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Puritans
Group of religious dissidents who came to the New World so that they would have a location to establish a "purer" church than the one that existed in England.
Separatists
Religious group that also opposed the Church of England and traveled first to Holland and then to the Americas.
Samuel de Champlain
Founder of Quebec, the first (of few) permanent French settlements, who sought alliances with Native American tribes such as the Huron.
Robert La Salle
French explorer who explored the Mississippi and claimed Louisiana for France.
Jesuits
French religious converters who experienced more success with less coercive tactics than the Spanish.
Franciscans
Spanish religious converters who experienced limited success due to their coercive tactics and forced labor.
Henry Hudson
Dutch explorer who explored the Hudson river and established trading settlements in Manhattan, with limited success (due to the reluctancy of Dutch settlers and economically stunting conflicts with Native Americans).
London Company
Company that was granted a charter to establish Jamestown colony.
Jamestown
Colony established in 1607 by John Smith. Despite its early failures due to its diseased, swampy location and poor harvests eventually enjoyed success spurred by the creation of trade alliances with the Powhatan Confederacy and John Rolfe's development of tobacco as a cash crop.
House of Burgesses
First representative government in a colony, established in Virginia in 1619.
Plymouth
1620-Separatists, led by William Bradford, who enjoyed the benefits of the Mayflower Compact and a colder climate, later merging with the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Mayflower Compact
Contract held by Plymouth colony which stated that their government would be accountable to the consent of the governed.
Massachusetts Bay Colony
1629-Puritans who, under John Winthrop, aspired to become a "city on a hill" and was ruled by a "General Court" based in community and religious standing.
Rhode Island
Established by Roger Williams in the belief that Massachusetts was to close to the Church of England and should adhere to the separation of church and state.
Anne Hutchinson
Religious dissenter who established Portsmouth (later CT).
Thomas Hooker
Religious dissenter who established Connecticut.
John Davenport
Religious dissenter who established Davenport (later CT).
Maryland
1932-Established by George Calvert as a refuge for English Catholics.
North Carolina
Proprietary colony which gradually developed a dependency on slavery.
South Carolina
Proprietary colony which relied upon slavery from its inception.
Proprietary Colony
Colony granted by the King of England to an individual or group of individuals, rather than a company.
Mercantilism
Economic system practiced by European powers in the late seventeenth century stating that economic self-sufficiency was crucial and stressed exportation; as a result, colonial empires were important for raw materials.
Navigation Acts
1660-Acts passed by the British parliament increasing the dependency of the colonies on the English for trade by forcing them to export certain crops only to England (instead of selling them to the Dutch, who paid better prices) and requiring all finished products owned by colonists to be produced in Great Britain; these acts caused great resentment in the American colonies but were not strictly enforced.
Triangular Trade System
Complex trading system that developed in this era between Europe, Africa, and the colonies; Europeans purchased slaves in Africa and sold them to the colonies, raw materials from the colonies went to Europe, while European finished products were sold in the colonies.
Middle Passage
The voyage taken by African slaves on horribly overcrowded ships from Africa to the Americas. Slavery increased in the Southern colonies as the number of indentured servants waned in correlation with the increased economic opportunities in Britain and the middle colonies.
Salem Witch Trials
1692-Trials in Salem, MA, after which 19 people were executed as witches; historians note the class nature of these trials, which revealed the tensions which had been brewing between traditional Puritanism and modern reliance on commerce which had gained prevalence in MA.
Salutary Neglect
Early 18th century British policy relaxing the strict enforcement of trade policies in American colonies. The colonies gained (some) political independence as most appointed officials were figureheads chosen for their political connections.
Edmund Randolph
Chief British customs officer in MA, who resented the continued colonial trade with non-British merchants in defiance of the Navigation Acts and encouraged the British government to enforce them more strictly under the Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England
Act which revoked the charters of all the colonies from New Jersey to Maine and increased the power of the governor, Edmund Andros.
William Berkley
Governor of Virginia, who profited from his position and was blamed for a drop in tobacco prices which incited Bacon's Rebellion, after which he was removed from office.
Bacon's Rebellion
1676-Rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon, incited by government corruption, class tensions, a drop in tobacco prices, and Indian attacks. Bacon took control of the colony and died, but his actions resulted in a decrease in the power of the governor and an increase in slave trade (as indentured servants were now seen as less trustworthy).
Stono Rebellion
Slave rebellion in Charleston in 1739, in which slaves revolted and killed plantation owners before being brutally executed. This resulted in an increased fear of slave revolts and therefore harsher security measures against slaves.
