Crash Course US History: Seven Years' War, Mercantilism, and Early Revolutionary Ideas (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on the Seven Years' War, mercantilism, and the preludes to the American Revolution.

Mercantilism

Economic theory in which the government regulates the economy to increase national power, using tariffs and monopolies and pursuing a favorable balance of trade; colonies supply raw materials and act as markets for finished goods.

Colonial economy and slavery

A system where tobacco and sugar were key cash crops produced with slave labor, making slavery central to the colonial economy and the triangular trade.

Triangular trade

Atlantic trading system linking Europe, Africa, and the American colonies, involving slaves, rum, sugar, and other goods.

Seven Years' War (French and Indian War in the colonies)

Global conflict (1756–1763) largely over imperial and economic competition; Britain won, gaining territory in North America and elsewhere; set stage for colonial unrest.

Treaty of Paris 1763

Peace treaty ending the Seven Years' War: Britain gained Canada and Florida; France ceded Guadalupe and Martinique; Spain gained Cuba and the Philippines.

Proclamation Line of 1763

British proclamation banning colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains to protect Native lands, provoking colonial resentment.

Pontiac's Rebellion (Pontiac's War)

1763–1764 Native American uprising led by Ottawa and Delaware tribes against British postwar policies in the Great Lakes region.

Republicanism

Political philosophy valuing government without a monarch and virtue among citizens, especially property-owning citizens acting for the public good.

Liberalism (classical liberalism)

Political philosophy emphasizing protection of natural rights (life, liberty, property) and government based on a social contract and consent.

Natural rights

Inalienable rights identified by John Locke, notably life, liberty, and property.

Social contract

Agreement in which individuals relinquish some liberty to form a government that protects their natural rights.

Great Awakening

Religious revival in the American colonies (primarily 1730s–1740s) that emphasized personal salvation, emotional religious experience, and new denominations.

George Whitefield

Influential Anglican preacher whose revival tours helped spark the Great Awakening (1739–1741).

New Light vs. Old Light

New Light: revivalist ministers emphasizing personal conversion and emotion; Old Light: traditionalists emphasizing doctrine and established churches.

Religious and political authority in the Atlantic world

Enlightenment ideas (republicanism and liberalism) and the Great Awakening challenged traditional authority, contributing to evolving colonial attitudes toward Parliament and governance.