part 2 history

Dame Schools

Small private schools in colonial New England, often run by women, that taught children basic reading, writing, and religious lessons.

Daniel Dulaney

A Maryland lawyer and politician who defended colonial rights and criticized British taxation policies.

David George

An enslaved African American who became a Baptist preacher and helped establish Black Baptist communities.

Day of Doom

A 1662 poem by Michael Wigglesworth describing Puritan beliefs about sin, judgment, and salvation.

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document written primarily by Thomas Jefferson declaring the colonies’ separation from Britain and explaining ideas of natural rights.

Declaratory Act

A 1766 British law stating Parliament had the authority to make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

Delaware

A Native American people of the Lenni-Lenape group who lived in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Deputy Husbands

Men who managed household responsibilities when their wives had greater economic or social authority, showing flexible colonial gender roles.

Diffusionists

People who argue that cultures and ideas spread from one society to another rather than developing independently.

Discourse of Western Planting

A 1584 writing by Richard Hakluyt promoting English colonization in North America.

Disenclavement

The process of becoming connected to larger networks of trade and communication instead of remaining isolated.

Divorce

The legal ending of a marriage. Colonial attitudes toward divorce reflected changing ideas about family and authority.

Dominion of New England

A 1686 attempt by King James II to combine several New England colonies under stronger royal control.

Duke’s Laws

A set of laws created in New York under the Duke of York that regulated government, religion, and local society.

East Jersey

A proprietary colony in the region that became New Jersey, controlled by English proprietors.

Edict of Nantes

A 1598 French law granting limited religious tolerance to Protestants (Huguenots).

Edmund Andros

A royal governor who led the Dominion of New England and became unpopular because of his strict enforcement of British policies.

Edward Braddock

A British general defeated by French and Native forces during the early part of the French and Indian War.

Edward Vernon

A British naval officer involved in early conflicts connected to Caribbean expansion.

Edwin Sandys

A leader of the Virginia Company who promoted representative government and tobacco production.

Eliza Lucas Pinckney

A colonial woman who developed indigo production in South Carolina and became an important planter.

Elizabethan Settlement

A religious compromise under Queen Elizabeth I that established the Church of England while allowing some Protestant practices.

Enclosure

The process in England where common lands were fenced off and privatized, forcing many rural people to seek work elsewhere.

Encomienda

A Spanish labor system that forced Indigenous people to provide labor for colonists in exchange for supposed protection and Christian teaching.

Erik the Red

A Viking explorer who founded a Norse settlement in Greenland.

Ethan Allen

A leader of the Green Mountain Boys who captured Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution.

Feme Covert

A married woman under English common law who had no separate legal identity from her husband.

Feme Sole

An unmarried woman who had legal rights to own property and enter contracts.

Ferdinand and Isabella

The Spanish monarchs who sponsored Columbus’s 1492 voyage and completed the Reconquista.

Fictive Kin

Non-biological family relationships created through social bonds, especially important in African and African American communities.

Fort Caroline

A French settlement in Florida established by Huguenots in 1564.

Fort Mose

The first legally recognized free Black settlement in what is now the United States, located near St. Augustine, Florida.

Fort Necessity

A fort built by George Washington where he was defeated by French forces in 1754, helping begin the French and Indian War.

Francis Asbury

An early Methodist leader who helped spread Methodism throughout America.

Francis Drake

An English privateer who circumnavigated the globe and attacked Spanish ships.

Francis McKemie

A Presbyterian minister known as the “father of American Presbyterianism.”

Francis Nicholson

A British colonial governor involved in attempts to strengthen royal authority.

Francisco Pizarro

The Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

A Spanish explorer who searched the Southwest for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold.

Freemen

Colonists who had full political rights, often including the ability to vote and participate in government.

French and Indian War

A 1754–1763 conflict between Britain and France over control of North America. Britain’s victory increased colonial taxes and tensions.

Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina

A 1669 document created by John Locke and Lord Shaftsbury outlining Carolina’s government structure.

Garacontie

A leader of the Onondaga people who helped maintain diplomatic relations between the Iroquois and Europeans.

General Court

The governing body of Massachusetts Bay that served as a legislature and court system.

Gentry

The wealthy landowning class that held social and political influence in colonial society.

George Calvert, Lord Baltimore

The founder of Maryland’s colony, created as a refuge for Catholics.

George Fox

The founder of the Quaker movement.

George Washington

A Virginia planter and military leader who became commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

George Whitefield

A famous preacher of the First Great Awakening who emphasized emotional religious experiences.

Georgia

A colony founded by James Oglethorpe in 1732 as a buffer against Spanish Florida and a place for debtors and poor settlers.

German Immigrants

European immigrants who settled largely in Pennsylvania and contributed to colonial agriculture and culture.

Giovanni da Verrazano

An Italian explorer who explored the Atlantic coast of North America for France.

Glorious Revolution

The 1688 overthrow of James II and replacement by William and Mary, limiting royal power.

Governor’s Council

A colonial advisory body that assisted governors and often acted as an upper legislative house.

Grace Sherwood

A Virginia woman accused of witchcraft in 1706, known as the “Witch of Pungo.”

Grand Banks

A rich fishing area off Newfoundland that attracted European fishermen.

Great Migration

The movement of thousands of English Puritans to New England between 1630 and 1640.

Great Serpent Mound

A large Native American earthwork in Ohio shaped like a serpent.

Guanche

The Indigenous people of the Canary Islands encountered by Europeans during Atlantic expansion.

Gullah and Geechee

African American cultural communities in the coastal Carolinas and Georgia known for preserving African traditions.

Halfway Covenant of 1662

A Puritan agreement allowing partial church membership for children and grandchildren of original members.

Hannah Barnard

A Quaker woman who challenged traditional religious beliefs and authority.

Hannah Duston

A colonial woman captured during King William’s War who became famous for killing her captors and escaping.

Headright System

A system that gave land to settlers who paid for their own or others’ immigration to Virginia.

Henry Hudson

An English explorer who searched for a Northwest Passage and explored the Hudson River.

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg

A German Lutheran minister who helped organize Lutheran churches in America.

Henry VII

The English king who founded the Tudor dynasty.

Henry VIII

The English king whose conflict with the Catholic Church led to the creation of the Church of England.

Hernan Cortes

The Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztec Empire.

Hernando de Soto

A Spanish explorer who traveled through the southeastern United States searching for wealth.

Hessians

German soldiers hired by Britain to fight during the American Revolution.

Hogsheads

Large barrels used to transport goods such as tobacco and sugar.

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in English America, established in Virginia in 1619.

Huguenots

French Protestants who faced persecution in France and migrated to places including North America.

Huron

A Native American people allied with the French during the fur trade and conflicts with the Iroquois.