Chapter 4 Colonial America Review

Flashcards covering key historical concepts from Chapter 4, including the Magna Carta, Parliamentary power, Navigation Acts, Colonial Social Classes, Atlantic Slave Trade, Triangular Trade, Slave Codes, The Great Awakening, and Separation of Powers.

What was the Magna Carta?

The first document to place restrictions on an English ruler's power.

What three restrictions and rights were established by the Magna Carta?

1. Limited the Monarch's right to levy taxes without consulting the nobles. 2. Protected the right to own private property. 3. Guaranteed the right to trial by jury.

What are the two houses of Parliament and how were their members chosen?

1. House of Lords: made up of nobles that inherited their titles. 2. House of Commons: members were elected.

Why was the power of the English Monarch limited regarding taxes and the military?

Because the monarch needed Parliament's permission to raise taxes or raise an army.

What were the three laws of the Navigation Acts designed to support mercantilism?

1. Shipments from Europe to the English colonies had to go through England first. 2. Any imports to England from the colonies had to come from ships built and owned by the British. 3. The colonies could sell key products such as tobacco and sugar only to England.

How did the jobs of colonial boys and girls differ?

1. Boys did field work with men or lived away from home as apprentices. 2. Girls did housekeeping work with the women or became servants in wealthy households.

What were the four social classes in colonial society?

1. Gentry (wealthy planters, merchants, royal officials, lawyers). 2. Middle Class (small planters, independent farmers, artisans). 3. Indentured Servants (signed contracts to work for 4-10 yrs). 4. Free African Americans (smallest and poorest class).

What were the terms of service and benefits for Indentured Servants?

They signed contracts to work for 4-10 yrs in exchange for ocean passage to America or the chance to become landowners.

What rights were granted to and withheld from Free African Americans in colonial society?

They were allowed to own property, but could not vote or sit on juries.

What was the Atlantic Slave Trade?

The transport of more than 10 million enslaved Africans to the Americas between the 1500s and the 1800s.

What was the Middle Passage, and what percentage of captives died during it?

The brutal voyage that carried captured people across the Atlantic from the West African coast to slavery in the Americas; 15-20% of the captives died or committed suicide on the journey.

What was traded on each leg of the Triangular Trade?

1st Leg: New England ships carried fish, lumber, etc. to Caribbean for molasses and sugar to make rum. 2nd Leg: Ships carried rum, guns, etc. to West Africa for slaves. 3rd Leg: Ships carried slaves to the West Indies to sell and buy more molasses.

Why did slavery take root in the colonies?

Slavery took root because of the plantation system, where profits could be made from tobacco and rice, leading planters to import thousands of enslaved Africans to work in the fields.

What were Slave Codes and what was their purpose?

Strict laws that restricted rights and activities of slaves, designed to restrict travel and communication among slaves in order to prevent slave revolts.

How did colonial schooling differ between boys and girls?

Boys received more education and studied a wider variety of subjects. Only some schools admitted girls, only teaching them in summers or when boys were not in school.

Why did The Great Awakening begin?

It began because of a decline in religious zeal.

What were the four impacts of The Great Awakening?

1. Led to the rise of many new churches. 2. Led to more tolerance of religious differences in the colonies. 3. Was one of the first national movements in the colonies. 4. Reinforced democratic ideas by encouraging people to make their own decisions about religion and politics.

What are the three branches of government under the Separation of Powers and what do they do?

1. Legislative Branch: makes laws. 2. Executive Branch: enforces the law. 3. Judicial Branch: judges the law.