The 13 Colonies Unit Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the establishment, geography, economy, and key figures of the 13 English Colonies.

Colony

A piece of land that is controlled by a larger country that is far away.

Charter

A document from a king or a queen that gives permission for something, usually permission to explore the New World.

Joint-stock company

A group of investors who bring their money together with hopes of making a profit on the riches of the New World.

Roanoke Island

The site of the first English attempt to establish a colony in 1587, led by Sir Walter Raleigh, which eventually became the "Lost Colony."

CROATOAN

The only clue found by John White upon his return to the vanished Roanoke colony, carved onto a tree.

Jamestown

The first successful English colony in North America, established in 1607 along the Chesapeake Bay.

Starving time

The period from 1609-1610 in Jamestown characterized by poor leadership and harsh winters where colonists failed to plant crops.

John Smith

The leader who imposed Martial Law in Jamestown to maintain control over the colony.

Tobacco

The cash crop discovered by John Rolfe that grew well in the Virginia climate and saved the Jamestown colony financially.

Headrights

A system used in 1618 where a 50-acre lot was granted to each colonist who paid for his own transportation to Jamestown.

Virginia House of Burgesses

The first legislative assembly in America, created in 1619 to create local taxes and oversee finances.

Separatist

A member of the Church of England who gave up on "purifying" the Church and decided to break away from it entirely.

Puritan

A member of the Church of England who wanted to "purify" its practices.

Mayflower Compact

The first document of American self-government, written by the Pilgrims to create a democratic government and specific laws.

Squanto

The native person who taught New England colonists how to grow corn by planting it atop a dead fish for fertilizer.

Maryland

A colony founded as a place where Catholics could worship freely.

Pennsylvania

A colony founded as a place where Quakers could worship freely.

Georgia

A colony founded as a place where debtors could go and work to repay their debts.

Pacifist

One who opposes war at all costs; a core belief of the Quakers.

Roger Williams

A dissenter expelled to Rhode Island in 1636 for criticizing Puritan law and advocating for the separation of church and state.

Harvard

America's first university, established in 1638 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Mercantilism

An economic policy where a mother country (Britain) uses its 13 colonies to make money.

Middle Passage

The part of the Triangular Trade involving the transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas under rough, strict, and cruel conditions.

Salem Witch Trials

A period of hysteria in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, resulting in 20 public executions after a group of young girls accused villagers of witchcraft.