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Marco Polo

European traveler whose travels helped encourage European interest in Asia and exploration.

Vikings

Reached North America before Columbus.

Bering Strait

Waterway believed to have been crossed by early peoples entering North America.

Amerigo Vespucci

Explorer associated with recognizing the Americas as a New World.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies benefit the mother country by providing resources and markets.

Zero-sum gain

When one side gains while another side loses.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who encouraged exploration.

Conquistadors

Spanish explorers/conquerors.

Christopher Columbus

Sailed across the Atlantic in 1492 looking for a route to Asia.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement that divided newly claimed lands between Spain and Portugal.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of plants, animals, people, diseases, and goods between the Old and New Worlds.

Samuel de Champlain

Explorer associated with New France and Quebec.

New France

French colony/territory centered around Quebec.

Huguenots

French Protestants.

Queen Elizabeth I

English queen who encouraged exploration and challenged Spanish power.

Sir Francis Drake

English privateer who attacked Spanish ships.

Spanish Armada

Spanish fleet defeated by England in 1588.

Roanoke

The Lost Colony.

Northwest Passage

Hoped-for water route through North America to Asia.

Richard Hakluyt

Promoted English exploration and colonization.

Paternalism

Government or authority acts like a parent toward its people.

Command Economy

Economy controlled by the government.

Feudalism

Land-based system involving lords and peasants.

Absolutism

System in which the monarch has very great or absolute power.

Imperialism

Extending a country's power and control over other territories.

Colonization

Settling and controlling another territory.

Theocracy

Government heavily based on religion.

Meritocracy

Advancement based on ability or achievement.

Rule of Law

Everyone, including leaders, must follow the law.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and free markets.

Adam Smith

Associated with capitalism and free markets.

Encomienda System

Spanish colonial system involving control of Native labor.

Acculturation

Adopting aspects of another culture.

Joint Stock Company

Company funded by multiple investors who share ownership and risk.

Magna Carta

Document that limited the power of the English king.

English Bill of Rights

Limited royal power and protected certain rights.

New England Confederation

Puritan alliance of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut for protection and cooperation.

Dominion of New England

Reorganization of colonies by King James II to increase royal control.

Sir Edmund Andros

Leader appointed over the Dominion of New England.

Glorious Revolution

1688 transfer of monarchy power to William and Mary and increase in Parliament's power.

William and Mary

Took power during the Glorious Revolution.

Tories

Supported the King and believed in absolutism.

Whigs

Opposed strong royal power and supported individual freedom.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in Virginia.

John Smith

Leader associated with helping Jamestown survive.

John Rolfe

Associated with tobacco becoming an important Virginia crop.

Pocahontas

Associated with relations between Jamestown settlers and Native Americans.

Indentured Servants

People who worked for a set number of years in exchange for passage or other benefits.

Headright System

System that gave land to people for bringing settlers to the colony.

House of Burgesses

Early representative legislative assembly in Virginia.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 Virginia rebellion involving frontier settlers and the colonial government.

First Africans

Arrived in Virginia in 1619.

Lord Baltimore

Founder associated with Maryland.

Maryland

Colony associated with Catholics and the Chesapeake region.

Act of Toleration

Maryland law providing religious toleration.

Chesapeake Colonies

Virginia and Maryland.

Carolinas

Plantation colonies associated with crops and slavery.

Restoration Colonies

North and South Carolina; established during the Restoration.

Squatters

People who settled on land without official permission.

Georgia

Colony founded by James Oglethorpe.

James Oglethorpe

Founder of Georgia.

Charity Colony

Nickname for Georgia.

Buffer Colony

Nickname for Georgia because it served as a buffer against Spanish Florida.

Puritans

English Protestants who wanted to reform the Church of England.

Plymouth

Colony founded by the Pilgrims.

Mayflower Compact

Agreement establishing government and rules among the Plymouth settlers.

Squanto

Native American who helped the Pilgrims learn how to survive.

Covenant Theology

Belief that people have a covenant/agreement with God and should live according to God's laws.

John Winthrop

Governor of Massachusetts associated with Covenant Theology and theocracy.

Theocracy in Massachusetts

Government heavily influenced by Puritan religious beliefs.

Half-Way Covenant

Allowed partial church membership for some descendants of church members.

Roger Williams

Founded Rhode Island and supported religious toleration.

Rhode Island

Colony founded by Roger Williams; associated with religious toleration.

Anne Hutchinson

Challenged Puritan religious authorities and was banished from Massachusetts.

Salem

Location of the famous witch trials.

Pequot

Native American group involved in conflict with New England colonists.

King Philip's War

Conflict between New England colonists and Native Americans led by Metacom/King Philip.

Thomas Hooker

Founder associated with Connecticut.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

Early written framework of government in Connecticut.

Bread Colonies

Nickname for the Middle Colonies.

Middle Colonies

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

William Penn

Founder of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania

Colony founded by William Penn as a haven for Quakers.

Quakers

Christian group emphasizing justice, cooperation, simplicity, equality, and non-violence.

New York

Settled by the Dutch as New Amsterdam.

New Amsterdam

Original Dutch settlement that became New York.

Peter Minuit

Associated with New Amsterdam and the settlement of Manhattan.

Delaware

Settled by Sweden as New Sweden.

New Sweden

Swedish settlement in Delaware.

Iroquois

Powerful Native American confederation in the New York area.

Smallpox

Disease that had major effects on Native populations.

Virginia Region

Southern Colonies.

Maryland Region

Southern Colonies.

North Carolina Region

Southern Colonies.

South Carolina Region

Southern Colonies.

Georgia Region

Southern Colonies.

New York Region

Middle Colonies.

New Jersey Region

Middle Colonies.

Pennsylvania Region

Middle Colonies.

Delaware Region

Middle Colonies.