Vocab Quiz ch. 1-3

Maize cultivation

the practice of growing corn as a primary agricultural staple, significant for food production and trade in various cultures.

Three sisters

A Native American farming strategy that rotates beans, corn, and squash together to enhance soil fertility and yield.

Pueblo

A group of Native American peoples in the Southwestern United States, known for their adobe dwellings and agricultural practices.

Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee)

A historically powerful alliance of six Native American tribes in the Northeast, known for their political organization and influence in colonial America.

Nomadic

Describes a lifestyle of a group of people that is constantly moving around rather than settling in one location.

Columbian exchange

The exchange of goods, ideas, and diseases between the “New World” and Europe.

Feudalism

A socio-economic system popular in early Europe with a series of exchanges of protection and land.

Capitalism

A economic system characterized by private ownership revolving around the profit off goods and services.

Sextant

A navigational instrument used to measure angles between celestial objects and the horizon, aiding in maritime navigation.

Caravel

A small, quick, and easily maneuverable Portuguese ship created for exploration

Conquistadores

Spanish explorers of America seeking gold

Encomienda system

A labor system instituted by the Spanish in the Americas that granted colonists the authority to extract labor and tribute from Indigenous peoples in exchange for providing protection and Christian education.

Asiento System

A system that granted the right to sell enslaved Africans in the Spanish colonies, involving a license system for slave traders. astC

Caste/casta system

A hierarchical social structure in Spanish colonies that categorized people based on ethnicity and race, influencing social status and economic opportunities.

Valladolid debate

A debate held in the 1550s concerning the treatment and rights of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, highlighting differing views on colonization and morality.

Pueblo Revolt

A 1680 uprising of Pueblo Indians against Spanish colonizers in present-day New Mexico, aimed at reclaiming their autonomy and religious practices.

Maroon Communities

settlements formed by escaped African slaves in america

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, struggled with disease and hunger but eventually found success in tobacco farming, funded by first joint-stock company, Virginia company

Chesapeake colonies

Maryland and Virginia, characterized by the practice of cash cropping and reliance on indentured servitude and enslaved labor. No unified religious identity.

New England colonies

Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Characterized by settlement of families and escape for religious freedom. More diverse economies. Puritans.

Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania. Most religiously diverse (even jews and muslims, especially quakers in Pennsylvania). Diverse economy and very tolerant.

Southern colonies

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia. Rich soil, also characterized by cash cropping and forced/coerced labor

Joint-stock companies

A bunch of investors invested a little bit of money into a company (a share), and then got a portion of the returns. Initial selling of the shares raised money for the company. Appealed to shareholders because they could only lose what they invested (very low risk).

Proprietary colony

Colony owned by a person/few people privately, who controlled the government. Was granted to proprietor(s) by the Crown.

Royal colony

Colony owned/administered by the monarch of the parent country.

Indentured servitude

Form of coerced labor involving a contract where an individual agreed to work 4-7 years, sometimes in exchange for a grant of land when they were freed, or their journey/living in a new country paid for.

Headright system

Jamestown’s land grant program which promised land to settlers to get them to come to the settlement to help the economy.

Bacon’s Rebellion

Armed uprising in Virginia lead by Nathaniel Bacon against Virginia’s governor William Berkeley for issues with the economy and Natives. Resulted in Jamestown being burned to the ground and the exposure of social and economic issues in the colony, but was ultimately suppressed.

Chattel Slavery

The buying and selling of slaves, treated as property, on a market

House of Burgesses

First elected body of representative government in the United States. Located in Virginia, first step towards self-government in America. Determined taxes and laws.

Puritans

religious group which believed that the Church of England needed to be “purified” of corruption from the inside out.

Pilgrims (separatists)

Sect of Puritans who shared the belief that the Church of England was corrupt, but believed it was too far gone and they needed to start fresh in the New World.

Mayflower Compact

Agreement between the people on the Mayflowerr after they realized they were settling in Massachusetts, not heading for New York. Established foundations of a democratic government in the settlement.

“City Upon A Hill”

Part of a quotation by leader of Mass Bay colony, John Winthrop, derived from a bible verse. Represents the idea of American Exceptionalism and the fact that the United States was a unique land of hope.

Act of Toleration

English legislation passed in 1689 allowing protestants to worship separately from the Church of England, and/or, legislation in Maryland protecting Christian faiths (excluding Catholics and non-protestants).

The Great Awakening

Series of widespread religious revivals in American colonial history that emphasized emotional experiences and personal faith, most notably the First Great Awakening (1730s-1740s) led by George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. Fostered new denominations of Christianity like Baptists and Methodists.

Enlightenment

Occurred in Europe in the late 17th early 18th centuries, increase in liberalism, philosophy, intellectualism, and individualism.

Mercantilism

Idea that there was a finite amount of wealth in the world in the form of silver and gold, and your country had to get it before everyone else did. Encouraged exploration + innovation for exploration. Also emphasized favorable balance of trade (more exports than imports). Economy extremely restricted by government.

Navigation Acts

Rooted in Mercantilism, series of English laws in 17th century taking away power from colonial authorities by requiring trade to use English ships and all colonial goods to pass through England first.

Salutary neglect

A British policy of not strictly enforcing laws and regulations in America, allowing them to basically self-govern but still contribute to Britain’s economy.

Triangular Trade

Historical system of colonial-era trade routes that connected Europe, Africa, and the Americas, primarily between the 16th and 19th centuries, involving the forced transport of enslaved Africans to the Americas in exchange for raw materials like sugar, tobacco, and cotton, which were then shipped back to Europe

King Philip(Metacom)’s war

A brutal conflict between the Wampanoag peoples and the English colonies caused by rising tensions over land and cultural differences.