American Colonial History: Puritans, Acts, and Enlightenment

Indentured servants

People who work for a legal contract that binds them to a specific master without regular pay.

Cash crops

Plants grown in a local area for local markets for money/grown at a large scale (corn in Iowa).

Joint-stock company

Investors pool money together to invest.

Constitutional monarchy

The king/queen/monarch is ahead of everyone but is under constitutional rules and is elected by the elected parliament.

Social contract

People give up freedom for safety, state protection, and social order and protect natural rights.

Natural rights

Universal rights that all people have by being human.

Pilgrims

Separatists who fled to the mainland (Netherlands) due to persecution and later returned to England before going to America.

Puritans

A group of English Protestants who believed they could purify the church in England from the inside.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that emphasizes higher exports and lower imports, trading gold and silver as well as raw materials.

Navigation Acts

Laws passed by Parliament that restricted colonial trade to English ships and specified certain goods that could only be sold to England.

Dominion of New England

A combination of several colonies under an English governor to cut down on smuggling, revoked charters, and banned assemblies.

Glorious Revolution

The overthrow of King James II, leading to the signing of the English Bill of Rights.

English Bill of Rights

Document that limited the power of the monarch and established rights for Parliament and citizens.

House of Commons

The part of Parliament that had the power of the purse.

Right to petition the government

The right to make complaints to or seek assistance from one's government without fear of punishment.

Fair and speedy trial

Legal right to a trial that is conducted fairly and without unnecessary delay.

No cruel and unusual punishment

Prohibition against excessive fines and bail, and punishment that is considered inhumane.

Protestants' right to bear arms

The right of Protestants to possess weapons for self-defense.

Parliament's Role

Parliament had to consent to new laws and taxes.

Monarchs' Power

Monarchs didn't have absolute power anymore.

Individual Rights

Speedy trials, right to bear arms, etc.

John Locke

Believed in the social contract and limited government. Life, liberty, and property are our natural rights.

Montesquieu

Advocated for separation of powers; government power and duty separate; also believed in natural government.

Thomas Hobbes

Proposed that men are at war with themselves, leading to the need for government protection through a social contract.

Great Awakening

Focused on individual relationship with God, turning away from traditional church authority.

Seven Years War/French and Indian War

Fought over territory and economics, resulting in British control of Canada and Florida.

Proclamation of 1763

Prevented colonists from moving westward to avoid conflict with Native Americans.

Tea Act (1773)

Allowed British East India Company to sell directly to colonies, leading to protests and the Boston Tea Party.

Sugar Act

Imposed taxes on sugar and molasses to pay off war debt and stop smuggling.

Stamp Act

Required colonists to pay tax on printed items to raise money for British soldiers.

Quartering Act

Required colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers.

Declaratory Acts

Established British Parliament's absolute power to make laws binding on American colonies.

Intolerable Acts

Punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party by cutting off trade and banning meetings.

New England Colonies

Included Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

Middle Colonies

Included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Southern Colonies

Included colonies with cash crops like cotton, tobacco, indigo, and rice.

Economy of New England

Focused on fishing, shipbuilding, trading, and timber.

Economy of Middle Colonies

Focused on trade and wheat production.

Economy of Southern Colonies

Relied on cash crops for economic gain.

Slavery in New England

Not widely used; small scale, mostly domestic workers.

Slavery in Middle Colonies

Moderate use, more than New England but less than the South.

Slavery in Southern Colonies

Widely used, characterized by chattel slavery.

Protestants/Puritans

Built society around their faith, with intertwined church and government.

Religious Freedom in Middle Colonies

More separation of church and state compared to New England.

Church of England

State-sponsored church with mandatory membership by law.