Early Colonial Society and the French and Indian War

Vocabulary and key concepts from early colonial self-government, the transatlantic slave trade, religious revivals, and the French and Indian War.

Salutary Neglect

The unofficial British policy of lax enforcement of trade laws, which allowed the American colonies to develop independent local governments and unique cultural identities out of practical necessity.

Mayflower Compact

The first written plan for self-government in North America, established in 1620.

Virginia House of Burgesses & New England Town Meetings

Early practical demonstrations of colonial democratic self-rule.

Mid-Atlantic Colonies

The most culturally and religiously diverse region, defined by high religious tolerance and flexible social structures, including key groups like Quakers and Catholics.

The Middle Passage

The horrific forced transatlantic journey of enslaved Africans to the Americas, characterized by overcrowded, unsanitary, and deadly conditions on ships where many died due to 'improvident avarice'.

Olaudah Equiano

Author of 'The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or, Gustavus Vassa, the African' who described the suffocating heat and loathsome smells of the Middle Passage.

African Influence on Southern Cuisine

The introduction of staples like okra, yams, and rice which heavily influenced Southern cooking.

The First Great Awakening

A major religious revival movement in the 1730s-1740s that emphasized personal spiritual experience over rigid church authority and led colonists to challenge hierarchical authority.

Jonathan Edwards

A prominent preacher of the First Great Awakening known for his fiery 1741 sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God'.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

A 1741 sermon by Jonathan Edwards that describes natural men being held over the pit of hell by a provoked God whose anger is great.

French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)

A conflict between Great Britain and France for control over North American territory, particularly Canada and the Ohio River Valley.

William Pitt

Individual who in 1760 commanded the Governor & Company of Connecticut to induce the assembly to raise a body of men to reduce Montreal and all other French posts.

Treaty of Paris (1763)

The agreement that formally ended the French and Indian War, resulting in France surrendering virtually all of its North American possessions to Great Britain.

Shift in Power (Post-1763)

The outcome of the French and Indian War that established Great Britain as the dominant power in North America.

Impact of War Debt

Britain's massive debt from the French and Indian War prompted Parliament to impose new taxes and tighter controls, driving a wedge between Britain and the American colonies.