Glorious Revolution
1688 Revolution which replaced James II with William and Mary of Orange. The colonies pledged loyalty to them. Simultaneously, a revolt in New York instituted the rule of Jacob Leisler (who was hanged) and a revolt in Maryland established protestantism (which was accepted). Although William and Mary believed in control over colonial affairs, these revolutions marked the end of the Dominion of New England and the restoration of representative political institutions.
King William's War
1689-97-AKA the War of the League of Augsburg, this war was fought between New England troops allied with the Iroquois against French troops allied with the Algonquin. The French captured Schenectady while the English captured Port Royal. The war was ended with the treaty of Ryswick, which reaffirmed prewar colonial boundaries and gave France control over half of Spain.
Treaty of Ryswick
1697-Treaty ending King William's War which reaffirmed prewar colonial boundaries and gave France control of half of Haiti.
Queen Anne's War
1702-13-British vs. Spanish and French. The British attacked at St. Augustine and armed Native American slaves from missions, urging them to attack the missions and settlement at Penascola. Although victories in the US were ambivalent, the Treaty of Utrecht gained British Newfoundland, Acadia, Hudson Bay Territory, and parts of the Great Lakes to the British.
Proprietorships
Colonies in which property-owning citizens elected assemblies and appointed governors, such as the Carolinas, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
Colonial Assemblies
Assemblies which, although not democratic in that they were made up of landowning elite, exercised resistance towards British policies through economic boycotts.
Molasses Act
1733-Act which increased British control over colonial trade.
First Great Awakening
1720s-40s-Religious revival in which new ministers such as Jonathan Edwards preached that old ministers were not devoted enough to God and that most people would go to hell. New colleges were started to train ministers, but many untrained ministers also preached, instilling a sense of social rebellion by challenging religious and political traditions.
French and Indian War
1756-63-AKA the Seven Years' War, a conflict between the British and the French that also involved Native Americans and colonial militias. The French wanted to expand Southward, and were concerned by attempts of expansionist colonists to broker agreements with local Native Americans. Governor Dinwiddie sent a militia to stop French construction of a fort, who were defeated, leading to large amounts of Native Americans allying with the French. The British general Edward Braddock also failed to do so and was killed, beginning a pattern of British defeats. William Pitt then took control of the war, gaining colonial support by promising reimbursement for their help. French defeat in this war greatly decreased their influence in the colonies. The war also led to an increase in colonial resistance and anti-British sentiment.
Stamp Act
1765-Act imposed by the British which dictated that all printed materials in the colonies had to be issued on officially stamped paper. This act, the first case in which Parliament directly taxed the colonies, created strong resentment in the colonies and was later repealed by Lord Rockingham out of fear of economic repercussions of the economic boycott threatened by the colonists.
Townshend Acts
1767-British legislation that forced colonies to pay duties on most goods coming from England; these duties were fiercely resisted and finally repealed in 1770.
Boston Massacre
1770-Conflict between British soldiers and Boston civilians; five colonists were killed and six wounded.
Sons of Liberty
Radical group that organized resistance against British policies in Boston in the 1760s and 70s, including the Boston Tea Party. Led by Samuel Adams, the protests of this group forced the MA stamp agent, Andrew Oliver, to resign.
Committees of Correspondence
Committees created first in MA and then in other colonies which circulated grievances against the British to towns within their colonies; arguably the first modes of protest in the colonies.
Boston Tea Party
1773-In response to British taxes on tea, Boston radicals disguised as Native Americans threw chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act, in an important symbolic act of resistance to British economic control of the colonies.
First Continental Congress
1774-Meeting in Philadelphia at which colonists vowed to resist further efforts to tax them without their consent. The Declaration of Rights and Grievances and the Suffolk Resolves were issued, and a petition was sent to George III requesting the repeal of all regulatory acts and informing him of the economic boycott. It was also decided that colonies would begin to build up militias.
Albany Congress
1754-Meeting of delegates from Northern and Southern colonies which attempted to reach a consensus on how to expand in relation to the French. Although no consensus was reached, Virginia Governor Dinwiddie sent a militia to stop the French construction of a fort, which failed but started the Seven Years' War.
William Pitt
British leader in the Seven Years' War who won by gaining colonial support on the promise that they would be repaid after the war.
Treaty of Paris
Treaty which ended the Seven Years' War and gave most of France's colonial territories to Britain and Spain.
