Context and Development of British Colonies in North America (1607-1754) - Vocabulary Flashcards

VOCABULARY flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the notes on the colonization and development of British North American colonies (1607–1754).

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America (Virginia, 1607); faced starvation and disease until leadership, supply, and tobacco economy stabilized the colony.

Plymouth

1620 settlement founded by Separatists (Pilgrims) seeking religious freedom on the Massachusetts coast.

Mayflower Compact

Self-government agreement signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower establishing a basic colonial government based on consent.

Headright System

Policy granting 50 acres of land to settlers to attract labor, often used to lure indentured servants.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who exchanged several years of service for passage to the American colonies.

Joint-Stock Company

Investment groups that funded early colonies and shared profits and risks.

Corporate Colony

Colony governed directly by a chartered company under the king’s authority (e.g., Virginia in 1624).

Royal Colony

Colony under direct control of the Crown with royal governance.

Proprietary Colony

Colony granted to an individual by the Crown (e.g., Maryland, Pennsylvania) to govern with a charter.

Puritans

Dissenters from the Church of England seeking to reform it; settled Massachusetts Bay; led the Great Migration.

Great Migration

Mass movement of Puritans to Massachusetts in the 1630s–40s seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Major Puritan settlement established in New England; significant influence on colonial culture and politics.

Roger Williams

Minister banished from Massachusetts who founded Rhode Island and emphasized religious liberty and fair dealings with Native Americans.

Rhode Island

Colony founded on religious liberty and separation of church and state by Williams and followers.

Anne Hutchinson

Banished Puritan leader who founded Portsmouth; challenged colonial religious orthodoxy and faced execution-era violence.

Connecticut

New England colony founded by Puritans; included Hartford and New Haven; later formed the Royal Charter colony.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Early written constitution establishing a representative government in Connecticut.

The Carolinas

Two colonies split into North and South Carolina; North: smaller farms, democratic leanings; South: rice plantations and slavery-based economy.

New York

Originally New Amsterdam; renamed after the Duke of York; important port and later granted representative assemblies.

New Jersey

Middle colony formed from New Jersey lands; promoted settlement with land offers, religious tolerance, and assemblies.

Pennsylvania

Founded by William Penn as a Quaker refuge and profit venture; liberal government, fair treatment of Native Americans.

Delaware

Originally part of Pennsylvania; later became its own colony with its own assembly.

Maryland

Proprietary colony founded as a haven for Catholics; Act of Toleration granted religious freedom to Christians.

Georgia

Last mainland English colony; founded by James Oglethorpe as a buffer to Spain and as a debtor colony; early bans on rum and slavery before becoming royal.

Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia; led the trustees seeking a defensive buffer against Florida and a haven for debtors.

Act of Toleration

1649 Maryland law guaranteeing religious freedom to Christians, with penalties for denying the divinity of Jesus.

King Philip’s War (Metacom’s War)

1675–1676 conflict in New England where Native alliances resisted encroachment; heavy casualties on both sides but ultimately colonists prevailed.

Bacon’s Rebellion

1676 uprising of frontier settlers against Governor Berkeley’s policies toward Native Americans and frontier defense, highlighting class tensions.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 rebellion of Pueblo people against Spanish rule in New Mexico; Spanish reasserted control in 1692 with more accommodation.

Encomienda

Spanish labor system that compelled Native labor; noted here as a context of colonial labor dynamics and Indigenous resistance.

Triangular Trade

Transatlantic trade network: rum from New England to Africa, enslaved Africans to the Caribbean, sugar to New England.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist to enrich the mother country; emphasized trade restrictions and colonial exports.

Navigation Acts

Mercantilist laws restricting colonial trade to English ships, enumerated goods, and requiring passage through England.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of relaxed enforcement of trade laws (before 1763) that allowed colonial self-government to flourish.

Dominion of New England

1686 royal administrative union of several New England colonies under Sir Edmund Andros; collapsed after the Glorious Revolution.

Zenger Case

1735 trial establishing press freedom norms; rewards freedom of the press against royal officials.

Great Awakening

1730s–40s revival movement led by Edwards and Whitefield; broadened religious pluralism and questioned traditional church authority.

Enlightenment

Philosophical movement emphasizing natural rights, government by consent, and rational inquiry; influenced colonial political thought.

Virginia House of Burgesses

First representative legislative assembly in the English colonies (established 1619), limited voting to property-owning white men.