Colonial America: Key Concepts in History and Economy

African Slavery

The system of forced labor where Africans were transported to the Americas and enslaved to work on plantations, beginning in the early 1600s and expanding due to labor shortages and economic demand.

Anne Hutchinson

A Puritan woman who challenged church authority in Massachusetts Bay Colony by promoting antinomianism; she was banished for her beliefs in 1637.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley over frontier defense and Native American policy; revealed tensions between wealthy planters and poor settlers.

Characteristics of English Colonies

Included self-government, Protestant religion, reliance on agriculture, and varied economies depending on region (New England: trade, Middle: mixed, Southern: plantation farming).

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, and ideas between the Old World and New World after 1492, drastically changing societies on both sides.

Crops

Staple crops in colonies included tobacco in the Chesapeake, rice and indigo in the South, and wheat and corn in the Middle colonies.

Dutch/Netherlands

Early colonizers in North America; established New Netherland (later New York) focused on trade, especially fur, and allowed religious tolerance.

Economies of Colonial Regions

New England: Fishing, shipbuilding, trade; Middle Colonies: Grain farming, trade; Southern Colonies: Plantation economy with tobacco, rice, indigo, later cotton.

England

The mother country of the American colonies; pursued mercantilism and used policies like Navigation Acts to control colonial trade.

Extractive Economy

An economy based on extracting natural resources (like gold or fur) for export, seen in early Spanish and French colonies.

Gender Ratios in Colonial Regions

Early colonies often had more men than women, especially in the Chesapeake, leading to slower population growth compared to New England.

Georgia as a Buffer Colony

Founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe as a military buffer between Spanish Florida and English colonies; also intended as a haven for debtors.

Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals in the 1730s-1740s emphasizing emotional preaching and personal faith, leading to new denominations and questioning of authority.

Headright System

Land grant policy offering 50 acres to settlers who paid for their own or others' passage to the colonies, encouraging migration and labor supply.

Henry VIII

King of England who broke from the Catholic Church in 1534, establishing the Church of England, influencing later English religious migrations.

Henry Hudson

English explorer who sailed for the Dutch, searching for a northwest passage; explored the Hudson River region, leading to Dutch claims in North America.

Huguenots

French Protestants who faced persecution in Catholic France; some migrated to the English colonies for religious freedom.

Indentured Servants

Individuals who worked for a set number of years (typically 4-7) in exchange for passage to America; common labor source before African slavery dominated.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia; envisioned it as a refuge for debtors and a buffer against Spanish Florida.

Jamestown

Founded in 1607 in Virginia; first permanent English settlement in North America; initially struggled but survived due to tobacco cultivation.

John Rolfe

Introduced tobacco cultivation to Virginia, making it economically successful; married Pocahontas, easing tensions with Powhatan for a time.

John Smith

Leader of Jamestown who enforced discipline and helped the colony survive during early hardships.

King Philip's War

1675 conflict between New England colonists and Native tribes led by Metacom (King Philip); resulted in Native resistance being crushed.

Life Expectancy in the Colonies

Higher in New England due to cleaner water and healthier climate (70+ years), much lower in Chesapeake and Southern colonies due to disease.

Martin Luther

German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation in 1517, influencing Puritans and other Protestant groups that migrated to America.

Maryland Toleration Act

1649 law granting religious freedom to Christians in Maryland; an early step toward religious toleration in the colonies.

Mayflower Compact

1620 agreement among Pilgrims establishing self-government and majority rule in Plymouth Colony.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Founded by Puritans in 1630 as a religious 'city upon a hill'; strict religious rules and limited tolerance.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where colonies existed to enrich the mother country by providing raw materials and markets; enforced through Navigation Acts.

Metacom

Native leader (King Philip) who led resistance against New England settlers during King Philip's War.

Middle Grounds

Regions of compromise and trade between Europeans and Native Americans, especially in the Great Lakes area.

Pilgrims

English Separatists who settled Plymouth in 1620 seeking religious freedom; signed the Mayflower Compact.

Pocahontas

Daughter of Powhatan; helped maintain peace between Native Americans and Jamestown settlers; married John Rolfe.

Political System in Each Colony

Varied: New England had town meetings; Middle Colonies had representative assemblies; Southern colonies had county governments dominated by planters.

Portugal

Early European leader in exploration; dominated African slave trade before English entry; established colonies in Brazil.

Puritans/Puritan Families

Religious reformers who sought to purify the Church of England; migrated to Massachusetts Bay; valued family structure and education.

Quakers

Pacifist religious group that believed in equality; founded Pennsylvania under William Penn.

Representative Government

Government where citizens elect officials to make decisions; seen in colonial assemblies like the Virginia House of Burgesses.

Roanoke

First English attempt at a colony (1587) in North Carolina; mysteriously disappeared ('Lost Colony').

Roger Williams

Founder of Rhode Island; promoted religious freedom and separation of church and state.

Royal African Company

English company chartered in 1672 to monopolize African slave trade.

Salem Witchcraft Trials

1692 series of trials in Massachusetts accusing people of witchcraft; resulted in 20 executions; showed religious and social tensions.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of lax enforcement of colonial laws in the early 1700s, allowing self-government to develop.

Slavery

System of forced labor; became hereditary and race-based in English colonies by the late 1600s.

Smallpox, etc

European disease that devastated Native populations after contact; part of Columbian Exchange.

Spain

First European power to colonize the Americas; focused on extracting wealth and converting Natives.

Tobacco

Cash crop that saved Jamestown; drove the economy of the Chesapeake region.

Virginia Company

Joint-stock company that funded the founding of Jamestown in 1607 for profit.

William Bradford

Leader of the Pilgrims and longtime governor of Plymouth Colony.

William Penn

Quaker founder of Pennsylvania; promoted religious freedom and good relations with Natives.