British Colonies, Bacon's Rebellion, and the Enlightenment

Flashcards covering British colonization, Bacon's Rebellion, the Enlightenment, and related topics.

Bacon's Rebellion

An uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon with angry farmers and indentured servants against Native Americans and the plantations of Governor Berkeley.

Jamestown

The first North American colony established by the British, founded by a joint-stock company seeking profit.

Joint Stock Company

A small group of investors who pooled their money and shared the risks to establish colonies like Jamestown for profit.

Indentured Servants

Individuals who couldn't afford passage to America and signed a labor contract (e.g., 7 years) to pay for their settlement fee.

William Berkeley

Governor of Virginia during Bacon's Rebellion, who decided that defending farmers against Native raids was not worth the cost, leading to the rebellion.

English Colonizers

Settlers who often migrated to the Americas in family groups, unlike the French and Dutch.

Puritans

People who were unhappy with the Church of England and immigrated to America to establish their own society.

New England Colonies

Established by Pilgrims in 1620, paving the way for Puritans seeking religious freedom and a new society.

House of Burgesses

The representative assembly in Virginia that could pass laws and levy taxes.

Mayflower Compact

A self-governing church congregation in New England, establishing a form of self-governance.

Enlightenment

A philosophical movement emphasizing rational thinking over tradition and religious revelation (1607-1754).

John Locke

An Enlightenment thinker who promoted the idea of natural rights.

Natural Rights

Rights inherent to all individuals, including liberty and the right to property.

Great Awakening

A period of Christian revival and devotion spread by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield.

Pontiac

A Native American leader who led raids against colonists in Detroit and Virginia/Pennsylvania during Pontiac's War.

Proclamation Line of 1763

A British policy forbidding colonists from migrating west across the Appalachian Mountains into the Ohio River Valley.