APUSH UNIT 2 (1607-1754)

Anglicanization

The process of the British North American colonies becoming increasingly like their motherland, adopting British customs, fashions, legal systems, and traditions.

Triangular Trade

the 17th-19th century transatlantic economic system linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It involved exchanging European manufactured goods (guns, cloth) for enslaved Africans, shipping slaves to the Americas via the Middle Passage (for labor), and transporting raw materials (sugar, tobacco) back to Europe

Bacon’s Manifesto

Bacon’s Manifesto (1676), or “The Declaration of the People,” was a document written by Nathaniel Bacon during his rebellion against Virginia Governor William Berkeley. It justified attacking Native Americans and burning Jamestown by accusing the elite planter government of corruption, unfair taxation, and failing to protect frontier settlers

Bacon’s Rebellion

(1676) was an armed uprising of Virginia backcountry settlers, former indentured servants, and enslaved people led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor William Berkeley. Sparked by the government's failure to protect settlers from Native American attacks, it became a violent class struggle that shifted labor from unreliable white indentured servants to racialized African slavery.

Bread-basket Colonies

refers to the Middle Colonies—Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware—during the 17th and 18th centuries. Due to their fertile soil, moderate climate, and large-scale cultivation of wheat, oats, and corn, they served as the primary agricultural producers of food for other British colonies

Chattel Slavery

a system of bondage in which enslaved individuals are legally defined as personal property (chattel) of their owners, able to be bought, sold, traded, or inherited. This system was the basis Southern plantation economies and cash crops production in the States.

Chesapeake Colonies

17th-century English settlements around Chesapeake Bay, focused on economic profit through tobacco cultivation. Characterized by a plantation economy, high mortality rates, and a shift from indentured servitude to African slavery, they developed a rigid social structure dominated by wealthy planters.

The Chickasaw Wars

(c. 1721–1763) were a series of mid-18th-century conflicts between the Chickasaw Nation—allied with the British—and the French, who were allied with the Choctaw and Illinois nations. Fought over control of the Mississippi River and trading routes, the Chickasaw successfully defended their lands and maintained independence through superior military strategy and vital British trade links.

Colonial legislatures

were representative assemblies in the 13 British colonies, elected by white, land-owning males to manage local affairs. They functioned as early democratic institutions, passing laws and controlling taxes (including governors' salaries), effectively serving as the foundation for American self-government and resisting Parliament's control

Dutch Colonization

(c. 1609–1664) in North America, centered on the Hudson River valley (New Netherland/New Amsterdam), was a commercial endeavor driven by the Dutch West India Company to maximize fur trade profits. Unlike other powers, it was characterized by relatively low-volume settlement, a diverse population, and trade-focused relations with Native Americans, eventually surrendered to Britain in 1664.

Social Contract

a philosophical concept that posits an implicit agreement among individuals to form a society and abide by its rules in exchange for protection and the benefits of communal living.

John Lock’s “Natural Rights”

“Natural Rights” are fundamental, inherent rights—life, liberty, and property—that individuals possess from birth, rather than rights granted by government

First Great Awakening

was a massive wave of religious revivals across the American colonies, prioritizing emotional, personal piety over rational, institutional theology. Led by George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, this movement created new denominations, split churches into "New Lights" vs. "Old Lights," and united colonists through shared experience, challenging established authority.

French Colonization

the 17th–18th century establishment of "New France" (Canada, Louisiana) focusing on the fur trade, alliances with Indigenous peoples, and low population growth. Unlike the British, the French favored trade over territorial conquest, relying on cooperative relationships and intermarriage.

Head-right System

a 1618 Virginia Company land grant program, later used throughout the Southern colonies, that awarded 50 acres of land to settlers who paid for their own or another's passage. It aimed to solve labor shortages by importing indentured servants, heavily accelerating tobacco cultivation, plantation agriculture, and wealth inequality

House of Burgesses

(est. 1619) was the first popularly elected legislative assembly in British North America, located in Virginia. It established early representative democracy in the colonies, allowing white male landowners to elect representatives, thus creating an early "model" for colonial self-government.

John Wintrop

(1588–1649) was a prominent Puritan leader and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1649), crucial to early New England’s religious and political development. Famous for his "City upon a Hill" sermon, he envisioned the colony as a godly model community.

Jonathan Edwards

was a key 18th-century Congregationalist theologian and preacher who sparked the First Great Awakening with intensely emotional sermons, most notably "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". He promoted Calvinist salvation by grace, challenging rationalist Enlightenment views and fostering a more personalized, democratic religious experience.

