Unit 2 APUSH Terms

Indentured servitude (1600s)

1) Was a way for poor Europeans to immigrate to the American colonies.

2) Immigrants traded 3 to 7 years of labor in exchange for the costly passage to come to the colonies.

3) Up to 50% of European immigrants came on some type of “indenture” contract.

Triangular trade (1600s)

1) Trade routes or patterns between 3 ports or regions that developed in the 1600s and whose main goal was the transatlantic slave trade.

2) Raw materials such as sugar (rum) were sent to Europe and traded for manufactured goods (weapons), which were then sent to West Africa and traded for slaves, which were the sent to the Americas for more raw materials.

3) The voyage across the Atlantic of enslaved Africans became known as the Middle Passage, which forcibly removed millions of men, women, and children from Africa and brought them to the Americas.

Virginia Slave Laws (1661)

1) Was the first of slave laws throughout the British North American colonies.

2) Introduced the concept of "perpetual" slavery, or any child born to a female slave would be slave for life.

3) Also legalized the idea that slaves were property and that owners could use corporal punishment and receive financial compensation for slaves.

Chesapeake/Southern colonies (1600-1754)

1) Maryland, Virginia (Chesapeake), North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

2) Colonies distinguished by an economy of cash crops (tobacco (main crop), indigo and rice. Indentured servants and slaves were main labor source.

3) A large wealth gap with large plantation owners having power and a protestant religion were characteristics of this region.

New England colonies (1600-1754)

1) Northernmost colonies, which consisted of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

2) The area was originally settled by families who were coming to America to escape religious persecution (i.e. Puritans and Pilgrims).

3) The cold climate and rocky soil meant that the economy of the region was based on trade and shipbuilding.

Middle colonies (1600-1754)

1) Region that included the New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey colonies.

2) The most diverse region in the British colonies, which included Germans, Dutch, and Quakers.

3) As the “bread colonies,” the economy of the region was built on the cultivation of corn and wheat.

Jamestown (1607)

1) The first permanent English settlement in North America, which was established in present-day Virginia.

2) The early years of the colony were especially difficult as colonists died in large numbers due to disease, malnutrition, starvation, and clashes with natives.

3) The introduction of tobacco into the colony by John Rolfe helped make it an economic success and allowed the colony to flourish.

Virginia House of Burgesses (1619)

1) First representative assembly created in the British colonies, which was created to govern Virginia.

2) Established a tradition of democracy in the British colonies.

3) This legislative body lasted all the way up to the American Revolution in 1776, with Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry serving as representatives.

Puritans & “City upon a Hill” (1630)

1) The Puritans settled in present-day Massachusetts.

2) The Puritans came to colonies seeking religious freedom from the Anglican church.

3) Puritan leader John Winthrop delivered the “City upon a Hill” sermon, in which he encouraged Puritans to serve as a “model” community for the rest of the world.

Pequot War (1637)

1) One of the first wars between natives and Europeans in British North America. It pitted Puritan settlers in New England against the Pequot, which was the most powerful tribe in the region. The war stemmed from competition over land and access to the fur trade created by the arrival of more English settlers to New England.

2) The war lasted for 11 months. During that time, the most critical battle was the Mystic Massacre, which was when Puritan colonists and their Narragansett Indian allies destroyed a Pequot village on the Mystic River, setting fire to the village and massacring nearly everyone inside.

3) In the weeks that followed, the Pequots were almost entirely wiped out. Those who were not killed were sold into slavery in the West Indies.

Roger Williams & Anne Hutchinson (1640s)

1) Puritan dissenters who were banished from Massachusetts because they disagreed with Puritan leaders on religious teachings.

2) Roger Williams founded Rhode Island, known for its religious toleration.

3) Anne Hutchinson and her followers settled the area of Portsmouth, which later became part of Rhode Island.

Maryland Act of Toleration (1649)

1) Maryland law that guaranteed toleration to all Christians but decreed the death penalty for those who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ.

2) Maryland was originally founded in 1634 as a religious safe haven for Catholics who were persecuted in England, which was predominantly Protestant. However, as the colony grew, tensions arose between Catholics and new settlers who were often Protestant.

3) The law established freedom of worship for Christians, and it served as an example of the higher degree of religious tolerance that emerged in the Southern colonies prior to the American Revolution.

Mercantilism & Navigation Acts (1660s)

1) A system in which colonies provide raw materials to its mother country in order to profit from that country’s industry.

2) The Navigation Acts dictated the rules of trade between Great Britain and its colonies.

3) The rules of trade were rarely enforced by the British crown, allowing for a policy of Salutary Neglect to develop by the end of the 1600s.

King Philip’s War (1675)

1) King Philip (also known as Chief Metacom) united Native tribes against English settlers encroaching on their territory.

2) Thousands were killed on both sides, including King Philip.

3) This event was significant because it signaled the end of Native American resistance in the New England colonies.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

1) Nathaniel Bacon, along with former indentured servants, led a series of raids against Native Americans in Virginia.

2) The government accused Bacon of rebelling against authority.

3) The conflict served as an example of the class differences that existed within the colonies, and as a result, many plantation owners shifted from using indentured servants to African slaves in order to fill labor shortages.

Holy Experiment & William Penn (1681)

1) This refers to the colony of Pennsylvania.

2) This was created as a safe haven for Quakers and guaranteed religious freedom.

3) Its government, which consisted of a representative assembly and written constitution, advocated peace, paying natives for land, and gender equality.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

1) This was the largest slave revolt in the British colonies.

2) 20 African slaves raided a store near the Stono River in South Carolina, taking guns and other weapons. The group then marched south toward promised freedom in Spanish-controlled Florida, waving flags and beating drums. The rebels were joined by 4o more on their march and killed more than 20 white settlers before being caught by the local militia.

3) After the slaves were stopped, South Carolina passed the comprehensive South Carolina Slave Code of 1740, making it illegal for slaves to move abroad, assemble in groups, raise food, earn money, use drums, and learn to read English. Owners were even permitted to kill rebellious slaves if necessary.

John Locke & the Enlightenment (1700s)

1) This was a philosophical and cultural movement in Europe.

2) This English philosopher believed in natural rights which greatly influenced American revolutionaries.

3) The ideas of the movement emphasized reason and science as opposed to blind faith and religion.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

1) American public official, writer, scientist, and printer, who promoted freedom of the press. After the success of his "Poor Richard's Almanac", he entered politics and played a major part in the American Revolution.

2) He embodied the ideas of the Enlightenment with its emphasis on philosophy and scientific reasoning. His numerous scientific and practical innovations include the lightning rod, bifocal spectacles, and a stove.

3) Developed the Albany Plan of Union in 1754, which proposed an intercolonial government, and systems for recruiting troops and collecting taxes. During the American Revolution, he negotiated French support for the colonists, signed the Treaty of Paris, and later helped draft the Constitution.

First Great Awakening (1730s)

1) This was an Evangelical religious revival in the British colonies, which emphasized the importance of individuality and thinking for one's self.

2) Jonathan Edwards who wrote “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and George Whitefield were two powerful ministers who influenced the movement.

3.) As a result, colonists shared in a common experience and caused some to question authority.

Zenger Trial (1734)

1) New York newspaper editor John Peter Zenger was accused of seditious libel for printing stories that were critical of the corrupt, British-appointed governor. In colonial times, there were no established protections for the press and the government could bring charges against anyone for publishing works that criticized the government.

2) The jury ruled that he was not guilty because what had been printed in the newspaper was true.

3) The case established the principle that truthful statements about public officials could not be prosecuted as libel. It was an important victory for democracy and it helped establish freedom of the press in the colonies.