THE THIRTEEN COLONIES AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE, 1607-1754

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the period 1607-1754 in the British Atlantic world.

Jamestown

First permanent English colony in North America (1607), established by the Virginia Company as a corporate colony.

Virginia Company

A joint-stock company that financed Jamestown and early colonization efforts, spreading financial risk among investors.

Joint-stock company

An investment group that pooled funds to finance colonial ventures, limiting individual risk.

Corporate colony

A colony operated by a joint-stock company for private profit and management.

Royal colony

A colony under direct control of the English crown after a charter is revoked or replaced.

Proprietary colony

A colony owned by individuals granted charters of ownership by the king (e.g., Maryland, Pennsylvania).

House of Burgesses

Virginia’s first representative assembly (established 1619) that helped lay groundwork for self-rule.

Mayflower Compact

A 1620 agreement by Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower to govern themselves by majority rule.

Plymouth Colony

Settlement established by Separatists in 1620; later celebrated for Thanksgiving traditions.

Puritans

Religious dissenters aiming to purify the Church of England; emphasized predestination and led the Great Migration to New England.

Massachusetts Bay Colony

Puritan settlement founded in 1629, with Winthrop as a leader; Boston became a core city; Great Migration intensified growth.

Great Migration

Massive 1630s-1640s movement of Puritans to Massachusetts Bay seeking religious and political freedom.

Headright System

Land grant of 50 acres per immigrant or per paying sponsor to encourage settlement.

Indentured Servants

Laborers who worked for a fixed term (usually 4–7 years) in exchange for passage and basic needs.

Slavery in Virginia

Africans first arrived in 1619; by the 1660s–1670s laws made slavery lifelong and hereditary, linking race to bondage.

Act of Toleration (1649)

Maryland law granting religious freedom to Christians, later repealed under Protestant ascendancy.

Rhode Island

Founded by Roger Williams (Providence, 1636) with religious tolerance and fair treatment of Indians.

Connecticut

Founded by Puritans; Hartford (1636) produced the Fundamental Orders (1639), an early written constitution.

New England Confederation

1643–1684 alliance of New England colonies for collective defense and cooperation.

King Philip's War

1675–1676 conflict led by Metacom (King Philip) against English settlers; significant colonial Indian warfare impact.

Navigation Acts

A series of mercantilist trade laws (1650–1673) restricting colonial trade to English ships and ports with enumerated goods.

Mercantilism

Economic theory that colonies exist to enrich the mother country through controlled trade and wealth accumulation.