Unit 2: Colonial Society and Structure (1607-1754) — Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the colonial period (1607-1754), focusing on Enlightenment ideas, the Great Awakening, and early colonial resistance and governance.

Enlightenment

European movement emphasizing reason and scientific inquiry over religious revelation; spread to the American colonies via a robust transatlantic print culture.

Natural rights

Inherent rights to life, liberty, and property believed to be granted by the creator, not by a monarch.

John Locke

Enlightenment thinker whose Two Treatises argued for natural rights and government by consent of the governed.

Social contract

Idea that legitimate government derives from the consent of the governed to protect natural rights; if violated, people may resist.

Three branches of government (checks and balances)

Concept of legislative, executive, and judicial branches with mutual oversight to prevent tyranny.

New Light clergy

Preachers during the Great Awakening who emphasized emotional religious experience and revival.

Pietism

German religious movement stressing heartfelt faith and personal piety; influenced revivalist preaching in the colonies.

Great Awakening

Massive colonial religious revival that fostered intense devotion and challenged established authorities.

Jonathan Edwards

New England pastor and scholar who blended Enlightenment ideas with evangelical preaching; famous for 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.'

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

Edwards’ renowned sermon illustrating divine judgment and sparking revival.

George Whitefield

English preacher who toured the colonies, spreading revival across churches, fields, and street corners.

New Life preachers

Preachers in the Great Awakening who highlighted democratic themes in the Bible and the dignity of ordinary people.

Participatory town meetings

Local assemblies in which colonists elected leaders and helped govern their communities.

Transatlantic print culture

Flow of printed materials across the Atlantic that disseminated Enlightenment and colonial ideas.

Impressment

British practice of forcibly recruiting men into naval service; sparked colonial protests.

King George’s War

1747 North American theater of the War of Austrian Succession, leading to imperial military actions like impressment.

War of Austrian Succession

European conflict (1740s) that framed colonial military and political tensions in North America.

Anglicanization

Process of colonial political and cultural alignment with British practices, even as resistance to Britain grew.

Colonial resistance to Britain

Growing colonial distrust of Parliament and imperial authority, evidenced by protests and governance challenges.