APUSH - Period 2

Important Vocab for Period 2

Joint-Stock Company

A precursor to the modern corporation that allowed investors to pool resources for colonization ventures

House of Burgesses

The first representative assembly in colonial America, established in Virginia in 1619

Act of Toleration

A 1649 Maryland law that provided religious freedom for all Christians but decreed death for those who denied the divinity of Jesus

Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious movement that led to the creation of Protestant churches and a split from the Catholic Church

Mayflower Compact

An agreement that established the first form of self-governing body in America

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

The first written constitution in America, establishing a representative government in Connecticut

King Philip’s War

A conflict between New England colonists and Native Americans led by Metacom

Navigation Laws

A series of British laws designed to restrict colonial trade to England and decrease dependence on foreign import

Indentured Servants

Laborers who agreed to work for a fixed period in exchange for passage to America

Bacon’s Rebellion

A 1676 uprising in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley over land and Indian policy

Headright System

50 acres of land given to each person who paid for passage to the Americans overseas

Triangular Trade

A trade system between Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving rum, slaves, and raw materials

Stono Rebellion

A 1739 slave revolt in South Carolina that led to stricter slave codes

Great Awakening

A series of religious revivals that pushed personal salvation against Calvinist predestination

John Peter Zenger

A printer whose 1735 acquittal established freedom of the press in America