Chapter 4: American Life in the Seventeenth Century

Chesapeake

Early colonial region in America characterized by short life spans due to disease and hunger.

Tobacco

Prolific crop in the Chesapeake region that was heavily relied upon for trade and economic growth.

Indentured servants

European immigrants sent to the Chesapeake region as laborers in exchange for passage, often working on tobacco farms.

Headright system

A system in which individuals who paid for the passage of indentured servants were granted fifty acres of land.

Bacon's Rebellion

A revolt led by Nathaniel Bacon in 1676 against the colonial government of Virginia, sparked by grievances over Native American attacks and lack of representation.

Colonial slavery

The system of enslaving Africans in the American colonies, primarily for economic reasons and sustained by racial bias.

Slave codes

Laws that distinguished between white servants and black slaves, treating slaves as property and limiting their rights.

Southern society

A hierarchical social structure in the southern colonies, with wealthy landowners at the top, small farmers in the middle, and indentured servants and slaves at the bottom.

New England

A region in colonial America characterized by a family-oriented society, high literacy rates, and a focus on moral values.

Halfway covenant

A compromise in New England that allowed more people to become members of the Puritan church without requiring a full conversion experience.