Colonial America Overview

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to early American colonial history.

Gold, Glory, God

The motivations for Spanish exploration in the New World.

Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade

The trade of goods and people between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where mother countries create colonies for their economic benefit.

Puritans

A religious group that made laws based on their religion and sought religious freedom.

Middle Colonies

Colonies that excelled in trade due to navigable rivers and numerous harbors.

Cash Crops

Crops produced for commercial value, such as tobacco, rice, and indigo.

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in the American colonies, established in Jamestown.

Quakers

A religious group advocating for religious tolerance and equality.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The first written constitution of the colonies, establishing individual rights.

Virginia Houses of Burgesses

The first representative government in the colonies.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of goods, resources, and people between the New World and Europe.

Religious Freedom

The right to practice one's religion without interference, sought by groups like the Puritans and Quakers.

Georgia

Established as a buffer for debtors and a place for them to work off their debt.

Relationship with Native Americans

The varied interactions between Spanish, French, and English explorers and Native populations, often involving conflict or trade.

Environment Impact on Economy

How geography and climate influenced the economic activities of different colonial regions.

The Breadbasket Colonies

Nickname for the Middle Colonies due to their agricultural output, especially grain.

Mayflower Compact

An agreement made by the Pilgrims to create a government and follow its rules, establishing a precedent for self-governance.

Triangular Trade

The trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving goods and enslaved people.

Religious Tolerance

Acceptance of different religious beliefs and practices, notably associated with Quakers.

Plantation System

An agricultural system in the South that relied on slave labor to produce cash crops.