Unit 2 AP US History Review (1607-1754)

A comprehensive set of practice flashcards covering key concepts, events, and terms from the unit 2 material (1607-1754) in AP US History, including colonization patterns, labor systems, mercantilism, slavery, religion, and colonial governance.

What were the primary goals of Spanish colonization in the Americas as described in unit two notes?

Extract wealth (gold and silver, cash crops) and convert natives to Christianity; also established a caste system based on racial ancestry.

How did French colonial policy differ from Spanish policy in the Americas?

The French prioritized trade (fish and fur) over conquest and formed alliances with Native peoples, including marriages with Native partners.

What were Dutch colonial goals in the Americas?

Economic focus on fur trade and trade hubs like New Amsterdam; they showed little interest in converting natives.

What motivated British colonization in the Atlantic, according to the notes?

New economic opportunities and lands, plus religious freedom and improved living conditions for some.

In 1607 Jamestown was financed by a __.

joint-stock company

What labor system powered early Chesapeake colonies?

Indentured servitude; workers signed contracts to labor for typically seven years to pay for passage.

What was Bacon's Rebellion?

A 1676 uprising where Nathaniel Bacon and indentured servants attacked Indians and then plantations; exposed tensions between colonists and governing elites.

What consequence did Bacon's Rebellion have on labor in Virginia?

Planters moved away from indentured servitude toward African slavery.

What characterized the founding of the New England colonies?

Founded by pilgrims for religious reasons; family-based farming; early fevers and disease but eventually a thriving economy.

What crop shift occurred in the Caribbean in the 1620s–1630s and what labor did it increase the demand for?

Introduction of sugar cane; dramatically increased demand for enslaved Africans and led to strict slave codes.

What characterized Pennsylvania under William Penn?

Founded by a Quaker with religious freedom; negotiated land with Native peoples; relatively democratic governance.

Define mercantilism as described in the notes.

Wealth is fixed; nations pursue a favorable balance of trade; colonies provide raw materials; wealth measured in gold and silver.

Describe the Triangular Trade.

New England rum to West Africa for enslaved people; Middle Passage to the West Indies for sugarcane; sugarcane back to New England to make more rum.

Between 1700 and 1808, how many enslaved Africans were carried across the Middle Passage, and where were most sold?

About 3,000,000; the majority were sold in the British West Indies.

What were slave codes in Virginia and the Carolinas like?

Slaves defined as property (chattel) and slavery made a perpetual, hereditary condition.

What was the Stono Rebellion and when did it occur?

A 1739 uprising in South Carolina where enslaved people seized arms, killed whites, and marched toward Spanish Florida before being suppressed.

What was Metacom's War (King Philip's War) and who was Metacom?

A 1675–1676 conflict where Metacom, a Wampanoag leader, united various tribes against English colonists; the English eventually killed Metacom with Mohawk assistance.

What role did the Great Awakening play in colonial society?

Religious revival that spread across the colonies, led by Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, contributing to a sense of American identity and challenging established authority.

Who were the New Light clergy and what did they advocate?

Christian ministers who challenged traditional religious authority and promoted democratic, Bible-centered principles.

What Enlightenment ideas influenced the colonies?

Natural rights; social contract; separation of powers; government should protect rights and be subject to checks and balances.

What was impressment and when did it provoke rioting in the colonies?

The act of forcing colonial men into Royal Navy service; sparked rioting in 1747 during King George's War.

What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact and the House of Burgesses?

Early examples of colonial self-government: Mayflower Compact established self-governing church-based governance; House of Burgesses was a representative assembly in Virginia dominated by elites.

Where were the Middle Colonies’ economy and demographics particularly diverse, and what crop dominated their exports?

New York and New Jersey; cereal crops dominated exports; diverse population with a growing elite and enslaved populations.