Chapter 3 American History Vocabulary

Key vocabulary terms and definitions from Chapter 3 of American History covering colonial governance, social structures, and economic systems.

charter

document from the sovereign granting a right

pilgrim

person who goes on a religious journey

constitution

document stating the basic form and rules of a government

dissident

person who refuses to go along with an official or prevailing belief or practice

patroon

wealthy colonial landowners

proprietary colony

colony in which an owner, or a proprietor, owned all the land and controlled the government

pacifist

someone who opposes the use of war or violence to settle disputes

indentured servants

a person who pledges his or her labor for an amount of time in exchange for some payment

debtors

one who owes money

refugees

one who flees his or her home to seek refuge or safety from some danger or ill

subsistence farming

producing just enough to feed the family with none left over to sell or trade

cash crop

agricultural product intended to be sold for profit

slave codes

repressive rules governing the behavior and punishment of enslaved Africans