Colonial Society on the Eve of Revolution (1700–1775) Flashcards

Vocabulary terms covering key concepts, historical figures, social movements, and economic structures from Chapter 5 of APUSH.

Anglicization

The process through which British colonies increasingly adopted British political, economic, and cultural practices.

Scots-Irish

Scottish Protestant immigrants from Northern Ireland who often settled on the colonial frontier and developed a reputation for independence, resistance to authority, and distrust of established governments.

Pennsylvania Dutch

German immigrants in Pennsylvania (derived from Deutsch) who settled as farmers, Lutherans, and religious dissenters while maintaining their language and culture.

Paxton Boys

Scots-Irish frontiersmen in Pennsylvania who marched toward Philadelphia in 1764 to protest Quaker political policies regarding protection against Native American attacks.

Regulators

North Carolina backcountry settlers (1768–1771) who protested against corrupt local officials, unfair taxation, and political domination by wealthy eastern elites.

Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecœur

French immigrant writer who famously asked "What then is the American, this new man?" and documented the emergence of a unique American identity born from mixing European peoples.

Gullah

A distinctive language combining English with African linguistic traditions, created by enslaved people in the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia.

New York Slave Revolt (1712)

An uprising in 1712 where enslaved individuals in New York killed several whites before the revolt was violently suppressed.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

A major slave uprising in South Carolina where enslaved Africans attempted to escape toward Spanish Florida, leading to stricter local controls on enslaved people after its defeat.

Bread Colonies

A nickname for the Middle Colonies due to their high production and export of wheat and other grains.

Triangular Trade

An Atlantic commerce route connecting North America, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, notably exchanging goods like rum, enslaved Africans, and molasses.

Molasses Act of 1733

A British regulatory tax placed on imported molasses from non-British Caribbean colonies to protect British West Indian sugar growers, which colonial merchants frequently evaded by smuggling.

Arminianism

A theological view challenging traditional Calvinist predestination by proposing that human free will plays a role in salvation.

Great Awakening

A widespread religious revival during the 1730s and 1740s that emphasized personal conversion, emotional spirituality, and individual faith over established church authority.

Jonathan Edwards

A prominent Great Awakening minister who emphasized human sinfulness and God's grace, famous for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

George Whitefield

An influential traveling evangelical preacher of the Great Awakening known for his dramatic, highly emotional public sermons delivered throughout the colonies.

Old Lights

Traditional, orthodox ministers who rejected the emotional revivals and evangelical style of the Great Awakening.

New Lights

Ministers and parishioners who supported and participated in the Great Awakening's revivalist movement and emotional conversion experiences.

Poor Richard's Almanack

A popular colonial publication created by Benjamin Franklin in 1732 containing weather, advice, calendars, and aphorisms promoting thrift, industry, and discipline.

John Peter Zenger Trial (1734–1735)

A landmark New York court case resulting in Zenger's acquittal for seditious libel on the grounds that his printed criticisms were truthful, establishing a precedent for freedom of the press.

Royal Colony

A colony directly administered by the British Crown, with executive power held by a king-appointed governor.

Proprietary Colony

A colony governed by private individuals or families granted official land rights and authority by the Crown, such as Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Power of the Purse

The legal leverage held by colonial assemblies over royal governors through their exclusive control over local taxation and legislative spending, including governor salaries.

Benjamin Franklin

A notable writer, printer, scientist, inventor, and public servant who represented the ideas of the American Enlightenment.

Phillis Wheatley

An enslaved African-born poet who became one of the most prominent writers in colonial America, challenging prevailing racial assumptions regarding intellect.