declaring that all Christian denominations have a right to practice their faith

Zenger trial

a trial that helped promote the idea that the freedom of the press is a right that should be protected

Great Awakening

a period of religious revival during the early 1700s that encouraged people to question authority and to think freely about religious matters

Declaration of Independence

the document approved in 1776 by the Second Continental Congress declaring that the 13 former colonies were free and independent states

Stamp Act

an act passed by Parliament in 1765 requiring colonists to pay a stamp tax on newspapers and documents; the first direct tax imposed on the colonies, prompting protests of "no taxation without representation"

tyranny

unjust government

committees of correspondence

groups of letter writers who spread news about British actions throughout the colonies

Boston Tea Party

the dumping of tea in Boston harbor in 1773 to protest the Tea Act

Intolerable Acts

laws passed by Parliament in 1774 to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party by closing Boston harbor, shutting shown civilian courts, forcing colonists to house British troops, and placing the colony under the rule of an appointed governor

militias

groups of citizens who volunteer to be soldiers during emergencies

Common Sense

a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1776 making an influential argument for independence

Battle of Saratoga

the decisive American victory in 1777 that was a major turning point in the revolution, prompting France and Spain to enter the war against Britain

Battle of Yorktown

the American victory in 1781 that ended the revolution