George Grenville
British Prime Minister under George III who sought to ease the debts incurred through many British wars by increasing taxation on the colonies, whom he saw as needing to take on their share of the burden for the Seven Years' War. His policies weakened the already poor postwar colonial economy and incited anti-British sentiment in the colonies.
Currency Act
1764-Act which made it illegal to print money in the colonies. This posed a challenge, due to the shortages of hard currency in the colonies.
Sugar Act
1764-Act which increased the penalties for smuggling and forced the colonists to pay a duty on all imported molasses.
Quartering Act
1765-Act which required that colonists provide food and accommodations for British soldiers.
Stamp Act Congress
1765-Meeting at which colonial representatives agreed that taxation must come from within the colonies.
Declaratory Act
Act following the repeal of the Stamp Act, stating that Parliament had the power to tax the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
Charles Townshend
Chancellor of the Exchequer who took a large part in forming colonial policies and hoped to generate revenue through colonial trade. He also created Admiralty Courts to try smuggling cases, and stationed British soldiers in port cities.
Townshend Acts
1767-Acts imposing duties on glass, paper, and tea (goods produced in Britain), the profits from which would be used to pay the salaries of British officials in the colonies. They were repealed, except for the tax on tea which was left as a symbol of power.
Circular Letter
Letter by Samuel Adams which was approved by the MA Assembly and other colonial assemblies. It protested the Townshend Acts on the grounds that "taxation without representation is tyranny."
Tea Act
Act which allowed the East India Tea Company to sell tea directly to colonists, which led to colonial resistance.
Intolerable Acts
1774-Acts which closed the port of Boston and put the MA assembly under the control of the king and the governor and incited fear that similar actions could be taken in other colonies.
Quebec Act
Act which increased the religious freedom of French Catholics, and was taken by many as a threat of absolutist French monarchy.
Declaration of Rights and Grievances
Compromise proposed by John Adams which proposed that while the colonies would not object to regulation of their external commerce, they could not be taxed without their consent.
Suffolk Resolves
Act of the First Continental Congress which resolved that the colonies would continue to boycott all British goods until the Intolerable Acts were rescinded.
Second Continental Congress
1775-Meeting that authorized the creation of a Continental Army, the printing of paper money, and the creation of a foreign relations committee; George Washington was appointed commander in chief; many delegates still hoped that conflict could be avoided with the British.
Common Sense
1776-Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine attacking the system of government by monarchy and arguing that the colonies would be more successful independently; this document was very influential throughout the colonies.
Battle of Yorktown
1781-Defeat of the British in Virginia, ending their hopes of winning the Revolutionary War. The British General Cornwallis occupied the city but was trapped by French and Colonial forces, after weeks of siege he surrendered.
Treaty of Paris
1783-Treaty ending the Revolutionary War; by this treaty Great Britain recognized American independence and gave Americans the territory between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, although Britain maintained control over Canada. John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams served as US diplomats and agreed that loyalists would be free to reclaim any seized property and that British merchants would be able to collect debts owed to them.
Articles of Confederation
Ratified 1781-Document establishing the first government of the United States, the federal government was given limited power (it could borrow money, handle foreign relations, and mediate interstate conflicts but not raise an army, levy taxes, or regulate commerce) and the states much power. They created a unicameral house in which each state had one vote. This system of government led to economic distress, because the national government had incurred large war debts but had no way to pay them because it could not levy taxes or institute tariffs. Therefore, it was forced to rely on loans from France and other countries, and through the sale of Western lands.
Northwest Ordinances
1784, 1785, 1787-Bills authorizing the sale of lands in the Northwest Territory to raise money for the federal government, bills also laid out procedures for these territories to eventually attain statehood. Settlers quickly moved West, despite controversy over the expansion of slavery and the threat of Indian attacks.
Thomas Gage
Acting governor of Massachusetts whose orders against the Massachusetts Assembly meeting were ignored. He ordered British soldiers to seize the arms stored in Lexington, leading to the battle at that location.
Lexington
Site of a raid on colonial arms being stockpiled by rebels. The British ordered the colonists to disperse and a few were wounded.
Concord
Location the British marched to to raid military and food supplies. The colonists opened fire and attacked as the British retreated to Lexington, inflicting far heavier losses than the colonists suffered.
Olive Branch Petition
Petition sent to King George III which asked for him to help facilitate a "happy and permanent reconciliation." The king never read the petition, further strengthening the colonist's position.
Declaration of Independence
1776-Doccument declaring US independence, listing the grievances of the colonies, and arguing for certain inalienable rights, among them the right to a government by the consent of the governed.
