APUSH Unit 2 Vocab

King Philip’s War

In response to English settlers encroaching on the American Indians’ lands, a chief of the Wampanoag, Metacom, known to the colonists as King Philip, united many tribes in southern New England. Eventually, the colonial forces and their Indian allies prevailed, killing Metacom and ending most American Indian resistance in New England.

Sir William Berkeley

The royal governor of Virginia, used dictatorial powers to govern on behalf of the large planters.

Bacon’s Rebellion

Nathaniel Bacon, an impoverished gentleman farmer, seized upon the grievances of the western farmers to lead a rebellion against Berkeley’s government.

Indentured Servants

Under contract with a master or landowner who paid for their passage, those from the British Isles agreed to work for a specified period—usually four to seven years—in return for room and board.

Headright System

Virginia attempted to attract immigrants through offers of land. It offered 50 acres of land to each immigrant who paid for his own passage and to any plantation owner who paid for an immigrant’s passage

Middle Passage

Benjamin Franklin

His witty aphorisms and advice were collected in Poor Richard’s Almanack, a best-selling book that was annually revised from 1732 to 1757.

Phillis Wheatley

born in West Africa, enslaved, and living in Boston when she published a collection of her poems in 1773. She was freed soon after this. Her work is noteworthy both for her triumph over slavery and the quality of her verse.

Great Awakening

A movement of fervent expressions of religious feeling among the masses.

Jonathan Edwards

Among the best-known leaders of the Great Awakening was a Congregational minister from Massachusetts.

George Whitefield

Spread the Great Awakening throughout the colonies, attracting audiences of 10,000 people. In barns, tents, and fields, he stressed that God was all-powerful and would save only those who openly professed belief in Jesus Christ.

John Peter Zenger

A New York publisher, was tried on a charge of libelously criticizing New York’s royal governor.

Andrew Hamilton

Zenger’s lawyer argued that his client had printed the truth. Ignoring the law, the jury acquitted Zenger.

Enlightenment

a European movement in literature and philosophy. The leaders of this movement believed that the recent past was a “dark” era in which people relied too much on tradition and God’s intervention in human life. They believed that the “light” of reason could solve most of humanity’s problems.