Mayflower Compact

(1620) was the first agreement for self-government in America, signed by 41 men aboard the Mayflower before landing at Plymouth

Mercantilism

was the dominant 17th and 18th-century economic theory driving European imperialism, arguing a nation's power depended on accumulating wealth (gold/silver) and achieving a favorable balance of trade.

Metacom’s War

(1675–1678), also known as King Philip's War, was a brutal armed conflict between New England colonists and a Wampanoag-led Native American alliance. Triggered by rapid territorial expansion and English interference, the war saw significant casualties but ultimately failed to stop English expansion, effectively ending major Native resistance in the region

Middle colonies

The Middle Colonies (NY, NJ, PA, DE) were characterized by high ethnic/religious diversity, a "breadbasket" economy based on grain exports, and relative tolerance. Founded for commercial (Dutch) and religious (Quaker) reasons, they featured Quaker-indigenous cooperation (PA) and urban trade hubs (NYC, Philly)

Navigation Acts

(starting 1651) were a series of British laws enforcing mercantilism by restricting colonial trade to English ships and ports. Aimed at boosting British power over rivals, these acts necessitated that "enumerated goods" (e.g., tobacco, sugar) go only to England.

New England Colonies

(Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire) were founded primarily by Puritans seeking religious freedom in the 1620s–1630s. Characterized by tight-knit, family-based communities, they featured a subsistence farming and commercial economy (fishing, lumber, shipbuilding) and a strict theocratic government

New Light Ministers

s were evangelical preachers during the 18th-century First Great Awakening who supported emotional, experiential faith over cold intellectualism. Led by figures like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, they challenged established church authority, promoted missionary work, and spurred the rise of new denominations.

Old Light Ministers

were traditional, conservative clergy in 18th-century America who opposed the emotional, experiential preaching of the First Great Awakening. They prioritized intellectual, scripture-based sermons over the passionate "new birth" theology of New Lights, rejecting itinerant preaching and favoring established church

Plymouth Colony

Was settled by separatist Pilgrims seeking religious freedom in 1620. The Pilgrims were seeking religious freedom and survived on a subsistence economy, were self-governed via the Mayflower compact and had a cooperative then tense relationship with the Wampanoag in the area.

Pueblo Revolt

(1680) was a successful uprising by Pueblo Indians in New Mexico against Spanish colonizers, driven by religious persecution, forced labor, and drought.

Puritans

17th-century English Protestants who sought to "purify" the Church of England of Catholic rituals, settling in New England (

Quakers

(Religious Society of Friends) were a 17th-century radical Protestant sect, founded by George Fox, emphasizing "inner light," spiritual equality, pacifism, and religious tolerance. Led by William Penn, they established Pennsylvania as a "Holy Experiment" in democratic, ethnically diverse, and peaceful coexistence with Native Americans

Salem Witch Trials

Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts saw over 200 people accused and 20 executed, fueled by Puritan religious fervor, frontier fear during King William's War, and social tensions. This episode of mass hysteria highlighted severe gender prejudices, and demonstrated the tension between traditional piety and a rapidly changing colonial society

Salutary Neglect

was the unofficial British policy of loosely enforcing parliamentary laws, particularly trade regulations like the Navigation Acts, in the American colonies from roughly 1607–1763. This lenient approach allowed the colonies to develop independent political and economic systems, fostering self-government and triggering a sense of American identity.

Slave Codes

were 17th-19th century colonial and state laws designed to define enslaved people as property (chattel) rather than human beings, legally cementing a rigid racial hierarchy.

Southern Colonies

(Virginia, Maryland, Carolinas, Georgia) focused on plantation agriculture, exporting staple crops like tobacco and rice, and relied on enslaved labor. Settled primarily for profit, they featured a distinct, hierarchical social structure dominated by elite white planters.

Stono Rebellion

(1739) was the largest enslaved uprising in British mainland colonies, occurring in South Carolina. Led by a man named Jemmy, enslaved people marched toward Spanish Florida for freedom, killing ~30 white people before being defeated. It directly resulted in the strict Negro Act of 1740, limiting slave mobility, assembly, and education

Anne Hutchinson

was a prominent Puritan dissenter in the Massachusetts Bay Colony who challenged religious authority and gender norms. She advocated for the "covenant of grace" (salvation through faith alone) over the "covenant of works," leading to her 1637 trial, banishment, and founding of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Triangular trade

was a 17th–18th century transatlantic exchange system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas, driven by mercantilism. European manufactured goods (firearms, textiles) were traded for enslaved Africans, who were transported via the brutal Middle Passage to the Americas, producing raw materials (sugar, tobacco) for Europe