Bunker Hill
1775-Bloody battle in which the colonists were defeated, but at the expense of significant British casualties.
Hessians
German allies of the British, who were defeated by Washington's forces Christmas 1776.
William Howe
British General during the Revolutionary War who failed in large part due to his slow military actions and failure to go to Albany during the "British Blunder" of 1777.
British Blunder
1777-British tactical failure, in which troops tried to converge on Albany, NY, but failed because Howe went to Philadelphia instead and the British army was weighed down by cumbersome supplies.
Saratoga
Defeat of British forces under Burgoyne, signaling the beginning of the end for the British and winning increased military support by France for colonial troops.
Valley Forge
Camp of Washington's soldiers during the winter of '77-'78. Low morale and discipline caused by cold weather, malnutrition, and desertions was improved under Baron von Steuben's daily drilling.
Bicameral Legislatures
Legislatures having two houses which were established by state constitutions. These constitutions also gave limited power to governors and broadened the number of people allowed to vote.
Shays Rebellion
Rebellion of farmers in MA led by Daniel Shays, protesting the poor economic conditions and collection of debts. The rebellion was put down by a private army and lowered taxes, but demonstrated the necessity of stronger state and national governments.
Virginia Plan
Plan proposed by Edmund Randolph and James Madison during the debate over the constitution, proposing a bicameral legislature with representatives determined by proportional representation (proportional representation), which was supported by larger states.
New Jersey Plan
Plan proposed during the debate over the constitution, proposing one legislative body for the country with each state having one vote, which was supported by smaller states.
Great Compromise
Connecticut plan that stated that one house of the Congress would be based on population (the House of Reps) while in the other house all states would have equal representation (the Senate).
Electoral College
Procedure for electing the president and vice-president of the US as outlined in the Constitution; electors from each state, not the popular vote, would elect the president. This appeased the fears that a national government would have too much power.
Three-Fifths Compromise
The decision which stated that slaves would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining eventual membership in the House of Representatives.
Federalists
Party which advocated a larger national government (like that proposed in the new Constitution), earning the support of commercial interests and trusting that the elites who would rule the country would act in the best interests of the country. They were opposed by Jeffersonians, who wanted smaller governments.
Alien and Sedition Acts
Acts proposed by President John Adams which gave the president the power to expel "dangerous" aliens and outlawed "scandalous" publications against the government.
James Madison
Proponent of the three branches of government, which appeased the public's fears of an over-concentration of power in the hands of a few.
Anti-Federalists
Party which opposed the creation of a constitution and feared that it would establish a tyranny similar to Britain's. They valued individual rights, and saw state's rights as the best protection of individual rights.
George Washington
First president of the US, who was elected after leading the military in the Revolutionary War. He believed that the president should enforce, not create laws, and therefore made few suggestions to congress. His farewell address warned against partisanship and advocated isolationism.
Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. They also stated that these were not the only rights of US citizens, and that all rights not specifically given to the federal government belonged to state governments.
Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of the Treasury under Washington who advocated mercantilist policies, including the transformation of the US into a manufacturing power and economic union with Great Britain, as well as high tariffs on foreign goods. For this, he advocated a strong national government and a broad interpretation of the constitution (one in which powers not given to the states belonged to the federal government). He became the ideological leader of the federalist party, which was popular in the North and Southeast.
Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of State under Washington who wanted the US to remain largely agricultural, advocated free-trade, laissez-faire economic policies, and a strict interpretation of the constitution (in which the federal government had only the powers specifically given to it). He became the ideological leader of the Republican party, which was popular in the South and West. He was elected president in 1800, and upon entering office did not renew the Alien and Sedition Acts and cut back on taxes and federal spending, but displayed his pragmatism by accepting that economic growth was conditional upon his support of a National Bank.
Report on Public Credit
Hamilton's report in which he argued that the US had to redeem all notes issued under the Articles of Confederation and that the federal government should assume the debts of state governments. He also advocated the creation of a national bank to assist efforts to industrialize and the creation of tax incentives and subsidies to spur industrial growth, which would be paid for by high tariffs on imports. His plans were mostly accepted, except for his plan for industrialization.
Declaration of Neutrality
1793-Declaration issued by Washington after the outbreak of the French Revolution and ensuing war between France and the rest of Europe, which allowed the US to continue trading with both sides.
Whiskey Rebellion
1794-Rebellion by Pennsylvania farmers against Hamilton's tax on whiskey (to pay for the state debts assumed by the federal government), which was how they sold their grain. Washington put down the rebellion, demonstrating the strength of the new government.
