APUSH Unit 2.1 Vocab List

Powhatan

Leader of the Powhatan Confederacy in Virginia and father of Pocahontas; played a crucial role in early relations with English settlers

Pocahontas

Native American woman who married John Rolfe; acted as a mediator between Native Americans and English settlers, and visited England

Metacom

Leader of the Wampanoag who led King Philip’s War (1675-1676) against New England colonists, resulting in significant losses and shifts in power

King Phillip’s War

A 1675-1676 conflict between New England colonists and Native American tribes led by Metacom, leading to widespread casualties and changing colonial expansion dynamics

Coureur du bois

French fur traders who lived with and traded furs with Native Americans, pivotal to the fur trade economy and French-Native relations

Samuel de Champlain

French explorer who founded Quebec and is known as the “Father of New France” for establishing key alliances with Native tribes like the Huron

Huguenots

French Protestants who fled religious persecution in France and settled in New World colonies, including New Rochelle, seeking religious freedom

Patroonship

Dutch land grant system in New Netherland requiring settlers to be brought to the colony, facilitating its development and expansion

Peter Stuyvesant

Last Dutch director-general of New Netherland, noted for his strong, autocratic leadership and efforts to strengthen the colony

Henry Hudson

English explorer working for the Dutch, who explored the Hudson River and Hudson Bay, helping establish New Amsterdam and Dutch claims in North America

John Smith

English explorer and leader of Jamestown, Virginia, whose leadership and trade relationships with Native Americans were vital for the colony's survival

John Rolfe

Early settler in Virginia who introduced profitable tobacco cultivation and married Pocahontas, which bolstered the colony’s economy and stability

Lord Baltimore

Founder of Maryland, established as a sanctuary for Catholics and a site for broader religious tolerance in the American colonies

House of Burgesses

First representative legislative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia in 1619, laying the groundwork for American self-governance

Virginia Company

English joint-stock company chartered to establish the Jamestown settlement and other early Virginia colonies, driving early colonization efforts

Indentured Servitude

System where individuals worked for a fixed term in exchange for passage to America and benefits like land, often under harsh conditions

Act of Toleration

1649 Maryland law granting religious freedom to all Christians, including Catholics and Protestants, and promoting religious tolerance in the colony

Headright System

Land-grant system offering parcels of land to settlers who brought others to the colonies, encouraging immigration and expansion

Plantation

Large estate focused on growing cash crops such as tobacco or cotton, typically using enslaved labor, and central to the Southern colonial economy

Pilgrims

English Separatists who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620 to escape religious persecution and establish a community based on their beliefs

Separatists

Puritans who sought to completely separate from the Church of England and establish independent congregations, founding Plymouth Colony

Puritans

English Protestants aiming to reform the Church of England and establish colonies like Massachusetts Bay to practice their religious beliefs freely

Calvinism

Branch of Protestantism based on John Calvin’s teachings, emphasizing predestination, God’s sovereignty, and a strict moral code

Protestant Work Ethic

Belief that hard work, diligence, and frugality reflect one’s faith and are virtuous, significantly influencing early American economic development

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement by Pilgrims to create and abide by a self-governing framework in Plymouth Colony, setting a precedent for democratic governance

John Winthrop

Puritan leader and first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, who envisioned the colony as a “city upon a hill” and model Christian society

Anne Hutchinson

Puritan dissenter who challenged the colony’s religious authorities and was banished for her beliefs, highlighting internal religious conflicts

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island, who advocated for religious freedom, the separation of church and state, and fair treatment of Native Americans

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Prominent Puritan colony established in 1630, known for its influential governance and role as a model of Puritan society in New England