Exam I Study Guide: Colonial America and the American Revolution

Mayflower Compact (1620)

The first governing document of Plymouth Colony, establishing a civil body politic based on self-government, majority rule, and consent of the governed.

Joint-Stock Company

A forerunner of the modern corporation where multiple investors pooled capital to fund colonial settlements and mitigate individual financial risk.

Puritanism

A Calvinist reform movement that sought to purify the Church of England, emphasizing divine sovereignty, predestination, high literacy, and a 'City upon a Hill' social model.

Half-Way Covenant (1662)

A compromise allowing children and grandchildren of existing church members partial church membership and baptism without requiring a full conversion experience.

Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

A religious revival across the American colonies emphasizing personal, emotional spiritual experience and democratizing religious authority.

Proprietary Colonies

Colonies created through land grants awarded by the Crown to individuals ('proprietors') who held territorial and administrative authority, such as Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Indentured Servitude

A system where workers signed contracts agreeing to labor for 4 to 7 years in exchange for ocean passage to America and basic sustenance.

Proclamation of 1763

An order by King George III prohibiting Anglo-American settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains following the Seven Years' War.

Stamp Act (1765)

The first direct internal tax imposed by Parliament on American colonists, requiring a revenue stamp on all printed paper materials.

Declaratory Act (1766)

A parliamentary act passed alongside the repeal of the Stamp Act asserting Parliament's absolute authority to pass binding laws for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever.'