American History: Colonial Era to French and Indian War

Comprehensive practice flashcards in Question and Answer style covering U.S. history themes, early exploration, Chesapeake and New England settlements, Restoration colonies, and imperial conflicts.

What is the definition and significance of social memory or historical consciousness?

It is how societies remember, interpret, and use their past to shape their current identity, showing that history is not just facts, but how people choose to remember and value those facts.

What five concepts form the core pillars of American culture known as the Five Themes of American History?

Equality, Freedom, Individualism, Democracy, and Capitalism.

According to Alexis de Tocqueville's 1835 work 'Democracy in America,' what is the distinction between equality of condition and equality of estimation?

Equality of condition means similar starting points in life, while equality of estimation means social respect regardless of class.

How do negative freedom and active freedom differ in American political thought?

Negative freedom means the absence of restraint ('leave me alone'), whereas active freedom means the power to act and participate in self-governance.

What was the significance of Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage?

It triggered permanent European exploration, colonization, and the Columbian Exchange.

Who established St. Augustine in 1565, and what was its significance?

Spanish admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés; it is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the U.S. and secured Spanish dominance in the Southeast.

What legal claim did John Cabot's 1497 voyage give to England?

It gave England its initial legal claim to North American territory.

How did the English conquest and colonization of Ireland (1560s-1580s) influence American colonization?

It served as a violent blueprint and testing ground for English military tactics used later against Native Americans.

Who were Manteo and Wanchese, and how did their actions reflect Native responses to English intrusion?

They were Croatoan/Roanoke Native Americans who traveled to England; Manteo allied with the English while Wanchese became hostile.

Why was the first Roanoke settlement abandoned in 1585-1586?

Military leader Ralph Lane alienated local Native Americans through harsh tactics, forcing the abandonment of the colony.

What was Jamestown, and why was its 1607 founding significant?

It was the first permanent English settlement in North America, funded by a joint-stock enterprise, which transitioned from an early disaster into a profitable tobacco producer.

What rule did John Smith enforce to stabilize Jamestown during 1608-1609?

He instituted the policy that 'he who will not work shall not eat.'

How did the Headright System created in 1618 work in Virginia?

It offered 50 acres of land to anyone who paid their own passage or financed another person's transit to Virginia.

What was the significance of the House of Burgesses established in 1619?

It was the first elected legislative assembly in English North America, establishing a foundational precedent for local self-governance.

What contribution did John Rolfe make to Virginia's economy starting in 1612?

He cross-bred West Indian tobacco in Virginia soil, providing the colony with its lucrative staple crop.

What conflict was triggered by Opechancanough's surprise attack in 1622?

The First Tidewater War (1622-1632), which killed nearly a third of Virginia's colonists and eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Virginia Company.

What was the key difference between Puritans and Separatists?

Puritans wanted to purify the Anglican Church from within, while Separatists believed the church was too corrupt to save and broke away entirely.

What vision did Governor John Winthrop present for Massachusetts Bay in 1630?

He envisioned it as a utopian 'City upon a Hill.'

What was the Great Migration of 1620-1640?

The mass migration of roughly 20,000 Puritan men, women, and children from England to New England.

What did the cultural ideal of 'Independent Competency' mean to New Englanders?

Securing economic self-sufficiency and independence without accumulating excessive, exploitative wealth.

Why was Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts in 1636?

He advocated for complete separation of church and state, after which he founded Rhode Island.

What was Antinomianism, the belief taught by Anne Hutchinson?

The belief that holy living was not a sign of salvation and that God spoke directly to individuals.

How did the English obtain New York in 1664?

They seized the Dutch trade outpost of New Netherland.

What were patroonships in New Netherland?

Vast feudal estates along the Hudson River granted by the Dutch to wealthy stockholders who brought 50 settlers.

What was William Penn's 'Holy Experiment' in Pennsylvania (1681)?

A proprietary colony designed as a refuge for persecuted Quakers, featuring religious toleration, representative government, and peaceful relations with Native Americans.

Who were the 'Goose Creek Men' in South Carolina?

Wealthy sugar planters from Barbados who migrated to South Carolina in the 1670s and imported the Caribbean system of racial slavery.

What triggered Bacon's Rebellion in 1676?

Governor William Berkeley's refusal to authorize frontier attacks against Native Americans led Nathaniel Bacon and disgruntled planters to rebel and burn Jamestown.

Why did Virginia planters shift from white indentured servants to African slaves in the late 17th century?

To prevent future class rebellions by poor white workers and create a permanent, racially defined labor force.

What was the outcome of the Yamasee War (1715-1717)?

It nearly destroyed South Carolina and forced planters to abandon the Indian slave trade in favor of importing African slaves.

How did colonial lower assembly houses check the authority of royal governors?

By using the 'Power of the Purse' to withhold the salaries of appointed governors.

What was the Consumer Revolution in 18th-century America?

The massive influx of affordable British-made consumer goods and local print media that 'Anglicized' the colonies with a shared material culture.

Why was Georgia founded by James Oglethorpe in 1732?

As a haven for England's worthy poor that initially banned slavery and alcohol while acting as a military buffer against Spanish Florida.

What was the 'Middle Ground' in New France's Upper Country?

A region where French traders and native tribes negotiated power through diplomatic accommodation and fur trade alliances without either side dominating.

Why did the Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle (1748) anger New England colonists?

It returned the captured French fortress of Louisbourg back to France in exchange for territory in India.

How did William Pitt turn the tide of the French and Indian War in 1757?

He promised to reimburse colonial assemblies for their military expenses, mobilizing large numbers of colonial troops.

What was the primary result of Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763?

It forced the British Crown to issue the Proclamation of 1763, forbidding colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.